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Years ago, the then-head of the Remington Shaver company used to tout his product lineup with the signature closing phrase: "I liked it so much, I bought the company." That tagline keeps coming to mind when my search for gadgets and accessories comes across "Fellowes" branded products. Not only does the Itasca, IL-based company have a large product catalog going of its own, it also has a knack for snatching up cool stuff launched by smaller companies. Example: a company called Concept Kitchen developed WriteRights, a stick on clear plastic screen cover for PDAs. The screen is the most fragile part of a PDA and WriteRight's plastic film guards against scratches and dirt. I have been using them for years. Fellowes bought Concept Kitchen, and now the protectors are sold under its label.
The same thing just happened to the BodyGlove line of PDA and cell phone accessories. Here's the modern business world at work: Fellowes didn't exactly buy BodyGlove, a leading maker of surfing wet suits, but rather the company that had licensed the BodyGlove name for electronic products. Sort of an acquisition once removed. In any event, the linkage between surf dudes and consumer electronics is not quite as odd as it may seem. Wetsuits are made of stretchable, protective, grippy fabrics, with padding in appropriate places -- which is pretty much the recipe for a good PDA or cell phone case. As with most accessories companies, Fellowes's product catalog -- even in a specific category -- is too large for more than a representative sampling. I took a look at two PDA cases -- the DataSuit Pro model with a snap for the Palm V/505 series, and a universal zipper-closure model. The former allows you to neatly slip your Palm in place, the latter uses Velcro to hold the PDA in place.
The key product advantage is that the grippy neoprene material minimizes the potential for "oops, it slipped" moments that can be fatal to a handheld. I also looked at the BodyGlove CellSuit Universal and CellSuit Sport Universal. Both are vertical holster-style cases (a horizontal design is coming later this year). The difference between the two is that the "Sport" has a top flap to hold the phone in place while you are doing sporty things.
Both have swivel belt clips that can be snapped off the case. This is a convenience two ways: First, the swivel keeps the phone from digging into your side when you sit or twist. And second, unlike a belt loop, a clip can be attached to the waistband of, say, elastic waist shorts or other casual attire. BodyGlove/Fellowes managed the correct balance of getting the holster elastic just tight enough to keep your phone from falling out, but loose enough that you can remove it easily when making a call. The BodyGlove line of cellular earphone also has expanded with the EarGlove Mini. This is one of those in-the-ear headphone with the mike built into the earpiece. The difference between this and most that I have tested is that this one feels relatively comfortable when worn and the sound quality, both for the earphone and mike, is very good.
Fellowes spokespeople hasten to add that acquisitions are not the only source of the company's vast product lineup. And, indeed, one current all-Fellowes that I like a lot is their PDA mobile auto/air charger. There is nothing earth shattering about the idea of a charger that plugs into a power outlet in the car or on an airplane. But Fellowes's unit does this for a street price of around $14. That's a nice buy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can reach Al Gordon at:
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