Greetings. One thing I really hate about switching to a new cell phone is dealing with new carrying cases. The phones can be too large to comfortably keep stuffed into a pocket all day, and often easy to accidentally trigger or damage that way too. Personally I prefer belt clips, and up to now have been partial to the type where most of the phone is exposed and you just pop the phone off the clip for immediate use.

With the HTC Google Android G1 that approach looks less practical. You really doesn't want to see that beautiful glass touchscreen rammed into anything, and since the phone is a bit on the long side a horizontal orientation appears more practical than the typical vertical holster.

But most horizontal belt cases require you to open a magnetic clasp and tease the phone vertically out of the case -- often unwieldy and prone to expensive demonstrations of gravitational forces and concrete vs. telecommunications devices.

While some G1-sized cases are starting to show up, they're as usual overpriced and look rather inconvenient to actually use.

So I decided to modify an existing case I had around -- the horizontal, magnetic clasp case that was provided with my previous PDA phone (but only rarely used in preference to a vertical belt clip) and try to make it comfortable for access to the G1.

I originally had no intention of sharing this design. It is, uh, "industrial" rather than pretty, and purely utilitarian. I'm a lot better with a soldering iron than with handicrafts. In Junior High (called Middle School these days) I got a low grade on a hand-made electric motor I built in electric shop. My modified design doubled the efficiency of the device. But I was marked down for (a) not following the inefficient instructions to the letter, and (b) not applying varnish to the wooden base to a degree of shimmer and shine that met the instructor's expectations.

Bottom line, no design awards are expected for this G1 case handicraft. But several people suggested that I show it anyway, and perhaps it will trigger other interesting carrying case ideas.

The photos below (click on any for a larger view) pretty much explain everything. I cut off the somewhat elastic bands that acted as the two side ends, and replaced them both with "industrial strength" Velcro strips (available at hobby stores). By having Velcro at both ends, the overall inside length can be adjusted to provide a snug fit for the G1 itself. The Velcro is self-adhering with a very strong adhesive, and I attached small strips of lens cleaner cloth to the exposed sections of the
Velcro adhesive that face in toward the phone. The rest of the lens cleaner I'm keeping under the clasp -- these displays attract more fingerprints than the FBI's NCIC.

To access the phone, just pop the front Velcro strip, and the phone slides out easily horizontally to the front. Replacing the phone and the strip just takes a couple of seconds. While ideally I'd prefer a clip that extended beyond the bottom of my belt, the pressure clips on these cases are pretty tight and seem reasonably secure.

I recommend keeping the phone display faced outward in the case, both for easier handling and to avoid any chance of the display contacting the plastic Velcro (though it's unlikely the display would be scratched or damaged even if there was contact -- that glass is pretty tough).

That's about it -- this modified case should be working well for me until such a time (if ever) that something better comes along.

And do rest assured, this is probably the very last "handicraft" item of mine you'll ever see featured on this blog!

--Lauren--