Product Requirements:
Device:
iPAQ and Silver Slider

04/22/01 Updated. Comments on new version will be made in red.

The Vaja Silver Slider iPAQ case is the only case available to date that has been specifically made for the iPAQ and Silver Slider. The Silver Slider is a modified Compact Flash Card Expansion Sleeve made by George Mosquera. 

Vaja is swiftly becoming well known for their quality leather PDA cases and this new case is not an exception.

Made of high quality leather, this case comes in a variety of colors including: Black Ostrich with Black plain leather, Cognac Ostrich with Dark Tan leather, Dark Tan leather with Dark Tan leather, Black grain leather with Black leather, and Green grain leather with Dark Tan leather. It is also available in both a belt clip or a non-belt clip version.

The iPAQ and Silver Slider combo easily slides into the case holster. No Velcro is required to hold the PDA in the case. The fit is adequate but  I think it could stand to be just a little more snug. As it is, if you would hold the case upside down with the cover open (I don't know why you would want to do that...), the iPAQ would fall out. That said, the cut outs in the holster are pretty much perfect. There is easy access to the application buttons and joypad. There is also a cut out for the voice recorder button. At the bottom of the case, there is a cut out for the AC adapter connector, sync port and reset switch.

New version has a perfect fit. Nice and snug.

This case is supposed to allow you to sync your iPAQ with the cradle while it is on. Unfortunately, I had quite a bit of trouble with this. I have not had one successful sync. No matter how hard I press the unit into the cradle, it won't initiate a sync. This doesn't really bother me due to the fact that I can easily slide the iPAQ out of the case and pop it in the cradle. But, if you are specifically looking for a syncable case, this one will take some wrestling. If you happen to have a sync cable, you'll not have any problems connecting it to the iPAQ while it is in this case.

The screen cover portion of the case is nicely padded and has a medium stiff ABS plastic insert. On the inside of the cover, there are 2 card slots and one large slot behind them for more cards or longer papers. There is a hole in the cover that matches the earphone jack so that you can listen to audio while the cover is closed. The cover is held shut with a leather covered snap. The snap is attached to a strap that wraps around the bottom of the iPAQ and fastens to the back of the PDA. The snap is easy to fasten and unfasten while still being secure.

 
On the back of the case is the metal stud for the belt clip (for the belt clip version of course). The stud sticks out about .25" and is about .25" wide.

The only thing that I don't like about this case is that the leather on the back seems gappy. It is as if too much leather was used and as a result,
it buckles. This is somewhat apparent in the picture below. This isn't a major problem, but if you're picky like me, it might bother you.

New version doesn't have this problem at all. The leather is completely flat. See picture on right of updated case.

Other than that, the Vaja iPAQ + SS is a very nice case that is made with quality materials and has great craftsmanship. It protects your iPAQ and Silver Slider combo from every day use and looks terrific.

Price: $59.90 with belt-clip, $57.90 without belt-clip

Pros:
Fits the iPAQ and Silver Slider combo
Play through design

Cons:
Leather on back buckles slightly
Had trouble syncing while in the case
Expensive