Review: Waterfield Designs MSI Wind Sleevecase and T-Mobile G1 Ultrasuede Slipcase
One of the most important accessories for your mobile gear is a good bag and case. I've been using a Waterfield Designs bag for over 2 years and even though I use it every single day it still looks almost the same as the day I picked it up. I now have a couple Waterfield Designs sleeve cases that I use with my MacBook Pro and Celio REDFLY or Amazon Kindle. My current mobile PC is the MSI Wind (just loaded it up with Windows 7) and I was excited when Waterfield sent me one of these to try out. I was also sent a simple T-Mobile G1 felt slip case and offer some thoughts on it below. You can check out my image gallery that shows both cases in use with my MSI Wind and T-Mobile G1.
| Image Gallery:A walk around the Waterfield Designs MSI Wind and G1 cases. |  | |||||
Waterfield Designs MSI Wind SleeveCase: The particular SleeveCase for the MSI Wind with 6 cell battery is the 21-15 and as you can see they have SleeveCases for a very large number of notebooks and are always one of the first companies to create cases for the latest and greatest devices. These ultraportable and lower cost notebooks were very popular in 2008 and after seeing what was going on at CES it looks like 2009 will continue to be a good year for these type of PCs.
Waterfield makes these SleeveCases in a number of sizes to ensure that the form and fit is optimized for your particular device. These SleeveCases are cushioned with high-grade neoprene and wrapped in a ballistic nylon shell. The case feels fantastic in your hand and the stitching is extremely tight and solid. I often carry mine outside of my larger bag and have been very pleased with the durability.
The MSI Wind SleeveCase is priced at US$39, with another US$15 for the flap that goes over the top and covers almost half of the other side. I have a case without the flap and personally am quite happy with the durable nylon strap that goes over the top and secures with Velcro to hold the Wind inside the case. The Wind fits perfectly along either side and there is no play or spare room around it to allow slippage. On the side opposite the Velcro securing piece you will find a large pocket that you can use to slip in papers or other thin accessories.
There are also options for a shoulder strap and Piggyback functions to facilitate carrying your bag and device outside of a larger bag.
Waterfield Designs T-Mobile G1 Ultrasuede Slipcase: I enjoy using my T-Mobile G1 and currently just use the BodyGuardz skin to keep it protected. Another option for offering some basic protection of your G1 is the Ultrasuede Slipcase. The Ultrasuede case is a simple slip case designed to prevent scratching on your G1 since it is too thin to offer any protection for drops or bumps. It is extremely thin and doesn't really add anything to the G1. I used it with the BodyGuardz skin on with no problems.
The first few times you use the Ultrasuede you may find it a bit tight to get the device into the case. After some "break-in" time though it seems to fit in easier, but still remains snug around the G1. The slipcase lays flat and folds up easily when not in use. For US$9, it may be a decent solution for basic scratch protection, but I prefer attaching plastic skins to these types of phones. There is an option for adding a pocket for US$4, but I don't see the need on a case like this and never tried out that part of the solution.
Waterfield makes these Ultrasuede slip cases in many sizes to fit the Samsung Instinct, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, LG Dare, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve, Google Android G1, SE XPERIA X1, E71, and BB Storm. The same high quality that Waterfield brings to the SleeveCases is seen in these slip cases with solid stitching and nice materials.
Conclusion: If you are looking for a very good case to carry your notebook or other mobile device then I highly recommend a Waterfield SleeveCase. I personally like having my phone ready to go in a second and don't mind adding plastic skins to them so I won't really use the Ultrasuede type of case. However, it is good for those who don't want to apply skins and still want scratch protection in a case you can slip in your pants pocket with your phone.