Seidio SURFACE Case for Palm Pre - Black

by Seidio

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.8 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002FU5R8I
• Item model number: CSR2PMPRE-BK
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,120 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

The SURFACE case is the right case for those who are looking for sleek protection. This case protects your Palm Pre from scratches and drops while adding minimal bulk. Durable plastic is accompanied by our soft-touch coating which enhances the look of your phone without attracting lint.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best case ever!, August 21, 2009

By 

M. Mullins (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seidio SURFACE Case for Palm Pre - Black (Wireless Phone Accessory)

As frugal as I am, it was hard to order this case after seeing all the other "cheaper" options. I did my research though and everone said get this one, even though I hadn't seen it in person. After receiving my Seidio case two days ago though, I say it's absolutely worth the money. The feel of it is hard to describe. It's a rubberish feeling semi-hard silicon? It has the same feel of the back cover for the Touchstone, if you've seen it.

The best thing I can say about it, and the ultimate reason to get the Seidio is that once you snap it on, it feels like it's part of the phone. I used to work in a phone store and always hated all the aftermarket cases because they felt like you stuck a cheap piece of plastic or rubber on your nice elegant phone. Not this one, it's like they were made for each other.

I had the Rocketfish one from Best Buy for the last month and even though they look the same in pictures, let me tell you, the Seidio is 10 times better. The rocketfish is a cheap hard plastic, that hinders your buttons and feels like it doubles the size of the phone.

The only bad thing I can say is that since it's a thinner case, it may not protect the phone as well as one of the other thicker cases if you drop it. However, imo, that trade-off in adding the bulk and clumsiness of a thicker case is not worth that little extra protection.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Case dose not work with Touchstone, September 9, 2009

By 

Shawn P. Nix (Topeka, KS) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Seidio SURFACE Case for Palm Pre - Black (Wireless Phone Accessory)

The case itself fit well and was easy to put on. It should protect agents small drops as it is a thin case. The main reason I bought this case was that it promotes that it works with the Touchstone. When I went to use it I found that the case was thick enough that it would start to charge but disconnect and then reconnect over and over and yes I did not add the extra padding that came with the case as it says it will prevent it from working with the Touchstone. I have three Touchstones and it did the same thing on all of them. I did find if you place it just right on the Touchstone it may work but it would just be easier to attach the USB cable instead. In conclusion not a bad case but don't count on playing well with your Touchstone.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Best case out there if only not for the HUGE flaw - Seidio, I hope you're reading this, April 7, 2010

By 

K. Shin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Seidio SURFACE Case for Palm Pre - Black (Wireless Phone Accessory)

This case has many 5-star reviews. I suspect the reviews were written soon after the user got the case, put it on the Pre, and was impressed with the fit, finish, the attractive minimalist design, matte finish, and that it's the only case that still allows you to charge via touchstone. I give it one star b/c what good is a case that you won't be able to use in a month?

One of the main reasons I bought this case is b/c of the high praise from pre cen tral (seemed like everyone's standard case there) and the fact it's touchstone capable. If you have a Sprint Pre, you know that the touchstone back is not included unlike the Verizon Pre Plus (edit 5/17/2010: Pre Plus will be avail for AT&T and it will include touchstone back and the charger! Sprint continues to fail by by selling the original Pre, not Pre Plus, and without any accessories, yet it's still $150 in many cities!). I thought Seidio's back can replace Palm's touchstone back and it was only after I received the package that I discovered that I needed to buy a separate touchstone case (another $20). Side note: these accessories can cost some good change - $26 for Seidio case, $35 for touchstone charger, and another $20 for touchstone back. This is after having just spent $ 1 30 on a new Pre at Radio Shack with a 2 year contract. If you're new to Pre, make sure you use your Pre for at least a month and happy with it before you start plunking down money for expensive accessories.

Back to the topic: The case is way overpriced for what it is. It's just 2 pieces of plastic (plus a foam insert for the back cover when you're not using a touchstone cover). Depending on where you buy, you'll spend anywhere from $22-30+. The plastic is quite thin, however this is a good thing b/c it also feels quite strong, so it will not add significant bulk to the phone. That's one of the main differences compared to the $5 plastic cases on ebay. Plus it's feather light. Fit is perfect. The thinness is the reason why touchstone works. If you're familiar with touchstone, with the regular touchstone cover, the magnetic field makes the phone snap into place quite firmly onto the charger. This is putting a thin piece of plastic in between the touchstone cover and the touchstone base. So the phone doesn't "snap" as firmly onto the charger and you have to more or less find the sweetspot (you'll know it when you feel it), but once on the charger, the phone stays on. Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, the magnetic bond is too weak to make it stay in place in a moving car.

For those wondering, the case does not protrude into the gesture area or impede gesture or the slider mechanism whatsoever. How is this achieved? By making the tabs that clip the case onto the phone as small and unobtrusive as possible. And THAT is the major flaw. There are 4 tabs at each corner of the top cover and bottom cover.

I lovED the case. Then on day 3, the bottom-right tab snapped off. No, I did not abuse the phone nor the case (it's a new phone, remember?). This is just during regular use. You have to understand, these tabs are VERY VERY small and thin. To give you an idea, each tab has a width of a dental floss and only about 3mm long. It's really just a matter of time before they give out and break off. So the back cover with 3 tabs now became a bit loose but still usable. B/c the Pre has legendary fit and finish (ha!), the loose back cover only added to the slightly loose slider mechanism and the overall, the phone felt cheap and old. Fast forward a month and today, the bottom-left tab broke off and now the back cover is pretty much useless. I've had the case little over a month.

Obviously, I'm not the only one with this issue. You can find countless other reviews about the tabs breaking. Don't think we are the few unlucky ones. Given time, this case will break. It will happen to you. You will not be the exception.

So until Seidio addresses the major design flaw, you may be better off investing in a different case. If touchstone is important to you as it is to me, then you may want to consider getting one of those Zaggs clear films on the front - the film advertised as being used "to protect helicopter blades" that wrap around the corners and edges of the phone, not just the flat top surface. The back cover won't need protection b/c the touchstone cover has a rubbery, scratchproof finish and is replaceable.

I've read one reviewer saying Seidio replaced the case for free so I will be contacting Seidio soon to see if I can get a free replacement as well. But even if they did that, do I want to keep repeating a pattern of having to ship the broken case and get the new one?

Update 5/17/2010: I actually contacted the seller (authorized dealer) about the case and they replaced it promptly for free. I just had to ship it to them, which cost me just two stamps and an envelope. This time, I got to enjoy it for about a month, then unfortunately, one of the tabs broke. I'm done with this case. I'll look into getting a clear film for the top while using the touchstone back.

With everything said, I cannot recommend this case. Save your money and look for alternatives.

Update 7/20/2010: AGF now makes a case that's touchstone compatible. Google "agf grt pre case". That said, I have been enjoying not having a case on my pre which also means I don't have to put up with the bulk and the headache of it breaking. In the beginning I thought I needed a case instinctively to protect my new investment. But with anything, with enough use, the amount of care and attachment dwindles over time. I just have a screen protector film in the front and a touchstone back. I bought the screen protector film off of e bay (5 for $3 shipped) and while it's not Zaggs and does not cover the entire front surface (does not go to the curved corner areas), it's good enough for me. Zaggs is overpriced anyway.