Transparent Nokia E61 Case
A good and cheap alternative for fancy leather Nokia E61 cases are the many different crystal clear hard plastic covers available on eBay. They are cheap and surprisingly rugged. However, should they get scratched they are cheap enough to replace.
Thanks for the great pictures above Marco!
Tu sent me this picture of his black Nokia E61 in a clear plastic case. More Nokia E61 mods here.
Thanks Tu!
October 28th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
Those hard plastic cases are really tough, but unfortunately also dust magnets. So make sure to remove them and clean the insides once in a while.
October 29th, 2006 at 1:12 am
Hey do those cases have a cover for the screen? Im mostly worrierd about the screen getting scratched…not the body.
October 29th, 2006 at 2:52 am
yes,they do cover the screen and they protect the phone very well,just like elisha says though,clean inside it often!!
October 29th, 2006 at 2:57 am
be sure to check if they fit properly. been looking fotr quite a while now, all i find are the silicon type and the hard plastics, all doesnt seem to fit (lock) properly on the e61.note that all of them are made in China.
October 29th, 2006 at 3:03 am
I’m just like Cameron wondering: do these cases also cover the screen?
October 29th, 2006 at 4:27 am
Hi Ed,
I’ve been using these cases for a while now and they’re pretty good. I’m on my third one now. First one got scratched where the screen is, second one’s latch broke off and now, I’m on my third. Yes, they scratch easily, attract a lot of dust and sometimes the parts holding them together break but, I’d rather the cover get scratched instead of my precious E61 getting scratched.
They also provide pretty good shock resistance. I dropped it once in the car and that’s how I had to replace my 2nd case. My E61 came out unscathed. :p
My only gripe is that it adds a bit of thickness to the E61. Doesn’t make it feel as sexy as it’s naked slim self. ;p
Cheers!
Andrew
October 29th, 2006 at 4:34 am
Cameron & Nick,
Yes, it covers the screen. The only parts it doesn’t cover are the keyboard, side volume & record buttons, flashing LED light for e-mail notification, speakers, power button and the bottom for recharge, infrared etc…
If you were like me (i.e. paranoid about protecting the beautiful E61 screen), then you should also add a screen protector to your E61 (I did)!
It gives you double protection!!!…
October 29th, 2006 at 4:39 am
Oh, if any of you were plannnig on going for the crystal case instead of a nice leather one, my advice is to purchase more than one. I went through mine fairly quickly.
Because they scratch easily, it’s a real pain to try reading from the screen if the crystal case’s screen area is scratched.
Cheers!
October 29th, 2006 at 4:43 am
Cool, looks really nice to me.
October 29th, 2006 at 5:38 am
this was my very first case. i ripped it out of my e61 right away. this isnt recommended for people who constantly opens up their e61 to access the mini-sd card. it’s very tough, the screen is protected, but it’s hell to crack open. i literally obliterated my crystal case trying to open it, good thing it didnt scratch my e61. i’ll never touch one of these again, but it IS a good cheap protection for the e61, just not for me. it costs around USD$6 here in the philippines
October 29th, 2006 at 7:43 am
agwe23,
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the crystal cases. It’s true, the first time I tried to open it up, it was quite difficult but once you figure out how it’s done, it’s a piece of cake. You don’t need any tools, just a millimetre of fingernail to pry it open. I do it all the time to clean the inside and access my miniSD card.
In Malaysia, it costs around USD 2.70 each. In Singapore, it costs around USD 3.25. I’ve bought crystal cases in both places.
October 29th, 2006 at 9:44 am
I’ve been using a clear case on my e61 since I recieved it. A lot of the comments above are right on … it does cover the screen, it does keep the device from getting scratched, the case does scratch easily (but they’re so cheap, you can easily replace the case if it gets too scratched up). My case initially didn’t fit correctly … it would latch on three of the four latches, but the bottom right latch would not stay shut. After using a filet knife to remove some of the plastic on the latch (just a few scratches with the knife at the latch), it now latches perfectly. Unlatching it is not a big deal, just unlatch both latches on either side of the case and swing it off.
Something that I’ve noticed that is missing from the comments above is that I’ve found it slightly more difficult to accurately type on the keys around the perimeter of the thumbboard. It’s not impossible to type accurately on these keys, but I’m amazed how much easier it is when I remove the case. It’s because the case does add some thickness, keeping your thumbs from coming directly down on the intended keys.
In all, I’ll continue to use this case for the forseeable future. I’d rather miss a key occasionally and have a slightly thicker device than scratch my beautiful, beautiful screen.
This is a fantastic blog. Keep up the good work! (Oh, and you might consider reviewing the Search application from Nokia. It adds incredible functionality to the e61).
October 29th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
I have gone through 2 of these already, they tend to break every 10-14 days. So if they are ordered one by one to sweden like i did they are not worth the costs.
Perfect protection for the E61 though!
October 29th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Do you have a website of somewhere us folks in the US could get one :.. Or several? Thx!
October 29th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
I absolutely love my hard plastic case. It covers the screen perfectly and doesn’t intrude or block any ports or adapters. I got mine on ebay for $6.50 shipped.
October 29th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
If you want extra shock protection, use some foam pads on the inside. Especially the back. As long as you get small and thin ones. It will look a little ugly but it works.
October 29th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Yo, this websites kool, i got one of those cases n they r sik n all u should own one. My phone is the same as Tu’s, black with a clear case. It great and cheap so go get one.
October 29th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
I got it also.
It was great, it made the e61 bulkier. But also protective. The plastic eventually came off and broke in the bottom. Not the best quality, but for the price…
October 30th, 2006 at 1:30 am
has anyone tried the screen covers that are available, and if so which ones do you recommend?
i found this one which i thought i’d try out:
http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=2261&t_mode=des
October 30th, 2006 at 6:20 am
Hello i’m Marco and post from Italy.
I have taken the cover rigid for error, I thought was in silicone.
After 2 weeks that I use it I can only say of the good. The only negative note is that it still magnifies more the e61.
P.S. The picture over are mine.
P.S.S. Excused my English is much approximate one.
October 30th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
Hi guys in bangkok,thailand crystal case look like this topic about $2.1 - $2.7.
October 31st, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Mine was a waste of money since one of the latches broke after a week. I bought mine from an ebay seller in HongKong. I’m just leaving mine naked with a screen protector.
October 31st, 2006 at 9:14 pm
I bought a crystal case and all the lugs broke off pretty quickly. I thought at $5, pretty mich par for the course.
November 1st, 2006 at 2:45 am
I got mine in Singapore and I like it alot but the latches seem to break off after awhile. Been using mine for about 3 months and 2 out of 4 latches have broken. luckily the are diagonally opposite so it’s still holding together. i guess you need to be careful when opening it up as i access my SIM and miniSD card quite frequently.
November 1st, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Marco dove l’hai comprata la custodia per l’E61?
L’ho cercata su Ebay ma non ho trovato niente
November 1st, 2006 at 5:38 pm
the crystal case can give protection but for a limited period; those who keep changing the mini sd will not appreciate having a cover. the latches will always break. i bought my crystal acse for about $2 in Greenhills Ortigas Philippines. but you got to buy spare. i found recently an aluminum casing and it comes in black, silver and blue in ebay. i am giving it a try as an alternative to the crystal case. I do agree once a week i always remove the casing to wipe off the dust.
November 3rd, 2006 at 5:15 am
Per Luis
Cerca cristal case, io l’ho presa in Germania.
Ciao
November 4th, 2006 at 11:12 am
Where can you get the E-61 face plates in Canada?
November 5th, 2006 at 10:14 am
hot mamman,, where can i get one ??
November 5th, 2006 at 10:15 am
hey dude read the above (-: i believe you missed the point.. its for sale on the web…
January 27th, 2007 at 5:38 am
A couple of weeks after I got one of these cases I took it off for some reason or another and fell in love with my E61 all over again because it was back to its slim, sexy self.
That aside the real reason I haven’t replaced the broken one I have is that the plastic sticking up next to the buttons drives me NUTS! Pressing one of the buttons on any of the edges, but mainly the top set of buttons involves maneuvering your finger into a near vertical position so that it doesn’t do all its pressing on the case. Maybe it’s because I have big fingers, but I refuse to use the clear case unless I’m planning on using my E61 as some sort of “blunt object” style murder weapon.