I received the JavoSkin for T-Mobile’s SDA and have had the opportunity to thoroughly test and review the product. The JavoSkin is made of silicone and features an Enhanced Anti Dust (EAD) coating to reduce dust attraction. The JavoSkin improves grip, helps to protect the SDA from scratches and also absorbs shock if your SDA is dropped.

The package itself is simple and straight forward, but perfectly suitable for retail displays. Opening the package required no cutting or excessive force, only a gentle tug.

The JavoSkin for the SDA is available in four colors; Frosty Blue, Steel Blue, Solar Grey and Frosted White. I received the Solar Grey skin which could also be considered a light “smoke” color. The JavoSkin comes packaged with a lanyard for attaching to the SDA. At first appearance I thought this was a wrist strap - but as you can see below this is more of a neck lanyard, approximately 20 inches in length.

The SDA JavoSkin differs considerably from the Cingular 2125 JavoSkin in that it covers the keypad while the 2125 skin does not. The skin is contoured so that you can still feel the keys through the JavoSkin. This more complete skin adds some additional protection from accidental splashes if you’re near water or get caught in the rain. (Note: The JavoSkin is not intended to water-proof your SDA and will not protect it from all types of water exposure.) Installing the JavoSkin is a very simple procedure that begins by inserting the bottom of your SDA into the lower portion of the skin via the screen opening. You then pull the top of the skin over the hump and its elasticity glides the skin into place. The SDA JavoSkin does not cover the antenna hump which could cause it to become scratched.

Once the JavoSkin is installed you’ll notice that is has, overall, a very good fit with only some minor complaints. Below are some photos that illustrate how well the JavoSkin fits the SDA and which buttons are accessible via cutouts in the skin. You will notice that the joystick is given ample room as well as the microphone, usb port, headphone jack, volume keys, communication manager key and camera are all properly exposed.

The last image shows that the camera key is not exposed like the rest of the side buttons. There is a contour in the skin that allows you to easily feel the camera key, very similar to the contours over the front keypad.

There are a few areas that didn’t fit perfectly, but operation and protection are not affected by this. Here we see the skin doesn’t quite reach the edge of the screen near the top.

I’ve mentioned the contoured buttons of the JavoSkin, they make operating the phone by touch relatively easy. The keypad and Send/End contours line up perfectly with the phone’s keys. The contours for the four media keys and the four smaller softkeys do not line up perfectly, although they are very close. This is a minor complaint since the keys still function perfectly. Here is a close up of the softkey and how the skin doesn’t quite line up.

Overall this skin is made very well and offers great protection at an affordable price ($19.99 as of this writing). If you’re looking for a great way to keep your SDA from being scratched while in your pocket or simply wanting a better grip on your device, the JavoSkin may be the case for you. I wish the hump was covered to offer additional protection to the SDA housing but this is only a small gripe with an overall great product. JavoEdge also sells screen protectors that compliment the JavoSkin to provide complete SDA protection. They have just released a bundle that includes 1 JavoSkin plus 3 JavoScreen protectors, in Ultra Clear or Anti Glare.

Pros:

Great fit
Scratch and shock proctection
Better splash protection
Button/port cut-outs line up well

Cons:

Antenna hump is exposed
Softkey contours may be slightly misaligned

I give this skin 8/10

Order your Cingular 2125 JAVOSkin today at JAVOedge.com.