Review: Pimp my E61i - Cases and a cradle!

Steve Litchfield assesses the latest batch of accessories for the E61i, Nokia's popular all purpose smartphone...

Pimping the E61i

Step 1, of course, is to ditch the mono headset that comes with the E61i (why, Nokia, why?) and grab one of the half dozen stereo Pop-port headsets that Nokia now list. The E61i is never going to replace an iPod, but there's no reason why you can't stick a dozen CDs of your favourite music in part of a 2GB memory card and enjoy them in full stereo, for those long plane or train journeys.

Step 2 is to note the fact that Proporta now sell a dedicated and rather fabulous E61/E61i USB Sync-Charge cradle. This is the first time I'd seen a cradle for the E61i and I've been very impressed. It's solid and just the right weight to not slide all over my desk, with the device presented at just the right angle to use it in-situ. Best of all, the connection into the back of the cradle is miniUSB (the same cable I've already got hanging around my desk for the N95 and E90 and every other mobile device) and this also supplies power to the E61i's Pop-port charging pins. So in a stroke, I've eliminated the need to plug the E61i into either a Pop-port cable or power lead:

Admittedly, charging is slower than full-on mains charging, but who cares when the E61i can sit in the cradle looking good and being used all the while? The only niggle was the over-bright blue LED, which gave me a headache for a day or two until, thankfully, it failed and now just flickers forlornly - probably a fault condition but it's cosmetic and is less painful that the original searchlight(!) At only £15 including VAT, the cradle is a bargain. Score: 81

Step 3 is to find a decent and convenient case for the E61i. Now, case styles are very much a personal thing, but I've gathered a few likely candidates for test:

Being a belt-mount fan, the obvious starting point was Nokia's CP-111, an unashamed belt mount-only holster, superbly finished in leather, with double-reinforced front and perfect ergonomics for quick extraction of the E61i:

The belt clip is pretty solid and is lockable at 90 degree intervals. A minor niggle is that the clip doesn't 'wrap around' at the bottom of the belt and the case has fallen off once after being prodded off gradually while seated and driving. A slightly bigger niggle is the use of Velcro for the top fastening - it's noisy and will gradually wear out in day to day use. Still, excellent value at only £10.50 inc VAT! Score: 84

Next up was Noreve's 'E61i Tradition' case, much pricier at 40 Euros, but incorporating lots more 'flappy bits' (a technical term.....) With this, the E61i is kept sleeved and held in place by the rigid sides and apertured bottom, while a leather cover hinges over and around from the top, with a magnetic catch to keep it closed:

In terms of fit, the Tradition case is superb, with a cutout on the back for camera use, while screen, keyboard and side buttons all stay accessible. Embedded in the flap top are slots for 'two microSDs' - except that the slots are actually for the far larger SD cards and any miniscule microSD cards inserted will quickly get lost. There's also space for two 'credit cards' - if you can get by with just 2 or 3 cards day to day, then this is potentially a wallet replacement.
Despite the mix-up over card sizes, I loved the Tradition case, but it was let down by the quality of the Noreve belt clip. This certainly wins points for security, with the belt clasp reaching round at the bottom, so it's not going to fall off. Unfortunately the release button was so stiff on the two samples provided that I ended up having to use two hands to get the E61i off my belt 90% of the time, making the solution less convenient overall. Score: 76

Proporta had sent over their Alu-Leather case for the E61i, stylish and simple, although with the E61i being fairly bullet proof anyway, there really isn't a need for the extra sheet of aluminium embedded in the top flap. The magnetic catch fastens from the bottom this time and the device is held fairly securly by just a couple of arms on the left and right:

The idea's there, although the placement of the arms is strange, as they make it quite hard to press the 'Q' and 'P' keys accurately, I'd have sited the arms 5mm higher... Proporta's standard belt clip screw thread is present and I've found their clips to work well one-handed in the past, although one wasn't supplied with this case. Fairly expensive, at £27 inc VAT. Score: 81

Next, Krusell had sent over their Cabriolet case. Now, a word about Krusell cases - they're generally superb and I've rarely had a bad word to say about them. But I'm afraid this design is a disaster. The idea's straightforward enough, with the E61i encased in leather and with an extra plastic strap across the front:

Unfortunately, despite much pushing, pulling and tugging, I just could not get the case to fit properly and it looked and felt a mess. I think someone may have got their dimensions wrong somewhere in Krusell's design department....

One other factor is that the Cabriolet case, when belt mounted, shows off your smartphone to the world, with nothing left to the imagination. In today's security-conscious world, broadcasting the fact that you have an expensive smartphone at just the right height for muggers or pick pockets to work on is not, in my opinion, a good idea. Fairly cheap, price-wise, at £17 inc VAT, but best avoided until they've redesigned it to fit! Score: 47
Last but definitely not least, is AX-ALEX's Leather Case for E61 and E61i, hand-stitched and coming in a sumptuous wax-embossed package. It's very expensive though, at 54 Euros, around £36, but you do get what you pay for here:

The design is a super-sturdy pouch, with enough room at the top to grasp the E61i from the sides and with a covering flap that tucks neatly into the case front. It's great not having any noisy velcro (this might be important in the board room), but the system's not quite as 'fast on the draw' as the Nokia CP-111, reviewed above. On the other hand, the use of a belt loop means that there's no way for a car seat belt to dislodge the case and it's held very close to your body and doesn't ever get in the way. Score: 86