Review: Seidio Spring Clip Holster for the Treo 800w

The Seidio Spring Clip Holster for the Treo 800w is a continuation of Seidio's design from other devices. It is arguably one of the best holsters available for the 800w (of which selection is limited currently) though it comes at a somewhat hefty price of $29.95.

Holsters for devices are very dependent on user preference so this type of case won't be for everyone. Having said that, this is my favorite design for a case. Let me explain why...

Read on for Malatesta's review of this new holster for the Treo 800w!

Here are the reasons I really like this holster:

Screen faces in; speaker out: this offers the most protection by shielding the screen from corners and external threats, meanwhile the device speaker is completely unobstructed allowing your ringers and alerts to play at their peak volume and clarity

Quick release: We all know the Treo series prides itself on one-handed ease of use. Why should your case be any different? While other cases require either two hands to use or a more clumsy requirement of opening first, then pulling the device, theSeidio Sprint Clip can release your phone with one (dual) movement: grasping the phone and flicking the latch with your index finger. This is in my opinion the number selling point of this case: it's just so simple to release your device and when answering that call, speed is important.

Design: Seidio just nails this design. It holds the device very firmly (no play), has a nice rubberized soft-coat paint on the exterior and a velvet lining on the interior. Result? No marring or scratching of the device.

Low profile: If you decided to carry the phone on your hip (not a given for many), then using this case will give you the lowest profile as it barely adds an size to the 800w

For all of these reasons I have to highly recommend this case with one caveat: price. Seidio's products have never been the cheapest and when it comes to this case ($30) it's quite expensive for what feels like a light and simple item in your hand.

For those who are concerned with your precious $600 phone popping out at least in my experience I have not had this happen, even when occasionally bumping into corners. Of course if you do catch that release hatch on a corner, it feasibly could happen and having (ahem) a large girth won't help ;-)

Also, the swivel clip is very sturdy and is very firm in rotation. Sometimes holsters with swivel clips feel like they could loosen up over time, but this one is tough. I should mention that the release clip for the phone will take a few days to loosen up a bit, so you may notice out-of-the-box it's a bit stiff.

Finally, the bottom has a cut-out to use the stock Palm headphones. This works well although due to the nature of the connector, removing the phone with the headphones is a bit tricky.

So is it worth it? That's a tough call. Many cases on fleaBay go for $5-10, which is bargain rate compared to a $30 case (plus shipping). There are also lots of folks who are perfectly happy with those types of cases (though they rarely mirror exactly Seidio's brand). Then again, it's $30 for something that you basically use every single day you own this device and the quality and functionality is top notch.

In conclusion, if you can spare the $30 I would highly recommend the Seido Spring Clip holster as it has served me well for the last two weeks. On the other hand, if you are on a budget or just don't think it's worth the extra cost, keep looking for something cheaper. For myself? It'll continue to be my everyday holster as it offers the best of everything.

Note: Some earlier versions of this holster had a defect whereby the latch would toggle the ringer switch. Seidio was made aware of this issue and promptly fixed it. All holsters now available have the new improved latch. In my testing, I did not experience any accidental ringer toggling.