Help Design A 770 Case for Major Manufacture
 

Hey Folks,
Recently I have been very fortunate to develop a great working relationship with the President of one of the major leather case manufacturers. As we all know, the NOKIA 770 has not exactly lit the 3rd party manufacturers on fire as shown by what is available to us 770 lovers. Anyway, he has agreed to let me put together a case proposal and unless I try and install a Keg Dispenser or Massage unit in it, is going to take it to manufacture. I told him that I was going to take this to the NOKIA 770 community and get all of the ideas that I could assimilate and bring them to him. So, if you have ever wanted to really have some input on a product that you may be buying, this is it.

First off, If someone considers themselves really handy with measuring items, I need a set of very accurate dimensions of the 770. Using the Inches scale that is stamped into the back of my leatherman tool I just don't feel is what he is looking for. LOL As this goes along, I may seriously just FEDEX my 770 to him, but like the rest of you probably think, it is a hard item to part with. So if someone is an arhitect or draftsmen, I can assure you a nice sit of detailed, accurate drawings will be rewarded at production time.

Ideas, lay them on me. What have you seen that you like? Do you like a Spring Steel clip that is permenantly mounted? Do you like the famous removeable spring loaded plastic belt clip that almost eveyone uses now? Would you like No Clip at all? I am already hot on the magnet, but, how would you want the magnet to work? Should the device be able to be stored in the case backwards as well as forwards like the hard shell that comes with it? MMC Slots, how many are enough? Storage for business cards? An ID Window for your own personal info?

OK, this is a very serious proposal, and I guarantee it is going to happen, unless I get 3 answers from people (and one of those answers is "Can you keep it under $10.00?) and little or no interest.

So this could be an interesting opportunity, and I look forward to seeing some innovative ideas. If you frequent other NOKIA 770 Forums, please spread the idea around.

If you want to EMAIL me direct on this, my EMAIL is supportstaff@comcast.net, Im using this email just for this project.

Thanks alot,
Ron aka Wireless

:rolleyes: NOTE: In my excitement and after reading some of the posts (some great ideas, I find that I neglected to add a key piece of information, this case will be made from leather, as this is all that this manufacturer currently uses as a medium. I am going to ask if they have any connection with a Silicon manufacturer as I too would also like to see a silicone boot/case for the 770. That would be a great idea when just kicking ariound the house, desk etc. I still prefer a nice Leather case when on the move. Sorry guys/gals. My fault, that was a heck of a piece of information to have not been clear on.

what about having the case be able to double as a stand, i.e. be able to sit free standing on a flat surface, with the Nokia diagonally facing the user?

Not that I don't LOOOVEEE the stock base "lego pieces" stand (sarcasm)...


DCarter

Excellent idea. A simple length of material that would connect from the back of the body of the case and attach to the front flap folded backwards and you have an easel type arrangement. ( I hope everyone followed me on that) That is one way you could do it.

Thats a strong idea drcarter.

BTW, this company also embosses in some materials. Im thinking that we will have a limited release for people who contributed, and have it embossed with something like NOKIA 770 Case Design Project , Limited Edition, something unique. All of us geeks, young and old like something noone else can get.

Silicone!
 

I would love to have a silicone case, similar to the ones for the iPods and Treos. Basically have all buttons covered, but with embossed outlines to match the buttons. A hard, clear, plastic flip cover would be OK, but not necessary since I always use a PDA screen protector. The ports along the bottom could be left exposed for easy access, as well as the MMC slot and stylus port. Belt clip nub could be optional.

These cases are great - they make the device so easy to hold on to without worrying about it slipping out of my hand like a wet bar of soap. Plus, some of the newer ones have some type of coating on them so dust and lint don't stick like a magnet.

personally
 

I would rather see a docking station, adding 2 more batterys and a usb hub.

The case it comes with works for me,

that's just my two cents

I think a case that allows the option of having the device "on" but with the screen protected would be nice, but I'm not sure how you would implement it.

Also, make sure that we don't need to take the device out of the case to connect USB/Headphones/Charger, possibly using a flap of some sort.
Oh, and the microphone should be exposed, so that sound is not muffled. A small hole in the case could acomplish that.

As for MMC, I never swap MMC cards, so I am not fussed about that. An ID window would be good, but I don't want a case that doubles as a wallet.

Mounting for the stylus is a must, as with the 770's stylus holder on the rear, I would prefer not to have a "hole" in the rear of the case. Nokia provided 2 styluses (stylii?) anyway.

the case should not block the antenna.
i would love to see 'Don't Panic' embossed on the case.

some dreaming on basis of the above ...

- A (partly) clear cover that allow to use the 770 without taking it out of its case. To quickly see time, agenda, news, location etc. (see orbitalcomp and mallard)
- A cover stand doubles as stand (see dcarter above)
- A cover that has a small keyboard/thumbboard (USB?) (did you mean that Wireless?)
- A cover that has a small espresso-machine inside

OK, OK, I'll quit

The case should replace the aluminium cover, and in the same way - ie there should be a cutout for the piece with the connectors and the case should be made padded so it was level with the case on the sides of the connector "block". Possibly there should be a flap of some kind over the connector block - possibly that flap could be part of the screen cover if that was extended to wrap around the device and snap closed on the back of the device. That would protect the connectors and the screen when the flap was closed and expose both of them when the flap was open.

There definitely should be a flip-open cover with some form of protector for the screen, ie if the case is leather it should have a built-in shield over the screen to protect it from impact. Opening the case and getting at the machine inside should be quick and easy as that is needed many times a day for most of us.

There should not be a magnetic closure on the case - especially so if there is room in the case for credit-sized cards. Plain old snap closure would work great.

If anything is embossed on the case it should be something cool and professional. "Nokia 770" - fine. "Don't panic!" - not so fine. :P I don't mind people personalizing their cases but not many would be comfortable with "Don't panic!" on the case, even if they do like Douglas Adams. :)

It might be helpful if the case had some sort of way to hook it to a belt. Krusell Multidapt is a great system for instance - you can hang the case from a belt in a way that allows it to swivel freely without being in danger of falling off the belt, there are other similar systems out there.

I suppose you have seen the Brando aluminum hard case that was posted right here just a while ago ?
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ead.php?t=2447

I would suggest a variant of this concept, ie a similar hard case but :

- with a lid that will swivel backwards nearly all the way, with a "click-in-place" hinge, so the case also doubles as a desk stand as had been already suggested (I believe this could be the most expected feature overall),

- said lid could be entirely transparent (acrylic etc.) or at least with a screen-sized window. Being able to see the screen with the protection of the closed case would be extremely useful in some cases, like driving with MaemoMapper navigation... No big loss IMHO if that means no MMC card holder(s).

- mallard's idea of an easily accessible holder for a second stylus on the case itself is a really good one too.

As noted by others, making sure that Wifi, BT, speaker and microphone still work in-case is essential (and maybe difficult). I wouldn't mind if the MMC trap door was blocked by the case. As for the bottom ports (USB, jack & power) I would rather have a protecting trap door that slides sideways in the case bottom, than a permanent cutout (no protection) or an extension of the lid (contradicts point #2).

Good luck :-)

I am working on a CAD drawing of the Nokia 770, I have done some work in AutoCAD erlier but it was several years ago... downloaded QCad for Linux and it works pretty much in the same way so I should manage.

I am doing all the messuring with a regular caliper so wont be 100% but almost.
It would be good if someone here could verify that my messurements and drawing is correct.

I will post it in a couple of hours.

Just a thought... Maybe we should ask nokia for a complete drawing of the device... but who at nokia should we ask?

The drawing is almost complete I have deliberately left ut things like the depth of the 3.5 mm jack and the usb port. If I have missed something that should be vital to creating a box/bag/case/skin/dash mount or something else then please tell me.

The dimensions is'nt there yet but they will be...

I have attached the drawing, it's a dxf-file.

And as Maemo Mapper is geting more and more popular, it would be nice if the case could be attached to car. I´ve used some chep stand to do this now (see http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...tachmentid=118) but it lacks:

- Firm docking of 770 to the case
- Firm docing of the case to the dashboard
- Powercord and audio-out cords on the case

In my dreams I could do fixed attacment of this case to my car. And when i´d like to use 770 in my car I would just insert 770 to the case. And 770 would automatically be charged and the sounds would come from car speakers.

- Hallax

Personally, as a dirt munching tree hugging druid that doesn't eat anything that casts a shadow, I'd like to see a non leather case. Silicone would be cool as previously suggested, or vinyl/fabric.

It is possible to create a fairly well functioning car dash mount just by drilling two centered holes through the aluminium cover and attaching it with two countersunk screws to a generic cellphone mount.

The problem is I don't want to drill through my cover... :rolleyes:
Is it possible to get a replacement cover for a reasonable amount of money?

Velcro man. A big honkin strip of the industrial stuff.

Actually, velcro sounds ok. If I just find a good spot for the Nokia cover.

But i´d still like to have an additional cover that i could attach (mayby using velcro) to my car. Does some one know is they are available?

I´d prefer this kind a "semi-fixed" solution, because a) it probably doesn´t cost too much and b) i´d still have the original cover without the velcro. c) i could try modifying the car cover to include fixed power and audio-out cables.

- Hallax

Now why didn't I think of that...
Two strips one above the Nokia logo and one below, maybe it won't look all to bad that way.

Thanks for the tip! :D

I hate to sound dumb, but am I to assume I need a CAD program to open up this drawing? Nothing I have will open it, not that I have any real Graphics programs. Im not sure what they may have as well. I am forwarding your initial picture and comments and will get back to you,. Thanks again thoughm very appreciative of the effort.

I had sent over the preliminary drawing done by Hardcoder as well as a link to this thread for the my friend to see all of the suggestions and ideas that have been flowing forth. I thought I would share his responce to our progress to date:

Hi Ron,
This is really great!
I am excited to develop a premium case for this little wonder.
I could not open the file... I will have my designers tomorrow morning to take a look.
Thanks!

So it looks like all parties are excited and on track. I would also like to add, I was involved in another item that is about to be released by this company. It does not take very long at all once the specs are laid out and the features are decided on. So we should be able to see the fruits of our labor in about a 4-5 weeks. (I am giving myself safety room as well.)

I would like to see a version of the fantastic PDAir case that includes a magnet and more support for the bottom right of the device.Other then that, I really can't think of anything.

I have used QCad from Ribbonsoft mostly because I use Linux on all my computers, AutoCAD doesn't run on Linux yet :) Just search google for dxf viewer and i think you should find a bunch of viewers. If you run Linux then try QCad it's small and fast. www.ribbonsoft.com

I posted a DWG/DXF reader on the wishlist at maemo a long time ago, still think it would be a great thing to have on the 770. :)

As for the cover it would be great if you could come up with something functional, the cover that comes with it is actually the only thing that really bugs me we the 770, I use it a lot less because it takes so much time to get the cover off!!

So, I think it is really critical that it is really easy to acces the device when you take it up from the bag. Maximum a second or two, and it should only require ONE HAND! That's a biggie, for me at least. And I like magnets for closure. I think keeping it as small, light and easy as possible is most important. For that I would sacrafice the clip, the name-window and the name cards. I would think one or two pockets for MMC and one for the stylus would be worth it though.

In terms of style, keep it simple and pure, and make sure it's black leather, not brown. :D Or sillicone, that would be neat.

Edit:
To clarify, with one hand I mean one hand for the opening procedure. The other hand can still hold it. But right now I have to use both hands to get the cover off, (one holds the cover, one pushes through the hole in the bottom) and hold it at the same time. Very cumbersome. Ok, if anywone follows me I would be surprised. Sorry 'bout that.

But it bugs me. :mad:

I have more or less finished my drawing so I am posting it for someone to review. Some of the radiuses have been really hard to get right, they aren't perfect but i guess they are close enough for a lether case. :)

Thanks again to HardCoder. Great way to just dive in there!

But, I think we still have a problem with the pictures being in the .dxf format. I would assume that these are in a 3d type configuration which is why just taking the drawings and putting it out and making them in a word or more standard graphics format will not work?
I'm trying to be ready incase his design team cannot open the images in this .dxf format. (I havent heard back from my friend, but Im going to play the odds and bet that they aren't going to have a LINUX machine running this CAD program)
So if anyone can open these up and convert to something more standard, I sure would appreciate it. (If nothing else so I can see HardCoder's efforts)

NOTE: In my haste I didnt even see were he said to go GOOGLE for some viewers, until after I went and GOOGLED for some viewers. LOL Amazing what you can learn if you actually READ a whole post and not glance at it@.

Here is a 45 day trial of a viewer called 2D/3D CAD Viewer (Catchy name) ( CLICK HERE ) should anyone else care to see the drawings. It takes 4 lines to register for the download and it is only a bit less then 3MB and it opened drawing right up.

Thanks again Hardcoder. :)

Ron aka Wireless

I got even more gung ho. Now Im Mr. CAD LOL. Here is the HardCoder's drawing:
http://i1.tinypic.com/1zy7seg.jpg

Sorry to dissapoint you but it's a 2D drawing, have done some 3D work with Solidworks back in 2001-2002 but i don't have access to the software any longer.

I think the drawing guys at the company should be able to import the drawing into their application, dxf is supposed to be a standard format (more or less).

check out www.ribbonsoft.com they offer QCad versions for the three major plattforms Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.

LOL, No dissappointment here. I ask for some simple measuring and I get a CAD drawing. Kinda like going to McDonalds and asking for a 1/4 Pounder and they slap a T-Bone Steak on the counter.

EDIT: I forgot you may be from Europe, It's like going to McDonalds and asking for a Royale with Cheese and getting a Filet Mignone slapped on the counter. (Sure I saw Pulp Fiction)

And in case that doesnt work, ask for a Hamburger, and get a big juicy steak!!

It worked the first time :)
Only the french speaking countries call it a Royale with Cheese, The rest of us call it a 1/4 pounder just like you guys. :) at least it's called that in Sweden :rolleyes:

Very funny you said that. Ive had the PDAir case for 4 days, and it is already showing signs that it is going to "stretch open" in that area, if that makes sense. Im assumming it was just easier to make it that way due to the necessary access to the ports at the bottom.

As to the magnet, I have hit upon an interesting issue. I cannot use a magnet and get the 770 to turn off, or for that matter do anything. How about the rest of you, can you duplicate the action with just an ordinary magnet? As one of the top feature requests, I need to make this happen.


EDIT: It is funny how us humans can let6 our mind decide something for us and it "must be true". All along I was naturally sure that the magnet was somehow related to the silver metal clip located inside the slip on case. That of course would lead one to belive that the Magnetic sweet spoot would be the raised spot located dead center at the bottom of the 770 located on front and back. Well I am here to tell ya, Im wrong on that one. That area has nothing to do with ir but provide a Positive "CLICK" or better yet "detente" feel letting you know that it is in the case and semi-locked in.

Well I did further research on the forum and found that someone had said that you can duplicate the effect if you wave a magnet over the HOME button. JOILA Im turning ON/OFF. But careful exam oif the case I still don't see any sign of a magbetic element ot where it could be hiding. Then a cursory exam of the sides, shows metal. I think Im on to something. Sio I takle my megnet , ( a snap on another phone cases) and run it along the side of the NOKIA 770. PAY DIRT. The magnetic "sweet spot" is located on the Left Side of the unit right about where the Home Key sits.

So now that that issue is resolved,it made me think of another issue. What does the team think about designing the case to accommadate the original NOKIA silver case/sleeve within the leather case. It puts our magnet where it needs to be, front and back. It also allows us to turn the unit around for transport and protect the screen as well as can be possibly done in a case. It also is going to make for very easy removal, as requested by one poster, as it almost puts the 770 on rails inside the leather case. I don't see a huge increase in size or weight, and whatever we lose in size/ weight I think is more then made up with feature and benefit.

So, what ya folks think about dat?!! (I'm pattin myself on the head, can't wait to hear from the rest of the
"team".

Hey my suggestion is a little selfish as it would help us out on a research project we are using the nokia's for. But would it be possible for the case to just show the screen and block access to all the keys? This would simulate a 'kios' mode. Of course, even better would be the ability to lock keys by the Hildon UI... :)

If you keep the nokia cover and integrate it with the leather case I don't se any use for the leather case...
The idea of a case is to protect the screen and offer a means of attaching it to your belt. And yes probably store a mmc, but how often do you really change the mmc card?
The nokia cover already gives great protection when keppt in a bag.
The incentive for me to buy a new cover decreases, when the only new thing in terms of functionality would be a beltclip... and the added bulk alone probably would put me of. Without any cover the device is 14 mm thick, thats ok in my book. With the nokia cover that goes up to 19 mm thats the limit for me... By adding i guess two layers of leather ontop of that i guess we end upp at about 23 mm. Thats almost 10 mm extra bulk .
So please drop the idea of integrating the nokia cover in the case :o

I would like to se a leather case that is slim, gives me the posibility to use all the connectors when in the leather case, also when the screen is exposed all the buttons and the stylus should be available.

The cover could be made of a durable plastic conseald in the leather covering the screen. Together with this plastic inside the leather there could be added a small magnetic strip that when folded over the screen puts the device in sleep mode.

And the beltclip should be kept simple no fancy plastic thing that breaks or takes up to much room when not clipped to the belt. One should be able to place the device on a table without it wobbeling around.

Hardcoder,
As things stand, I am fairly sure we are looking at, at minimum, 2 cases that will be introduced. And remember, while your cases needs may be "this" and "that" you can't speak for everyone. There are many, like mysellf , that will never have that case on their belt. It may simply be extra protection, and additional storage that will cover the device and sit in a briefcase as the person travels during the course of the day. I am sitting here with the PDAir case and a NOKIA 770 with the Stock Slip case. IMHO, it really would not be that huge. But that is just that, my opinion. And that is the whole point, once again, of this thread. We need as many opinions and ideas that we can get to try to reach a happy medium and provide the best and most versatile case (s) available.

One big advantage that we have with this manufacturer is that a vast majority of their cases are made to order. So, unlike a vendor who runs off 500 of model xz12, this vendor takes the order and builds to specs such as , type of leather, color of leather and type of clip (or no clip). So should we come up with more then 1 style of case that is viable to manufacture and marketable, there is not an issue with having 2 or 3 designs. Many of his cases have 2-3 versions available, and I mean completely different from the ground up. One popular model smartphone model has 4 cases in his lineup. So please do not feel you need to fight for one particular case style so you get what you want. Give us every idea and style type you can think of.

I will give a hint of how the manufacturer is thinking. Here is an excerpt from another EMAIL from Friday:

I have a couple of concepts that will work... one is a book model, and the other is more like a pouch but incorporating a lot of elements.....

Thank you for the posting! ... I appreciate your support.. I will not let you down.
Have a great day.
xxxxx
END Excerpt

Once again, he is thinking, as well as we are sounding off here. So please keep those ideas coming, and Hardcoder keep those thoughts comming. There is no "bad ideas" (Just some that may be incorporated in other models at a later time LOL.)

BTW, I do realize that we are designing a PDA case here and there is really only so much that can be thought up and implemented in the design. I am tryimg to keep us going a bit longer so we can get as much constructive input as possible, before we set down and put the pencil to paper.


Once again, I really appreciate all the thought and effort you folks have put in regarding this matter. I got much more then I bargained for.

Ron aka Wireless

Tell me if you have any problems with the DXF file (though it is a standard format that should be readable by any designer using any OS), I can export it to PDF.

Speakin as a designer, I'd like to quote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: Perfection in design is not achieved when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove.

At least for the book version, I would like to see something really simple, along the lines of the flip cover for the Palm:
http://www.compulife.com/graphics/palmflipcover.jpg

I got my self a Brando Workshop Metal case... It's quite ok.

The lid, when open seems a bit useless, in the way, see my photos.

The second one is a quick and dirty photoshop job.

Maybe one could fit in a very thin keyboard in a similar, slightly thicker case. That would be space well used.

Nitpicking
 

Actually, if you want to find out exactly where nokia put the magnet, just get one of those magnetic pickup sticks and wave it around on the inside of the cover till it 'sticks'.

http://tinyurl.com/need5

Which would put the sensor right to the left of the Menu key. (There is no magnet in the side of the case) And it would probably be best to use the same polarity that the case is using.

My thoughts on a case that I'd like to see:

Material: Preferably modern looking nylon or plastic or combination, rather than metal or leather.

It should cover all surfaces except the ports/switchesnot, and not add too much bulk to the unit.

The case should have a flip cover that covers the entire front of the unit, and can be used to prop it up (1) high enough so that an elbow-headphone connector could be connected, and (2) be sturdy enough to allow for stylus input.

The latter two features are very important to me, and would be a great help in making the 770 that much easier to use while sitting at a desk. The stock stand does not hold the unit stable enough to actually use the buttons or touch screen... and don't even get me started on the power connector that doesn't even connect while in the stand unless you put an unnatural crease in the cable... why didn't they supply it with an elbow connector like this one ?!!!.

The Logitech PSP case is an example of how these two feature could be implemented. Alternatively, the hinge could be located along the bottom rear edge, instead of along the top. Also, note that this case is a bit too bulky (thick) for my liking, plus the PSP is not actually held in the case (I like how the stock slip-cover accomplishes this with the 770's side rails (i.e. without velco... yuck)).


So anyway, I though I'd give my input since I'm always looking for the best accessories for my portable devices. I'm curious to see how this project turns out. I'd like to see this sort of approach to product development happen more often.

Any updates?
 

Wireless,
Did the company manage to use my drawing? Are there any plans on when they will start designing a case? Just curious :)