Not a fan of belt cases or shell cases for your Windows Phone but need some protection when you're carrying your phone around in a backpack, purse or briefcase? Krusell might have an solution worth considering. The Krusell Gaia Mobile Pouch is being offered over at the WPCentral Accessory Store that will offer your Windows Phone a considerable amount of protection while your phone bounces around in your backpack.
Krusell offers a wide variety of belt cases that are quality made. The Gaia follows that level of quality nicely but how well does it handle the day to day grind? It's being offered for the HTC Surround and to see how well the Krusell Gaia performed, follow the break.
Fit, Feel and Construction
There's really not much to the Krusell Gaia Mobile Pouch. It is a well stitched leather pouch that is lined with soft felt. Imagine a vertical belt case without the clip. The leather is textured to give the case a little grip and comes in three colors; red, brown and black.
The HTC Surround fit snugly and flush inside the case. At first, a little too snugly in that it took a bit of effort to remove the phone. With use, the case loosened up just enough to make placing and removing the Windows Phone easier.
The Gaia has just enough padding to protect the Surround without adding too much bulk. The case is solid enough to handle being bounced around in a briefcase.
The only downside to the Gaia is that it has a tendency to muffle the ringer on the Surround. I had to make sure the ringer volume was about 10 to hear the phone when I was carrying it in a coat pocket. It's even more difficult to hear when in a backpack. Granted the backpack muffles the ringer rather nicely on its own. Regardless, this isn't an issue if you use a Bluetooth headset.
Overall Impressions
If you carry your Windows Phone loosely in a purse, backpack, briefcase or similar manner the Krusell Gaia Mobile Pouch is worth considering. It offers a decent amount of protection but does help muffle the ringer when carried in a briefcase, backpack, purse, etc.
The case is well constructed and holds the HTC Surround firmly in place. The soft felt lining protects the phone's screen from scratches and does help wipe away the finger print smudges. The case isn't for everyone but if you prefer to carry your Windows Phone in a pouch, the Gaia would do nicely.
You can find the Krusell Gaia Mobile Pouch over at the WPCentral Accessory Store and it's currently running $17.95.
