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Product: HTC HD7 Tradition Leather Case
Part Code: 21543
Price: 44.99 Euros or £38.02 (as of March 2011)
Product: Belt clip 360 degree rotation - Metal
Part Code: 61304C
Price: 14.50 Euros (as of March 2011)
Recently becoming the proud owner of a HTC HD7 Windows Phone one of the items on my shopping list to accompany the device was a decent protective case of good quality. When an opportunity arose to review the new Noreve Tradition case for the HD7 it was a chance to kill two birds with one stone - to test out the case and produce a new review for the site.
The case supplied for the review was manufactured in 'beige perpetual' leather which is only one of the 22 colour and leather variants offered by Noreve which are all selectable on the product web site. Once the 'order' was placed the case took around 3-4 weeks to arrive which is not too excessive considering each case is hand made by Noreve's craftsmen.
Along with the main case we were supplied with the Metal belt clip which is recommended for 'excessive use' by Noreve. As I tend to use my holsters / cases daily within a factory environment this had to be considered a must have accessory to the case.
Both cases arrived well packaged in a strong cardboard box and once that was removed the Noreve 'Haute Couture for Mobile Devices' house style packages containing the actual products were revealed.
One minor but important bonus point here for Noreve - The product packages are a mixture of emblazoned cardboard and transparent plastic, and usually with this type of packaging one needs a strong grip and a pair of scissors to remove the goods - Noreve have used nested plastic which pushes together firmly which means you can with a little effort pull the plastic apart. No scissors needed and no risk of jabbing yourself with freshly cut sharp plastic edges. I wish a lot of other companies would use this type of packaging!
The case package itself comprises of:
- The outer packaging
- Inner protective cardboard box
- The case itself
- Plastic bag containing the standard belt clip, screwdriver, mounting lug and mounting screw
Mounting of the HD7 is achieved by pushing it gently downwards against the padded inner surface of the case and sliding it underneath the two hardened raised leather 'wings' which appear to be steel lined. A little force is needed to slide the HD7 into position, but no marking or damage ensued while locating it correctly and once held there is no danger of the phone coming adrift - it is held tightly.
Once in position the HD7 rests against the lower part of the case immediately next to the hinge component on the case, which again is made of high quality leather and is cut away to allow access to the USB and headphone connections.
This part of the case area exhibits a strong contrast in the constructional methods used. The padded inner leather beautifully embossed with the Noreve logo looks very stylish, but the port cut away appears a little poorly cut and slightly rough in appearance.
To Noreve's credit however this part of the case is either covered up or non-visible while in use and it is therefore of lesser importance, but it is the only styling flaw in the entire case and should really be addressed.
As you can see once in position within the case the HD7 sits slightly 'proud' of the back the case and should therefore be gently pushed backwards to achieve a final firm seating within the case.
Once in position the case can be closed via lifting the front flap upwards against the hinge and then using a slight finger pressure to push the locking grip over the top of of the HD7.
Once closed the HD7 is suitably ensconced and more than a little casual pressure is needed again to break the joint and unhinge the case for operation. Again here one gains the impression that the leather is reinforced with a steel strip so that the 'lock' should not work loose over time.
The HD7 is well protected once encased with only a narrow strip around the case allowing ingress by foreign objects, the rest of the body is protected by the nicely styled quality leather. In particular with the review model the leather was very fine grained and nicely finished with tiny regular stitching. There were no imperfections or faults visible in the leather itself.
Once closed the base of the case / hinge is pierced to allow entry for the headphones only, there is no provision to connect to the USB port while the case is closed.
The Right hand side of the case is again cut away to allow access to the camera button and the volume rocker switch.
As the top of the case is protected by the locking mechanism then both the power button as well as the opposite top side of the machine are left open and exposed. However as the HD7 is slid into the case via this part of the case there is little that could be done to increase protection in this area.
The back of the case is neatly pierced to allow the camera / LED port to be accessed, with the piercing mirroring the shape of the 'support leg' on the back of the HD7 and this looks well indeed. Be warned though, the piercing is not large enough to allow the support stand to kick out through the case and act as a stand for the HD7. If you try and force the the support through the piercing you may well damage it and stop it functioning!
Just below the camera piercing is a protective screw which serves to blank off the screwed port used for attaching belt mounts. If the case is to be used within the pocket or without a belt mount this can be left in place.
If one wishes to use the basic belt mount supplied (or the metal mount) then the blanking screw can be removed with the supplied screwdriver (a nice touch) and the requisite mount screwed into place with the supplied longer screw. The mount bezel shown here is that for affixing the standard plastic mount.
The standard 'crocodile' style clip can then be attached to the back of the case via pushing it over the mount bezel and pushing it downwards until the sliding lock plate moves up and over the bezel locking it in position. The case is then firmly held onto the clip until the locking button is depressed allowing the case to be withdrawn from the clip.
The clip is designed of course to remain in situ on the belt and the case unclipped for device operation and then clipped back in position once retired from use.
The clip itself is constructed from strong ABS plastic and should survive casual everyday use. The only critique in the design is that when the case is belt mounted and subject to a strong upwards force the clip can spring open allowing the case to lift upwards off the belt.
Such a situation can occur if one enters a car seat at speed and the car seat has raised portions to hold one in position when driving. Those raised portions can spring the case loose from the belt.
This is the main reason I'm not a fan of this clip design, but this is not criticism aimed at Noreve a large number of case manufacturers use this design of belt mount!
Belt clip 360 degree rotation - Metal
Noreve obviously recognise that the standard belt clip is only suitable for light use and so have designed and engineered the 'Belt clip 360 degree rotation - Metal' clip. This clip was designed by a real 'engineer' and is constructed from high quality spring and pressed steel. This is the clip I suggest everyone purchases and uses. It is very high strength and the spring is properly shaped and tooled ensuring it gets the maximum grip onto a belt and will not come loose.
Using this mount there is no danger of any car seat springing it loose - so be prepared for the case to remain in position and prod you in the side if you enter a car at high velocity!
As I'm an engineer by training I'm always complaining about belt clips being flimsy and under designed by all belt case manufacturers it's one of my pet grumbles. At last with this mount those days of complaints are gone as this mount surpassed even my highest expectations and continues to function well indeed in all situations. It has not come loose once and has met my design criteria for a well designed belt mount. Kudos Noreve!
To mount the case onto the high strength clip the case is turned 90 degrees to the belt clip, slid down into place and then rotated 90 degrees again to the normal belt case orientation. This means that to remove the case from the belt/clip that the case is twisted (forward) 90 degrees and lifted off the clip.
The procedure is reversed to remount the case on the clip. This mounting and drawing procedure becomes automatic very quickly and is much less onerous than extracting the case from the standard plastic crocodile clip. Once almost feels like a gun slinger drawing the HD7 for action!
The finishing of the metal clip is well done, with the spring steel highly polished and the base steel coated with a goodly layer of matte black paint. The clip looks as good as it is functional.
As you can see the steel belt clip looks good on the belt, is not too intrusive and proudly shows off the Noreve logo!
And once mounted onto the belt the Noreve Tradition case looks just as good. Again the Noreve logo adds a touch of distinction and class. Once mounted the case has a goodly amount of movement laterally on the belt which ensures that there is no interference when walking, sitting etc. The reinforced design of the flap gives a goodly amount of protection to the front face of the HD7 and keeps it from harm.
Pros and Cons:
Choice of leather style and colour Nicely constructed Goodly level of protection offered Supplied with basic belt clip Supplied with all tools needed 'Safe' packaging design Optional high quality metal 360 clip
Slightly rough leather cut-outs in some areas Can not operate kick out stand while encased Can not use USB port with case closedConclusion:
The Noreve Tradition case is well designed and manufactured from quality leather and gives a goodly level of protection to the HD7. There are some small quirks in the construction that could be addressed but for the price it offers style and security for your HD7.
Noreve supply all that is needed to mount the case and deserve many and profuse congratulations for designing an optional metal belt clip designed to withstand all the stresses and strains of hard use.
And for the style conscious you even get a choice of leather to choose from.
The case and mount combination has it all; protection, ease of use, style. Go buy one now
