electronics: Seidio Spring Clip Holster for BlackBerry 8300/8310/8320 Curve ...

electronics: Seidio Spring Clip Holster for BlackBerry 8300/8310/8320 Curve ...

electronics:


	• Seidio Spring Clip Holster for BlackBerry 8300/8310/8320 Curve Seidio Seidio average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Durable holster, yet open faced design means phone gets damaged

I've had both the Blackberry OEM leather holster with swiveling clip and this Seidio holster.
Both feature the swiveling clip and both have the "sleep" feature that puts the Curve on standby mode when it's in the holster. This feature works through a magnet in the holster and the key benefits are that the keyboard is turned off (preventing accidental key strokes) and a supposedly longer battery duration.

I read that the Blackberry OEM holster has a problem with the clip breaking frequently, and it happened to one of my friends. The Seidio seems to be rather tough, but I never broke the BB OEM clip either, so it depends on how you handle it.

PROS:
- The holster is designed to hold the phone inwards (keys and screen facing into the holster, and the back exposed), but you can put the phone outwards too, if you wish.
- Has "sleep" function that works with the Curve facing either way (inwards or outwards).
- Feels solid and durable. The plastic is rubber coated, providing a solid feel and good grip (if you ever need that from a clip holster...)
- Spring lock on top of holster holds the phone well and is quite easy to operate. The lock is made of the same rubber coated plastic, but has an additional soft-rubber strip to better hold the phone. Phone has never fallen from holster. Releasing the phone from the Seidio open holster is easier and faster than a closed holster.
- Inside of holster is lined with some velvety cloth that protects your phone.
- Swivelling clip allows for horizontal, vertical or in-between positions.
- Looks cool. The rubber coating gives a matte look, and it shows your phone (prominently).

CONS:
- Spring lock on top of holster holds the phone too well and has scratched/removed the rubberized coating from the top of my phone.
- Open side design leaves one side of phone exposed. My phone has some NASTY scratches due to this.
- Although designed to hold the phone facing in, the velvet cloth lining the holster has the lower keys marked into it. So it seems that pressure distribution is not even and the lower keys (space, c, v, b, n, g, h) are pressed against the holster at some time. This could also be caused by the magnet being placed there.
- Some cheaper alternatives are available (although I can't comment on quality of other options)

Overall, this is a very durable product with a nice design and great manufacturing quality.
However, this is outweighed by the fact that open holsters don't offer as much protection as an enclosing full-body holster and that the powerful top lock tends to damage the rubber coat of the phone.

CONCLUSION:
If I had to choose again, I'd go for an OEM holster (actually a couple of them, since their clips break so easily). They are not as cool, but do the work of protecting the phone well.
If money is not a restriction, then you could go for the more expensive Seidio holster & case combo. This one features a case that fully encloses the phone, so it's always protected even if out of the holster. I believe the holster is slightly bigger in order to hold the case that holds the phone, but I'd expect the same high quality from Seidio.

To put it in perspective: The OEM leather holsters are cheap and do the job, and you could get 5 of these for the price of this Seidio holster. Or you could get any OEM-like holsters evean cheaper, but at about $5 a pop, why risk it?
The Seidio holster & case combo is quite expensive at almost twice the cost of this one, but will protect your phone more and looks cool... but then again, you could get like 9 OEM holsters for the price of the Seidio combo.

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The ultimate in convenience and functionality, this locking swivel clip holster is the easiest way to carry and protect your mobile phone. The user-friendly design allows for easy removal of your phone from top rather than bottom. When carried, your device faces inward against a soft foam pad, safe-guarding the screen from potential scratches.