Product Requirements:
Device: Any Pocket-size PDA

Christmas is coming - do you realize that it is barely two months away? If you already have a handle on who's been naughty or nice, you are probably looking for something perfect for that special someone.

If the object of your affection carries a PDA and likes to keep their wallet and a pad of paper nearby, then you might want to look at the Swiss Army Strategist PDA Case. If you are looking for a gift for yourself, then this might be a worthy contender.

The Strategist is a black on black, book style,  tri-fold case. The majority of this case's body is done in a very smooth, small-grained leather. The spine is covered in black nubuck. The case is secured with an adjustable snapping leather tab.

I will warn you that when you pull the Strategist out of its presentation box, you will be overwhelmed by the smell of quality leather. This is easily one of the yummiest cases I have ever smelled!

Opening this particular Swiss Army case, you will be impressed by all of the built-in features...

The far left side has slots to hold up to seven ID or credit cards. The bottom slot has a built-in plastic window to show your picture ID.

If you ever need to remove your ID, there is a handy plastic card holder that you extract by its handle.

There is one long slot pocket directly behind the card slot area, perfect for holding maps. Directly behind the "map pocket," there is a zippered pocket that runs the height of the binder. This pocket is perfect for holding loose change, stamps, receipts, or anything that needs to be kept secure. Finally, behind the zippered pocket are two long open slash pockets that run the height of the case. These will be great for such items as loose scraps of paper, programs, and other bits of info you can't bring yourself to discard.

All in all, the left side of the Strategist is a serious organizational tool; but wait - there's more...

In the middle of the case, you will find four items. Two pen loops, one for regular sized multi-pens, like the Yafa Quadro I show here. The smaller loop can hold a simple stylus, such as the Stabo Stylus Q, also pictured.

There is a handy business card holder in the top of this section, ready for when you meet an important contact. At the bottom, is one of the features that sets the Swiss Army brand cases apart from all others, especially if you are a Palm owner...the fitted quick-release clip system. As you can see - there are two female snaps set into an area of Velcro.

If you are a Palm III, V, or VII owner, you can just disregard that Velcro - you'll get to use a specially fitted clip.

These Palm owners can simply attach the clip to the snaps, and then insert their PDA. Efficient and effortless - just the way I like it! One thing that I would like to see would be more clip options for some of the other model PDAs, including this year's Palms, available in the future. I would like it if the clips were available separately, that way you could pick and choose what clips you needed for your particular PDA.

Here I show the clip holding my m505, but due to the extra height of this PDA, it is not quite as secure as I would like for it to be.

Other PDA owners that like the looks of this case can still adapt their PDAs to fit. This will of course, involve the use of an included strip of the "fuzzy stuff."

Compaq iPAQ and Handspring owners can take heart, though. You both have a work-around that will keep you from having to attach anything directly to the back of your PDA. Handspring owners can use the clip-on face-plate as a means to secure their Visors. All they will have to do is clip the face-plate to the backside of their PDAs and then attach the Velcro to the back side of the face-plate. Compaq iPAQ owners can attach Velcro to the basis style sleeve, and use it as a means of securing their PDA.

The right side of the Strategist holds a 5"x8" tablet of paper - perfect for jotting down notes for those times when it's more convenient to have a hard-copy of needed information.

Make no mistake about it, the Strategist is not a small case; rather, it is a substantial binder style carry-all.

Here are some facts and figures to help you decide if this case might work for your intentions...

The Strategist would be an excellent gift for anyone that needs a professional way to carry their PDA and other essentials.  Of all the "office-style" binders I have reviewed, this one is my favorite.

The Swiss Army Strategist PDA Case is available at Stylus Central, and other fine retailers.

Price:  $125

Pros:
Looks professional
Excellent quality leather and craftsmanship
Holds PDA & other essentials

Cons:
Expensive  
Clips only available that fit older model Palm PDAs