Industry coverage, news, original feature articles, how to guides, videos, podcasts and reviews of BlackBerry service providers, software, accessories, hosted exchange providers and more

Cell phone, wallet, keys. That’s the standard pocket check when leaving the house. BlackBerry in the front right pocket, wallet and keys in the front left. While this layout makes for easy access, it does become quite bulky. Even with relatively loose jeans, you can still see the outlines of a BlackBerry and my wallet in each pocket. It’s not a big deal, really, but I like to avoid it when possible. For instance, I switched from a wallet to a money clip (with card holders) a year ago. Case-Mate now has a way for me to further combine. Their ID line of cases now comes with a card holder, so you can eliminate the need for a wallet. You can use an even thinner money clip and still have everything you need when leaving the house.

As you can see to your right, the Case-Mate ID case stores your cards in a pouch on the device’s back. It’s great if you’re constantly pulling out both your BlackBerry and your wallet. As Case-Mate notes in its marketing blurb, it also makes for a slightly easier experience at airport security. No, you won’t be “one step ahead of the competition,” but it means one less item to dump in the bin. It works best, really, for those who no longer carry cash.

While Case-Mate ID provides many advantages, it also has its drawbacks, the foremost of which being its thickness. Yes, you’re reducing bulk in one pocket by moving your wallet contents to your BlackBerry case. But that just makes the BlackBerry case that much thicker. It’s not like combining a wallet and a BlackBerry, but it’s certainly thicker than a number of cases on the market. From what I’ve seen, it compares in thickness to the OtterBox Commuter series cases. The cards also block the camera hole, so you have to remove your cards before you can snap a picture.

Plus, there’s the whole issue of losing your BlackBerry. With your credit cards — and presumably driver’s license or ID — connected to your Berry, losing would be a much bigger pain. Your cell phone, email device, credit card, and ID? Yep, that’s just about everything. Recovery would be a long, tedious process.

Still, there are definite conveniences. You can check out the Case-Mate ID for yourself. It’s available for a number of BlackBerry models:

Tour 9630
Curve 8300 series
Curve 8520/8530

ID cases for the Curve 8900 and Storm 9550 are coming soon. They cost $29.99 each, and come in a variety of colors.

Share on Facebook | Add to De.licio.us | Digg This! | Technorati