Otterbox, known well for their waterproof and water resistant cases has ventured into the Palm Treo arena with this new case. We took it into the labs and beat up for your pleasure.

Packaging & First Impressions

The first thing that struck us about this case was how military it looked. It is big, black/gray and a combination of rubber and plastic. There are clear plastic areas on the front for the screen and on the top for the antenna and lights that are on the Palm Treos. The back has a window for the camera and a big latch to open and close the case. A rubber cap can be removed from the bottom to connect up cables and such while the Treo is in the case. Obviously once the cap is removed it is much less water resistant, but it still helps.

Military Grade

Once the case was open, we had no problems figuring out how to drop in our test Treos. We tried both the Treo 650, Treo 700p and a brand spanking new Palm Treo 680 just for kicks. The trick is to set the Treo against the keyboard buttons first, upside down, before closing it back up.

Once the case is on, the Treo behaves just like it always did. You can turn it on or off, connect it up to a sync cable or just type away on the keyboard. There is a hard plastic screen protector on top which flips up to reveal another softer plastic one that your stylus can penetrate. Another nice feature is a the stylus holder on the outside of the case which makes just obvious and good sense.

We took ours on a lab tour of torture which included a mighty misting with a sprayer as well as a visit to the much feared "dusty room", a place where we breed dust bunnies. The case held up to our tests and gave us a real sense of security.

Conclusion

If there is one thing that Otterbox does well it is big, solid, rugged cases to house and protect your most valuable of gadgets. This is obviously not a case to go scuba diving with, but would be great for the beach or on a boat. The Otterbox Palm Treo Case is another winner.

Pros, Cons & Rating

Pros Rugged and water resistant Fully functional Fits 650/700 Cons Pricey A little bulky Doesn't work with Palm Treo 680

Specs

• $129
• 0.6 lbs (case only)

Available at OtterBox.com and other retailers.