Custom Pandora Case

[WoD]

To Craig/Pandora team:

How would you feel about a competing case product for the Pandora? I'm considering trying to convince one of my contacts to produce one based on community input, but I don't want to tread on anyones toes in doing so.

It would be a high quality faux-leather affair designed to be as slim-fit as possible whilst including carefully placed storage for USB dongles and SD cards.

To the community:

What would be your ideal Pandora case? In terms of design, finish, fit, pockets etc? I foresee something capable of securing one or two USB devices, such as a 3g dongle, TV tuner or Memory stick in addition to a few SD cards.

What else could/should it store? A spare battery might destroy any pocketability, but it could be handy.

And what other devices might fit comfortably into a Pandora sized case, to guarantee a sensible market for such a product?

 

[RajTakhar]

A custom case would be a neat idea

I would want it to cover top and bottom with a folding clasp - making it look like a filofax

I think the case should just cover the pandora, holding the base rigid, with the top have kept loose and having a slip case for SD cards.

there would certainly be a market it for it

If the pandora does as well as we expect - then you can bet some company like PDAir will bring out a case for it.

As a price point I think it should range in the 10 to 20 pounds mark.

Other devices - its hard to tell until you can compare sizes of pandora against a DSi or DS lite

 

[WizardStan]

The market for a Pandora is already small.
The market for a custom case would be a subset of the market for a Pandora.
Are you sure this is a good idea?

 

[WoD]

The market for a Pandora is already small.
The market for a custom case would be a subset of the market for a Pandora.
Are you sure this is a good idea?

I think we can largely circumvent this issue by ensuring the case is both suitable for and fits a couple of other devices. The DS Lite, for example, would almost certainly "just fit" without compromising the snugness of the Pandora fit.

I'm not sure how viable a small production run of nice shiny custom cases is, but it's worth getting an idea of the level of interest and getting some input if it's remotely possible to pull it off. I, for one, would like such a case and we're unlikely to see much choices in the cases for Pandora market for many months, if ever.

So, it's worth a try!

 

[fischju2000]

A clamshell-like case with a strap that allows the Pandora to open would be very nice, especially if it had holes in the back for power and USB

 

[Trevsweb]

i would love an aluminium case as you can get really thin and still really sturdy
that or carbon fiber. just for the look and the weight

for the time being i might just plaster it with stickers. there are some decent ds case stickers out there

 

[God Ginrai]

To Craig/Pandora team:

How would you feel about a competing case product for the Pandora? I'm considering trying to convince one of my contacts to produce one based on community input, but I don't want to tread on anyones toes in doing so.

It would be a high quality faux-leather affair designed to be as slim-fit as possible whilst including carefully placed storage for USB dongles and SD cards.

To the community:

What would be your ideal Pandora case? In terms of design, finish, fit, pockets etc? I foresee something capable of securing one or two USB devices, such as a 3g dongle, TV tuner or Memory stick in addition to a few SD cards.

What else could/should it store? A spare battery might destroy any pocketability, but it could be handy.

And what other devices might fit comfortably into a Pandora sized case, to guarantee a sensible market for such a product?

Are you talking about a case that surrounds the Pandora's case? Because if so, I would love either an aluminum one, or if you could, do one like the Nerf case for the DS Lite. Also, if you could find a way to make the case in such a way that it could add in two extra shoulder buttons.

-God Ginrai

 

[pelrun]

The problem with hard cases is they transmit a lot of the force of an impact right through to the device inside - I lost my first Palm that way ;_;

 

[WoD]

A clamshell-like case with a strap that allows the Pandora to open would be very nice, especially if it had holes in the back for power and USB

I'd contemplated this, having seen many laptop cases that do the same. It would work well for the Pandora, which needs little to no ventilation.

The top and bottom of the case could be aluminium-lined faux leather, these plates would be joined by continuous leather strips that wrap around the back of the Pandora, leaving the ports at the back exposed. The shoulder buttons would be covered, but easily pressable through the leather.

The sides of the device would be somewhat exposed, but coated aluminum clasps would hold the Pandora very securely in place and, depending on their size, also serve to protect it.

The front edge would be covered, when closed, by a velcro/magnetic/popper (I'm a fan of magnets/velcro) clasped flap.

The end result is that the entire case is comprised of two continuous pieces of material sandwiching either padding or, preferably, two aluminum inserts.

Example: http://gadgetoid.com/pandora/PandoraCase.jpg

Brushed aluminium aside (although it's probably not hard to get hold of, I couldn't laser etch it myself) this case would be a piece of piddle to hand-make in prototype form.

 

[hobbyman II]

for those people drooling over metal or carbon fibre cases, has it occured to you that a case like that will restrict or stop bluetooth and wireless networking from working? both carbon fibre and metal block high frequency radio signals.

 

[WoD]

Aluminium-lined cases never cause problems with my iPhone, they're only lined top and bottom for rigidity. I would never go in for a solid metal case, though, I can't see how it wouldn't be bulky.

You could have a point, however, if the Pandora antenna is not at the edge of the screen or base.

I'm going to pick up some materials, including brushed sheet aluminium and stitch myself a prototype as soon as I have a Pandora.


Edit: Just a bit of realistic loveliness to whet your appetite:

 

[WoD]

I think that this would fit the Pandora. It's not very pretty, but it's an option. I will test it when I've got my hands on one (the Pandora, that is).

Disclaimer: Yes it's an affiliate link. But it's topical, and also gives you a discount, so please don't kill me!

They sell a generic belt holster, too, that might fit the Pandora, but you need to supply me photographic evidence that you posses a beard and run linux on your primary desktop before I'll link it.

 

[VRAndy]

They sell a generic belt holster, too, that might fit the Pandora, but you need to supply me photographic evidence that you posses a beard and run linux on your primary desktop before I'll link it.

I'll play your game! Link.

(Notice the hat.)

 

[WoD]

I can't refute that you would be a suitable candidate for a holster.

Here it is.

We might have the makings of some sort of perverse geek-out competition here...

 

[VRAndy]

I probably WILL get a case like that for days when I don't have a pocket big enough to hold a Pandora.

 

[openthebox]

Just a bit of realistic loveliness to whet your appetite:

I like this.
I also like the idea of dedicated slots for SD cards.
I think we also need a "net" for headphone buds.
Don't really care much for "room for attachements".

Although I already added the Pandora Pouch when purchasing the Pandy, I still think this is a cool idea. B)

 

[RavenX]

What I would like to see most in any Pandora case is some kind of sturdy belt clip. I would like to be able to carry it clipped on to the back of my belt in the small of my back area.
(Yes, I have been accused of wearing a "utility belt".)

 

[WoD]

I've detailed the design somewhat, including my ideas for allowing SD card storage without any aesthetic spoiling pockets on the inside or outside of the otherwise seemless leather case.

The SD cards will nest in a 2.5mm thick plate of plain finished aluminium (or thick cardboard in my prototype), they will be protected from damage by the stiched edges of the pockets. To get them in you just push them into the front edge of the case, where they should be held quite firmly. To get them out, there's a little cut away on the inside of the case where you can get your thumbnail in. I'll have to experiment with making it easy to get these in/out without any chance of them falling out.

Criticism welcome!

I'm willing to work on the belt-clip idea, as we've potentially got a thick slab-o-metal on the bottom of the case, we've got a perfect place to add a threaded hole or something a bit more robust onto which you could secure a belt clip.



Edit: I'm still considering how to secure the Pandora in place. I'm thinking of heat-shrink covered (for the proto-type anyway.. that said, I think heat-shrink will be quite hard wearing and much easier than trying to cover it with powdered rubber stuff) aluminium clasps that grip the bottom half, and a smaller version of those to grip the top. Securing the top could be unecessary, though.

 

[Tensuke]

I have a case for my Creative Zen much like this one. It has 2 little slots for SD cards that are like the ones you've described, where the card goes mostly in but sticks out a bit so you can still grab it. They're tight enough so they don't fall out though. And it has little magnetic strips inside the leather where you have velcro, which may or may not be workable. For holding the Zen in it has things on the sides of the bottom that come up to make a 3D box kind of thing, with holes for the 3.5mm jack/power switch/mini-usb port. Here are some pics:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410E...9kL._SS400_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WU...ZxL._SS400_.jpg

Your design looks great so far! You don't need to get anything from the cover I posted, those are just some ideas.

 

[WoD]

I quite like magnets for securing cases, but feel a little more confident with velcro. It would make the case quite thick trying to slip a magnet in the SD-card-slot-endowed bottom. But hey, anything is worth a try! Shame aluminium isn't magnetic.

Thanks for the images, it's comforting to know that I'm grounded in reality. I'm going to try and make sure the SD card pockets don't make the case bulge, though (even though I've shaded them a bit in the design)