I was initially againt the design of the PDair aluminum case, but so long as it doesn't scratch the phone, I don't think it's that bad. My reasoning for this is that with the exception of the cheap hard and silicon cases which don't include a belt clip and are prone to broken tabs or crappy fit, there aren't any cases that don't require opening the case in some way to get access to the phone let alone the physical keyboard. At least with the PDair, the only time you need to open the case is when you are required to use the physical keyboard. Unexpectedly, I find that I tend to type better, faster, and more accurately on the virtiual keyboard so it shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience I would hope. Although I would have prefered a design that didn't require needing to be opened, it would probably have required tabs of some sort which I'm sure would have been prone to breaking, scratching, or loose fit. As for adding thickness, it doesn't look that bad IMO. All cases add some thickness with the exception of the Zagg Shield which is not a case and does leave the screen bezel unprotected.

I was pretty much settled on an Easecase, but being that it still requires protection when its not in the case, I may reconsider. Plus the silver PDair alu case video on youtube looks pretty hot!