Yes, I purchased another Palm Pre. No, I’m not going to write about that decision other than to say that it replaced an HTC Touch Pro2 that I got rid of within two days of receiving it from Sprint. Since my first encounter with the Pre, things have been greatly improved; within just a few short months the webOS platform has really matured nicely and the Pre’s selection of apps (both official and homebrew) has started to take off.

Sprint's ZCP1098R cover

I’m not here to talk about the Pre though. I’ll probably do a writeup about my latest adventures with Palm’s uber device after webOS 1.2.1 comes out (hopefully soon). Instead, I want to talk about the hard cover that I picked up from Sprint’s store here in town. I first learned about this particular cover from the PreCentral forums. There, a user mentioned that this case fixed the so called “Oreo Effect” that many Pre users are complaining about online. Prior to reading his posting I hadn’t heard of the Oreo Effect because my own Pre is pretty solid. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones. Anyway, he mentioned that this case uses a rail design wherein the top plate and bottom plate actually connect together as opposed to the cheap crappy covers you get off eBay which simply click onto one section of the phone and don’t provide any kind of structural support at all. Intrigued, I did some research but aside from some (not so great) photos and discussion, there wasn’t much in the way of details about the case. Yesterday I decided to purchase one and share my thoughts for the good of all mankind. I know, I rule – no need to point that out but thanks for noticing.

First things first, here’s a little video of the cover in action:

As you can see, it’s not a bad looking cover. The kit from Sprint includes two faceplates and one back cover. The back cover has all the cutouts for speaker, camera + flash, volume, power, and USB (though the USB is a lost cause with this thing). The front plate, red or chrome, also has cutouts for USB, power, and volume. Installation is straightforward and easy; two clicks and you’re done. As I said above, it’s not a bad looking case. It does add a little bit of thickness / width to the phone but after installing it I found that it hasn’t affected my Pre’s “pocketability” at all. Likewise, my ability to type wasn’t hindered with the cover installed. Where this baby really shines though is the unique rails that the makers have wisely incorporated into the design of the product. The top and bottom halves click together and slide through one another, which provides excellent stability to the Pre’s admittedly weak slider mechanism. I’ve been fortunate in that my Pre doesn’t suffer from the Oreo Effect, but if it did, I can say with complete certainty that this cleverly designed cover would remedy that. Overall, I’d have to say this case is a godsend for Pre users irked by axial wobble, but for the rest of us it’s just a so-so purchase (especially at $33 with tax – ouch). If you can find this particular model on eBay for less than what Sprint wants online or in their stores, then all the better.

Some quick observations:

- This case will fix the Oreo Effect, no doubt about it

- Sprint should price this sucker at $15, not $30 (it’s $.25 worth of plastic after all)

- Touchstone owners may be annoyed because even though this cover has a Touchstone-sized groove cut out of the back, the thickness of the back cover loosens the Touchstone’s magnetic grip on the phone causing it to slip off at the slightest bump (take heed those of you that have installed a Touchstone in your car!)

- This cover will not work with the extended batteries which come with their own custom back cover, such as Seidio’s and Amzer’s mega huge multi-amp hour units

- If you use a USB charger in your car, make sure you bring a pen or paper clip or something else to open the USB trap door on the side because the cover’s faceplate makes it super difficult to access the USB port by hand

- Only available in red or chrome… why?! I’d personally prefer matte black, but I guess that’s nothing a can of Krylon can’t fix

- The kit is built by A.G. Findings & Manufacturing, and it’s listed as item #ZCP1098R on Sprint’s website

If any other Pre owners have purchased this cover and want to chime in, please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments!