Review: iBIZ Travel Accessories for the Palm V

Contact Info:
iBiz Technology Corporation
URL: www.ibizcorp.com/pda/

PalmInfoCenter.com Bottom Line:

The Price:

Folding Travel Cradle: $30
9V Pocket Charger: $15
Aluminum Travel Hardcase: $30

The Pros:

All three are lightweight and well designed
Cradle allows regular HotSynching on the road
Charger works quickly and won't damage Palm's internal batteries
Hardcase has attaching system that holds Palm securely at all times

The Cons:

Hardcase not waterproof

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iBIZ Travel Accessories for the Palm V Review
By Ed Hardy
3/30/2001

Folding Travel Cradle

The iBIZ Folding Travel Cradle is great for people who are bringing a laptop and their Palm V or Vx along with them on a business trip. With it, you can HotSync just like normal. My laptop has an Infrared port but using it is so slow that this wired connection is great.

The cradle folds into a small package about 3" x 3" x .5". You can open it to various angles from 45 to 60 degrees. It includes a HotSync button and a small hole to hold your stylus.

The cradle has a port where you can plug in a charger adapter. You can bring one along or use their 9V Pocket Charger.

The Folding Cradle weighs only 4 ounces. Actually, most of the weight comes from the standard serial plug that has a lot of metal in it and the cable that is almost four feet long. The actual cradle is lightweight plastic and weighs very little.

At the risk of repeating myself, I'd like to point out again that this uses a standard RS-232 serial port connector. If you have only a USB or ADB port on your laptop, you'll need an adapter to use it.

There are also versions for the Palm III series, IIIc, and VII.

9V Pocket Charger
One of the complaints voiced about rechargeable Palms is the hassle of recharging them on trips. The iBIZ 9V Pocket Charger goes a long way towards alleviating this. Just toss the Charger and a couple of 9 volt batteries in your suitcase and you are good for weeks. If you need another, you can buy a 9-volt battery in every quicki-mart in the country.

The 9V Charger is about as small as possible, being just a connector to attach to the serial port and another one to connect to the battery. It has an LED to indicate that the Palm is being charged. You can even use your Palm while it is still being charged.

It can give your Palm V or Vx a 45% charge in just a few minutes and then charges it to 85% capacity in about 45 minutes. That's the maximum it will do. This isn't a bug; it's an important part of its system to prevent your battery from being overcharged and damaged. It also protects against reverse polarity and discharging.

Aluminum Travel Hardcase
You don't have to be on a trip to want to give your Palm V or Vx some added protection. The iBiz Aluminum Travel Hardcase is made of aircraft aluminum with a thin layer of closed-cell padding inside. It will certainly protect your Palm from scratches and other small accidents but how well it does in the event of a major catastrophe like dropping it on concrete I can't say. iBiz doesn't publish any data on this and I decided to not test it on my own Palm because I can't afford to buy another one.

The Hardcase is quite lightweight, possibly an ounce. The review copy I had is the metal version, which is good-looking, matching the V series' sleek metallic look. It also comes in black. The package includes a plastic sleeve to hold business cards inside the case.

iBiz seems to intend for your Palm to live permanently inside the case. At the hinge there is what is basically a permanently attached stylus that can be slid into the channel slot on one side of your Palm to hold it in the case at all times, even when in use. Because the V series has channel slots on either side, left-handed people can attach the case the other way and still easily use the Palm. You can't fold the case all the way around 360 degrees; the most it will go is slightly more than 180 degrees.

The Hardcase has openings at the top to allow the infrared port to be used and to remove the stylus even when the case is closed. This is handy but means the case isn't even a little bit water proof.

A spokesperson for iBiz assured me that this Hardcase would work with both the upcoming m500 and m505. Naturally, this isn't true with either the Travel Cradle or the 9V Charger as Palm has redesigned the serial port for the m500 series. iBiz is developing versions of both of these that will work with these models.

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I don't think the ibiz will work...

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/30/2001 2:00:55 PM #

Use the ibiz with the upcoming m500 and m505? I doubt it. First, both are shorter, so it certainly wouldn't be as tight a fit. Second, the m505 is thicker that the Vx by .1 inches, so even if you did squeeze it in there, it probably wouldn't close as well. Third, the new units supposedly have asymmetrical stylus "silos" and that the left-side silo is not nearly the same size as it is on the Vx. So even if the right-side silo is the same size as the current Vx, the mounting system won't work for right-handers.

RE: I don't think the ibiz will work...

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/31/2001 5:36:16 AM #

Agree won't work, I bought a PV case, and this product is a piece of junk. Ended up with Rhino Skin case.

Hard Case

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/31/2001 12:50:05 PM #

Does this mean that Palm's Vx metal case will also fit the M505? Also, which one is a better case.

RE: Hard Case

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/2/2001 5:03:45 PM #

I don't think Palm make a metal case for the V/Vx. If you're referring to the Palm Hard Case, it's a shitty bit of plastic with a silver outside. I bought one and returned it immediately, as it looked cheap, felt cheap, had no protective padding inside and didn't close fully.

Toby.

RE: Hard Case

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/27/2001 3:23:02 PM #

just turn the palm around and it will fit.

RE: Hard Case

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/6/2001 11:23:36 AM #

I previously owned the Vx, and i had the hard case to go with it and i loved it. I resently changed to the m505 and tryed to turn it around but the m505 is a little wider and if you did that you wouldn't have a pen to write with.

great gadgets

damon @ 3/31/2001 5:03:48 PM #

Bring on more neat accesories !

Ibiz VS Rhino

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/31/2001 7:08:08 PM #

Has anyone used both Ibiz and Rhino Skin cases?

I was thinking about trying the Ibiz. I purchased a Rhino skin aluminum molded hard case and had to return it because of its sharp edges.

RE: Ibiz VS Rhino

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/21/2001 11:05:29 PM #

The Ibiz case's edges are pretty smooth. I guess if you tried really hard you might be able to cut yourself. It's currently about $9 at CompUSA in Houston and is a deal that can't be beat. From what I've read, I doubt the Rhinoskin aluminum hardcase is worth the extra cost.

RE: Ibiz VS Rhino

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/27/2001 3:20:52 PM #

I love the rhinoskin case, which I had bought for my Vx. When I got the 505 I was pissed as all hell that it didn't fit because of the stupid tiny groove that Palm insisted on changing.

However, rather than just go and drop more money for another case, I simply turned my palm around. Downside, can't store the stylus in it, but upside, don't need to buy another case.

RE: Ibiz VS Rhino

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/26/2001 1:00:09 AM #

CompUSA has the IBIZ aluminum hardcase on sale for only $9.88. I have one for my Vx I love it. Was going to get a Rhinoskin til I heard about this deal. This is a no brainer.

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?prodzip=&product_code=278058