And now for something completely different…

To start, I’d like to thank my Wife for helping me with the review for this case, as it’s more her style than mine. She’s been searching high and low for a case that offers a little more style and femininity. When she recently decided to cross over to the dark side and join the BlackBerry ranks, she was less than impressed with the BlackBerry pouch and Lambskin leather case. It had been a long journey to various accessory stores, trying to find the right carrying solution.

I do believe it was love at first sight with Swiss Mobility’s Lara Side Pouch for the BlackBerry Pearl series.

Swiss Mobility offers phone, laptop, camera and iPOD cases that are manufactured by Cellective Case Inc. They have carrying solutions for people of all walks of life.  Swiss Mobility isn’t affiliated with Swiss Army, which I am a fan of. The Lara Side Pouch is available at the ShopCrackBerry store in Black/Pink and Pink/White combinations. Read on to see how this pouch measures up with my better half…

Think Pink

In the box

The exterior of Swiss Mobility’s Lara side pouch is comprised of Ballistic nylon and soft, durable leather. Though Ballistic nylon < link http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ballistic-nylon.htm > looks and sounds like its rough and tough it embraces its elegant side with a soft shade of pink. It screams “My BlackBerry is beautiful, but I’ll drop anyone who tries to take it.” Aside from the pink nylon, the pouch is both hand-stitched and accented by pink thread. The interior is lined in a pink nylon that is so soft it feels like suede. This lining helps protect your Pearl from scratches and offers a comfy, cozy resting spot for the brief times you’re not on Messenger. Since the Lara Pouch is a universal small cell phone pouch, it doesn’t sport a groove for the pearl’s trackball, nor does it support in/out of holster profiles. To keep your Pearl in place, the Lara Pouch completes its look with a magnetic flap, brandishing the Swiss Mobility logo in pink.

Waiting to accessorize

say aaaaaaaaaaaaaah

The Pouch is not meant to be worn on a belt, rather an adjustable wrist lanyard is provided. Even more pink can be found on the toggle. The toggle doesn’t have a locking button to keep it in place, but it is on the snug side so it doesn’t slide up and down the lanyard too easily. Right next to the lanyard is a nylon loop where you can attach a charm, like the ones you can find at the CrackBerry store. Checking out its caboose (wink wink), a zippered pocket is found. Here you can store media cards, cash or the number of the guy you met at the coffee shop. Wait….why didn’t you just put the number into your BlackBerry?!? Swiss Mobility also added a leather zipper tag to compliment the pouch.

junk in the trunk

a tight fit at first

To my wife I say, sorry that’s enough style for me, I want to see how this thing takes a beating. At first the pouch was quite snug, almost too snug for the pearl. I stretched the side leather pieces and over a short period of time the pearl nestled into its new home. She used to use a black skin, but, even with stretching, it wouldn’t accommodate the skin. It looks like this Pearl is going naked. The magnetic flap offers a secure hold, as I found myself swinging the pouch around my wrist at a high velocity. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! If the pearl wasn’t going to fly out, it’ll at least feel quite nauseous. All seemed to go well for this case.

And then it happened…

We were getting out of the car and she dropped her Pearl. The sound of it hitting the pavement still haunts me to this day. Her Berry didn’t fall out but, since the corners of the Pearl are exposed in the pouch, the top right corner now sports some minor battle scars. Since then she has decided to make use of the lanyard to prevent it from happening again.

The Verdict

I think our quest for a new pouch has finally come to an end. Its solid design offers style, elegance and protection for your Pearl (except for the corners). The pouch is lightweight and doesn’t add too much bulk. Perhaps Swiss Mobility can look into bringing in a line of pouches designed specifically for the BlackBerry, and include trackball grooves and sleeper magnets. The Lara Pouch is available for a decent $29.95 at the ShopCrackBerry store. If pink really isn’t your thing, there’s also the Legion Case. I wouldn’t mind giving that one a once over.

Review Summary: Swiss Mobility Lara Side Pouch for BlackBerry Pearl
	Pros: Fashion forward Secure magnetic flap Soft interior Back pocket for storage Cons: No sleeper magnetic or trackball grooves Does not provide "all over" protection - still come device edges/corners exposed
More Info and Purchase the Swiss Mobility Lara Side Pouch: BlackBerry Pearl 8100, 8110, 8120 and 8130 >>