Piel Frama makes luxury leather cases for PDAs, smartphones, the iPod and more. They're well known among the PDA community and we've reviewed quite a few of their offerings. This time we take a look at their black cowskin leather case for the Samsung i730 Pocket PC phone from Verizon.

The cowskin case is available in black, red, tan and a black and tan combo. Piel Frama also offers the case in crocodile and ostrich for an additional 30 Euros. The cowskin case, like all Piel Frama cases we've reviewed, has close and tight stitching, with all edges finished perfectly. The outer surfaces of the case and the inner surface of the screen flip are made of aromatic, lightly grained leather that looks very classy. The inside is finished in natural tan and the back section is embossed with the Piel Frama logo and a few sentences stating that the case is hand made.

The inner flap is reinforced with an ABS plastic insert to protect the most vulnerable part of your device, the display. The leather that joins the flap to the back of the case is very supple and thus the flip is easy to open and close. The sides of the case are open, allowing easy access to controls, except the lower third which is comprised of thin leather that holds the i730 in the case and serves as an attachment point for the clear plastic which covers the keyboard and anchors the phone. Cut outs in the side leather and bottom leather provide access to all buttons and ports: the power slider, headset jack, sync port and voice command button.

There are two cut outs with mesh for the rear-firing stereo speakers and an inset on the flap mount to allow clearance for the antenna. The case comes with a removable belt clip, and even the clip's mounting post can be removed using the included tool.

Piel Frama's case is slim and doesn't add much bulk, yet offers good protection for this expensive Pocket PC phone. The top-opening flip is both right and leftie friendly and it snaps shut securely at the bottom rear. A very nice case that adds a touch of elegance to an already attractive PDA-phone.

Web Site: www.pielframa.com

Price: 60 Euros (~ $72 US)