If MacBook Air is a netbook, where the bleep is the network?
Apple, to its credit, hasn’t referred to the MacBook Air as a “netbook” – and that’s a good thing, since applying such a word would be false advertising by definition. But even as outsiders have begun to refer to the new thin and light Mac laptop as a netbook, few have yet pointed out that while very nice, the MacBook Air is missing one critical feature that most of its “netbook” contemporaries offer: a bleeping network. Sure, the MacBook Air has built in wifi. But if I put wheels on my desk, it doesn’t mean it’s a car. And with the relative handful of specific places that offer wifi (probably at home, maybe at work, expensive at starbucks, slow at hotels), calling a wifi device a net-anything would be a flat out lie.
Contrast the MacBook Air and its wifi-only limitations with that of the iPad 3G, which can get on the internet any time an AT&T signal is present. In other words, unless you’re on a subway or in a remote cornfield or living in a cave, the iPad 3G is an always-on-the-internet device. In other words, despite not being a notebook, the iPad 3G is far closer to being a “netbook” than the MacBook Air. Come to think of it, why on earth doesn’t the MacBook Air have a built in 3G option like the iPad does? It could be that Apple is laying low on such things in the midst of the current AT&T-Verizon thing going on with the company’s other mobile devices. Or maybe Apple is waiting for 4G networks to arrive. Or it could be that while Apple is willing to sell you a MacBook Air along the “iPod Classic” lines, Apple would really rather you buy an iPad – which is why the iPad (the 3G model, at least) can get on the internet anytime and anywhere while the MacBook Air is a mere toy from a network standpoint the minute you leave your house.
iOS4 a waste of time for iPhone 3G users? Hands-on conclusions
June 27, 2010 by Bill Palmer · 19 Comments
iOS4 is a highly capable operating system – if you’re using it on a new iPhone 4. If you’re still trying to stretch additional life out of your aging iPhone 3G, you may want to think twice about bothering to install it, as there are pros and cons to doing so. In my case I’ll be getting an iPhone 4 next week, but I was curious as to how iOS 4 would run on my 3G, which I bought back 2008. I wasn’t expecting much to begin with (the 3G is much slower hardware than the new 4), and once Apple made it clear that not all iOS4 features would even exist when you install it on a 3G, I was expecting even less. You can check that sliding scale of iOS4 here as I’m not going to rehash it. But what I can do is to share with you my five days of running it on a now-ancient iPhone 3G (note: I’m referring to the 3G, not the 3GS here).
The new look of the iOS4 home screen, the bottom dock, in particular, does look snazzy, almost too snazzy as it makes the styling of an iPhone 3G look outdated in comparison; the iOS4 interface was clearly designed to match the styling of the iPhone 4. But getting down to things that have a material impact on the user experience, I found that in some cases iOS4 was slightly faster than OS 3 had been, while in other cases it led to unexplained lags in which my iPhone was clearly overwhelmed. I’m not talking about the very first time you launch each app after installing iOS4, as you kind of expect each app to take an extra second to re-wire itself into the new environment on first launch. But even after a few days I still noticed what baseball insiders would refer to as “American League delays” in which things get bogged down now and then for no clearly identifiable reason. In fact, and this makes perfect sense in hindsight, it’s not unlike installing a new operating system on a computer that’s a couple years old. The new OS is faster by design, so it’ll do some things faster. But it’s also assuming more capable hardware, so there are times in which it’s giving your poor old machine instructions that can’t quite be kept up with. If this were a full size computer you’d install more RAM to try to compensate (which might or might not help), but on a miniaturized device like a smartphone, those components are necessarily embedded and there’s no upgrading. So you just have to get used to the fact that some things are a little faster and some are a little slower; if you’re still using an iPhone 3G then by now you’ve already become accustomed to this when you’ve installed various new third party apps which were also written under the assumption of faster iPhone hardware than yours.
So where is the upside? For me, it’s hands-down the ability to view all of my incoming email on the same page. I have two accounts, one for work and one for personal, just like many if not most other working adults (actually I also have a third email account for no good reason, but we won’t talk about that). On my Mac, I see all the new email from all my accounts in the same inbox, in the order they arrived, except when I click on something to separate them out by account. But on my iPhone, I’ve spent the past three years having to tap the screen four or five times just to get from the inbox of one account to the inbox of the other account. It was a terrible, almost drunken design on the original iPhone back in 2007 which bizarrely assumed that you’d be wanting to spend as much time in the sent, drafts, and other random email folders as you would your inbox where all your received email is – and that you’d never want to check more than one email account at a time on your iPhone. I’ve dubbed it one of two of the iPhone’s “original sins” (the other being the inability to turn off that god-awful auto screen rotation system-wide), and now here in iOS4 it’s finally been fixed and done so in a really solid manner. If you have two email accounts that you check regularly on your iPhone, there’s no overstating how important this new feature is. It would have me dancing in the aisles if not for the persistent thought in the back of my head that there’s no excuse for Apple not having implemented this from day one, three years ago, as well as the amount of wasted time and frustration that Apple has needlessly foisted on me and others on a daily basis for the past three years. But alas, the iPhone’s only true fatal flaw has been fixed, and better late than never.
As a side note, I will say that if you really thought you were going to be able to successfully run multitasking on 2008-era cellphone hardware, then you have a misunderstanding of the kind of hardware power required to prevent multitasking from turning your user experience into a complete piece of mush; if multitasking is important to you, go get an iPhone 4 immediately. For the other ninety-something percent of you who don’t even know what multitasking is beyond being a word that the iPhone’s geek competitors like to throw around in television ads, then don’t worry, it’s a meaningless feature in the real world (only implemented on the iPhone to silence said geeks), you won’t miss it.
And that’s about where I stopped exploring iOS4 on my iPhone 3G, to be honest. There’s no speed boost, and that’s actually a slight net-negative as the speed-ups are when you don’t need them and the speed-lags come unexpectedly and tend to be more trouble than the speed-ups are worth. Of all the iOS4 features listed on apple.com that actually make it down to the 3G, the unified email inbox was the only one that I cared about (you can check that list to see if there’s anything you want for yourself). In my case the new email implementation made the iOS 4 installation worth it all on its own, but that massive improvement in my iPhone user experience has felt at times over the past five days like it’s almost been canceled out by the random system lags – sure, they only last a second or two here and there, but this was supposed to be an upgrade. So in my case, if not for the fact that I have two email addresses, I would have uninstalled iOS4 from my iPhone 3G by now and gone back to running the old OS 3 instead (and even OS 3 was designed to be run on the iPhone 3GS, not the 3G).
But again, that’s kind of what I expected before I installed iOS4, and part of why I had already made up my mind to buy an iPhone 4 beforehand. Anyone who is expecting new software (and iOS4 is free, by the way) to magically turn their old slow hardware into something other than old slow hardware, has a misunderstanding of the laws of engineering and physics. These are the same users who can’t understand why they can’t install the new Snow Leopard on their ten year old iMac, or why they can’t install the new Windows Vista on their their ancient PC from the same era, with any success.
Bottom line, based on my five days running iOS4 on an iPhone 3G, and based on what common sense pretty much already told me beforehand: if you really want the features that iOS4 offers, go get an iPhone 4, the new fast and powerful device that iOS4 was specifically designed to run on (here is Beatweek’s full hands-on iPhone 4 review). And if you don’t care about any of the new iOS4 features, there’s no shame in sticking with your old iPhone 3G – but in that case don’t muddy the waters by installing iOS4 on it for no good reason.
Note: if you want to know how iOS4 performs on the more modern iPhone 3GS, check out this hands on review.
iOS 4: iPad userbase still in the dark over release date
As iOS 4 gears up for release this week for users of Apple’s smaller mobile touchscreen devices, iPad users are still in the dark as to when the new version of the mobile operating system will see the light of day for their device. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has stated that iOS 4 will be available for iPad users later this year, but details are still scant in terms of an exact release date (presumably the iPad version of iOS4 still being worked on) or what iPad users can specifically expect from it beyond the laundry list of iOS 4 features that Apple has already presented for the iPad’s smaller cousins. With even the lowly iPod touch gaining iOS 4 before the iPad sees it, this week serves as a reminder that Apple has an increasing number of irons in the fire when it comes to not only development of new hardware products, but also software development as well.
Five iPad “controversies” that turned out to be irrelevant
May 31, 2010 by Bill Palmer · 12 Comments
With the iPad reaching the two million units sold milestone today in fifty-nine days on the market, sales of the tablet have surpassed the expectations of everyone involved, likely including even that of Apple itself. So with the iPad now an inarguable early success, here are five issues that were supposed to have been controversial about the iPad which turned out to be non-issues or at least haven’t negatively impacted sales in a noticeable manner:
Lack of Flash: The theory that the griping about the lack of Flash on the iPad was merely coming from a small number of very loud people appears to have been validated by the iPad’s success.
Second generation syndrome: By now everyone paying attention knows that the second generation of a new Apple product comes with a better feature set and often a better price tag. While some may indeed be waiting for iPad G2 to arrive, it doesn’t appear to be the default behavior of the general public.
Multitasking: Like with Flash, the “public outcry” over the lack of third party multitasking on the iPad appears to have actually been just a handful of folks screaming at the top of their lungs in an attempt to appear more numerous than they actually are. As it turns out, the mainstream users buying the iPad don’t even know what the word “multitasking” means, much less care.
iPad 3G surcharge: Not only does the iPad 3G cost $15 to $30 a month for use of AT&T’s 3G network, users have to pay a $130 surcharge right out of the gate just to get the 3G enabled iPad model. While the 3G iPad pricing scheme feels like a racket, it hasn’t prevented iPad users from seeking out the 3G model – so much so that it’s been more difficult to find at retail than the non-3G model since it launched.
The name “iPad”: Remember how the iPad was going to be scoffed at and flop because its name contained the word “pad”? The early jokes have died down, sales are through the roof, and the joke appears to have been on those who honestly thought that the name “iPad” would somehow harm sales.
iPad being pushed by Apple as Fathers Day gift; improved inventory?
Apple is actively promoting its iPad as a Father’s Day gift by using its customer email list to push the tablet computer. The move represents a shift in marketing for the company, which had previously pushed the iPod touch as a Mother’s Day gift last month at a time when iPad inventory was severely strained. The new shift to iPad promotion suggests that Apple feels confident it has a handle on iPad inventory issues even as it launches the device in multiple new nations this past week. This could be good news for those iPad fans in the United States who’ve been struggling to get their hands on one. Despite Apple.com’s continued claims that all six iPad models including 3G will ship within seven to ten days after being ordered, several Beatweek readers have informed us that they’ve placed an iPad order only to then be told that the device wouldn’t ship for up to twenty days. But Apple’s new pushing of the iPad as a Father’s Day gift, even as the company had passed up the opportunity to do so for Mother’s Day, implies that iPad availability may be on an upswing.
Attempted to purchase an iPad lately? What has been your experience?
Skype 2.0 iPhone app released, includes calls over AT&T 3G network
May 29, 2010 by Beatweek · Leave a Comment
Skype released version 2.0 of its App Store app today for iPhone and iPod touch. The new version of the free app sees the long awaited new feature of being able to make skype phone calls via an iPhone without needing to be within range of a wireless network, and instead being able to rely on AT&T’s 3G cellular data network for that purpose. The major new upgrade elevates the Skype iPhone app from was in the eyes of some users a crippled app in that calls could rarely be placed when away from the user’s own home wireless network, to a useful tool in that it can now be used anywhere the 3G network is available. The App Store download page for Skype 2.0 is right here. Still no word on an iPad-specific version of the Skype app; the iPhone version can be installed on an iPad and we’ll be confirming whether it can be used to make 3G based phone calls from an iPad, which would effectively turn the iPad into the “giant iPhone” that it’s sometimes lampooned as being.
Skype is based on Voice Over IP or VoIP technology, which allows for internet-based phone calls that are free when both participants in the phone call are using Skype software, and at minimal per-minute rates when one user is using a standard telephone.
New iPad TV ad suggests Apple can ramp up inventory
May 13, 2010 by Beatweek · 2 Comments
Apple has rolled out a new television ad for its iPad which foregoes the music soundtrack of the previous in favor of a narrator who confidently explains the various kinds of things that the tablet computer can be used for in general terms while the accompanying shots of the device in action go into greater detail. The ad begins by asking “What is iPad?” before answering the question with words like thin and beautiful and phrases like “lasts all day” before highlighting what is perhaps one of the iPad’s greatest by-design strengths: “You already know how to use it.”
Interestingly, the commercial references the ” tow hundred thousand” of App Store apps that are compatible with the iPad, rather than the five thousand or so apps that are specifically optimized for the iPad’s larger screen.
The newest iPad television ad suggests that Apple is indeed interested in educating potential users on the kinds of things that the device can be used for, as opposed to the company’s earlier strategy of seemingly preferring to allow users to figure that out for themselves. This suggests that Apple now considers the earliest round of “early adopters” to have passed and is now going after the mainstream who are likely looking to identify specific practical uses for the iPad before buying. This broader strategy comes even as the company faces inventory issues resulting from higher than expected initial U.S. sales, suggesting that Apple believes it can effectively ramp up inventory as needed.
New MacBook Pro may not matter
April 18, 2010 by Bill Palmer · 19 Comments
This is a surprise even for me, but when Apple introduced its new, faster, more powerful MacBook Pro laptop lineup this week, my own reaction was “meh” – and that’s probably odd, considering that I’m typing this on a MacBook Pro right now (early 2009 model) and have spent the past several months wishing Apple would release a more powerful model, particularly one that holds more RAM than my current four gigs, so I could upgrade. You see, my laptop is my only computer. And it’s been that way for a decade, with only a slight relapse back in 2008 when I tried having both an iMac and a MacBook, one for home, one for the road, only to find that my data was never one the machine it needed to be; I soon sold them both and bought this monster of a laptop instead. But now that the iPad is on the horizon, I just can’t seem to get myself to care about new laptops – or is it laptops in general?
I don’t have an iPad yet. Yeah I know, I’m an idiot. Actually I’m just waiting for the 3G enabled version to be released, because if I’m going to rely on a device as much as I expect to rely on my iPad, I want to actually be able to use it for basic things like email and internet and social networking any time, and place – not just when I’m at the mercy of the wifi gods. I’ve encountered too much bad wifi first-hand at hotels, restaurants, and conferences, then I see random stories like this, and then I’m reminded of the recent problems with my own home internet, and it occurs to me that for me at least, I want that 3G network available. But while I’ve just spent a paragraph explaining why I don’t yet own an iPad, it’s also a manifesto on just how much I intend to try to rely on my iPad; in fact, if it plays the role I expect it to be able to based on the limited amount of time I’ve spent with one, I’m half expecting to end up ditching my Mac laptop in favor of a Mac desktop.
When I look at the scenarios in which I use my laptop as a laptop, it’s less about toting it everywhere and more about being able to grab and go on five or six trips a year – and on most of those trips, I could probably get away with just taking my iPad. That leaves me not needing portability from my main computer at all, which means I can trade up to an iMac which would be significantly faster than any MacBook Pro on the market, with a much larger screen. And as far as having my data in the right places, iMac+iPad is a different scenario than iMac+MacBook for the simple reason that a Mac and an iPad were born to sync effortlessly with each other, with none of your really permanently on the iPad, the device being more of a subset mirror image of your computer than anything else.
So when I read about all the juicy new MacBook Pro specs coming out of Apple this week, I’m torn – I suddenly can’t get myself excited about Apple’s laptop lineup even though I’ve spent a decade partaking in it. I’m not saying I’ll actually pull the trigger on my plan; I’ll have to see just how much (or little) my iPad can do in terms of laptop replacement once it’s integrated into my daily routine. But at this point, I think the only aspect of having a traditional laptop that I would miss is the fact that it has a trackpad less than an inch from its keyboard, which is so much more speedy and intuitive than resorting to a mouse (trackball, etc) that’s placed far enough away that I have to take my hand off the keyboard just to reach for it. In these iPad and iPhone days of the keyboard literally being part of the screen tracking motif, reaching for input device located at the other end of a USB cable feels so twentieth century.
iPad comes to Sprint (sort of)
Those who’ve been hoping that the iPad would be available with Sprint’s cellular data network instead of AT&T’s 3G option are in luck – sort of. In what appears to primarily be a marketing stunt, Sprint has released an all-black iPad sleeve with a special section built in to hold one of Sprint’s “Overdrive” 4G mobile routers. Sprint’s case costs $100 on its own but (no surprise) is being given for free to those who purchase one of Sprint’s routers and are foolish enough confident enough to sign a two year contract for the router, which allows a wifi-only iPad to get on the internet as long as it’s never more than a certain number of feet away from the router. The signal can also be shared out to up to four other nearby devices.
While straightforward, the stunt is remarkable in that Sprint and Apple have no connection to each other otherwise; not only have Apple’s iPhone and iPad partnerships only ever been with AT&T, even the rumors about supposed future iPhones typically involve Verizon, not Sprint.
photo courtesy the good folks at MacNN
Verizon: iPhone = your kid murdered
March 29, 2010 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
Cellphone carriers haven’t hesitated to take potshots (of varying degrees of subtlety) at each other of late in their television ads, with the AT&T/iPhone camp and the Verizon camp not surprisingly going after each other in the least subtle of ways; AT&T is trying to convince Verizon’s current subscribers that the allure of the iPhone is worth changing carriers, while Verizon is trying to convince said subscribers that their subpar network isn’t quite as bad as AT&T’s subpar network.
But in catching two ads on television this afternoon in rapid succession, one from Apple/AT&T and the next from Verizon, I was struck at just how different the message (if not the identically cheerfully-voiced tenor) of the two ads was: Apple was promoting the idea of using your iPhone to make a cute video of your child, and then easily jumping on a conference call to share with others. Verizon, on the other hand, was showing off an app that allows you to keep tabs on your kids when they wander off. However, Verizon goes on to imply that only their 3G network can be trusted to work well enough to allow the app to do its job of spying tracking your teenagers as they move through the mall (the best part of the ad is that the teenager being tracked apparently turned out to be within visible distance of the parent, who might have spotted the kid sooner if not for being face-down in a cellphone).
In appreciation of Verizon’s new revelation that something bad will happen to your family if you switch to the iPhone AT&T, I came up with a few slogans that I think Verizon should adopt in the same of being more straightforward about what their cheerfully creepy ad is trying to imply:
“Verizon: helping parents stalk their kids since 2010″
“Every time another Verizon subscriber leaves us in favor of the iPhone, our network gets a little more reliable!”
“Verizon: we’re just going to keep telling our current subscribers that our network is perfect, and some of them will even believe it!”
…and my personal favorite:
“Stick with Verizon. Because switching to the iPhone will get your teenage children kidnapped and murdered.”
But to my mind, nothing beats the message behind Sprint’s latest television ads:
“Sure, we have no cellphones to offer that you’d actually want to use, but we’re really cheap now!”
Review: Elago Slim Glide
January 25, 2010 by Bill Palmer · 1 Comment
Leather iPhone cases don’t typically come cheap, with the best of breed costing sixty dollars or (much) more. So what, then, to make of a twelve dollar specimen? I’d say Elago’s Slim Glide surpassed my expectations, but then that’s a given, as at this price point my expectations were about zero. As it turns out, the product does well on the functionality scale, so-so on the protectiveness scale, and looks pretty generic on the stylishness scale.
I’ve never seen a leather case this inexpensive, but the company claims it’s genuine leather, and the leathery feel and smell of the case give me no reason to believe otherwise. Slide your iPhone in, close the magnet-bound clasp, clip it onto your belt and you’re good to go. The belt clip rotates to five positions through 180 degrees, meaning you can wear it upright or sideways, and the headphone port and speaker are exposed even when inside the case.
That’s the good news. Less ideal is the fact that the design leaves two of the iPhone’s corners exposed and prone to impact damage if dropped. And the way the sides are cut just low enough to expose the headphone port and speaker looks cheap; they could have instead employed cut-out holes and ran the leather higher up the sides, which would have minimized the corner exposure.
The bottom line is no one is going to mistake the Slim Glide for anything approaching a higher-end leather iPhone case, but if you’re working on a tight budget and really want a leather belt clip case, this gets the job done better than I was expecting. No star rating because there’s really nothing to compare it to on that front.
Learn more at ElagoStore.com
Review: MiLi Power Pack
January 5, 2010 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
As an unrepentant battery hog, I’ve had an intimate relationship with iPhone battery cradles going back to late 2007 when I first got my hands on a preproduction prototype. Since then I’ve been continually thankful that such products exist, yet often disappointed that most of them haven’t evolved much beyond their original 2008 incarnations (Mophie’s Juice Pack Air, which is actually a battery case, being the only real exception). So while MiLi’s Power Pack is very clearly modeled upon Mophie’s original Juice Pack cradle, a nearly two year old product, the evolution of the market has been sufficiently slow enough such that – well, let’s just say that MiLi has finally added the finishing touches to the original recipe that Mophie never did.
While every other battery cradle I’ve used has placed the indicator lights on the back, MiLi has made the long overdue move of putting them on the front. Humorously, I’ve grown so used to having to flip my iPhone upside down to see how much juice my cradle has left over the years that while testing the Power Pack I kept instinctively flipping it over only to remember that the lights are on the front where they should be. And while the black rubber of the Juice Pack has eventually blistered on every unit I’ve gone through, the Power Pack uses shiny acrylic plastic that matches the exterior of the iPhone 3GS. And although the choice of interior colors doesn’t much matter because the interior disappears as soon as you insert your iPhone, you do get a choice of black or white here. The Power Pack is also two-thirds the price and provided about the same battery life in my tests (the specs say that the Power Pack actually has about ten percent more power than the Juice Pack). And the Power Pack has an USB port for simultaneously charging another device.
To be fair, Mophie’s efforts seem to have instead gone into the Juice Pack Air battery case, which offers the same acrylic backing and choice of colors. And Fastmac’s bulky iV cradle offers more battery life than any of the above. But as far as ergonomic one-piece battery cradles go, MiLi’s Power Pack has pulled into the lead. Just one complaint: please lose the silly mini-USB port and replace it with a real iPhone docking port so we don’t have to travel with multiple charging cables.
Learn more at MiLiDirect.com
Review: Contour HardSkin Inked
New in iProng Magazine: a hands-on review of the new HardSkin Inked two-piece plastic case for iPhone 3G and 3GS from Contour Design, priced at $34…
review by Bill Palmer
While one piece hard plastic snap-on shields are all the rage when it comes to protecting your iPhone, there’s something to be said for a full-blown case that recesses the iPhone’s screen and covers its easily scratchable silver bezel. One of the more interesting candidates to come along in awhile is Contour Design’s $34 two-piece HardSkin Inked, essentially the same as the company’s $29 HardSkin but with a choice of white patterns etched into the material.
The Inked gets all the standard things right, like making the cut-outs the right size (not a given when too many casemakers are still making the cut-out for the silencer switch too small), and the hard plastic actually has a smooth rubbery feel, accentuated by the etched lines to create a unique-feeling texture. Assembly consists of setting your iPhone into the back piece, then snapping the front piece into place, which is effortless. Removing the case officially requires putting a coin into a slot on the case’s lower right side, which would be mildly unacceptable if it were true, But in my tests I was able to easily remove the front face with my fingernail each time I tried, no coin needed, and I suspect you’ll be able to do the same.
This is a well-done case. It even comes with the bonus of a pair of small grooves on the left and right side, presumably for your thumb and middle finger, which aid in gripping the case in your hand. Unlike its standard HardSkin counterpart, the Inked is only available in Apple Stores (online and retail), which is fine, but I’m less thrilled by its price tag. I’d be more okay with it at $34 if it came with screen film, or maybe priced at $29 without film, but as it is the Inked feels a bit more expensive than it should be. That having been said, it’s a major upgrade over one-piece plastic shields. And though not quite the best in its class, the Inked is one of the better plastic iPhone cases I’ve tested.
Learn more about the HardSkin Inked at ContourDesign.com.
Review: OtterBox Commuter series
October 12, 2009 by Beatweek · 5 Comments
New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the new Commuter and Commuter TL dual-layer iPhone cases for iPhone 3G and 3GS from OtterBox, priced at $34 and $29…
review by Bill Palmer
Dual layer cases consisting of an impact-resistant outer hard plastic shell and a shock-absorbent soft rubber interior are some of the most protective cases on the market and, when done right, can be among the most stylish as well. But it’s a tricky task, as the combination can be a real pain to assemble if not smartly designed – which is perhaps why relatively few vendors have tried. A handful of names come to mind in this realm, but OtterBox isn’t one of them. The company has instead long been known as the maker of waterproof and element-resistant cases, and the Commuter and Commuter TL represent its first foray into mainstream cases that you don’t need a special reason (swimming, working in the mud, etc.) to consider buying.
Both cases offer a rubber skin (black on the Commuter, choice of colors on the TL) with play-through coverage of the iPhone’s top and side buttons, and peel-back coverage of its headphone and docking ports. The hard plastic shell then snaps over top of the rubber, leaving almost every millimeter of the iPhone covered, save for its front face (film is included) and small holes for the silencer switch and speakers.
Where these cases diverge is that the less expensive model surprisingly turns out to be the more desirable product, at least based on my tests. The plastic on the Commuter wraps around to the iPhone’s sides, which is laudable, but makes it a pain to attach the plastic piece without the rubber repeatedly sliding out of alignment. But the plastic piece on the TL doesn’t extend to the sides, making it almost effortless to attach and remove – a more than worthwhile tradeoff, as the iPhone’s sides are still covered with ribbed rubber with the TL. Also, where the Commuter oddly exposes the iPhone’s rear Apple logo to the elements, the TL smartly covers it with see-through plastic. And that’s before you even get to the fact that the TL comes with color options. The Commuter is solid, worth the hassle if you really want maximum side impact protection. But the Commuter TL is one of the best iPhone cases ever made.
Learn more about the Commuter and Commuter TL at OtterBox.com.
Review: XtremeMac Tuffwrap
New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the new Tuffwrap rubber case for iPhone 3G and 3GS from XtremeMac, priced at $19-$29…
review by Bill Palmer
Most open-face iPhone protection these days comes in the form of a shield that protects its back and sides but not its top and bottom nor the frontmost edge of its easily scratchable chrome bezel, so in that sense XtremeMac’s Tuffwrap is something of a breath of fresh air. A full blown case, the one-piece soft rubber Tuffwrap fully covers the bezel all around, along with the entirety of the iPhone’s top, bottom and sides, save for small cut-outs for the ports and controls.
But understandably, you’re probably more interested in hearing about the dizzying array of colors and color combinations that the Tuffwrap series is offered in. You can opt for anything from straight-up yellow to a blue center outlined in orange, or an all-pink design with white swirls on it. Take your pick, according to your own tastes. I’m not sure how many of the “yellow-lined pink” models XtremeMac expects to sell, but the option is there nonetheless.
Back on the practical side of things, the Tuffwrap comes with not only screen film but also a clear hard plastic stand, similar to the one Apple included with the iPod touch – but this is much larger, nearly three inches in length. In addition to being larger than it probably should be, the stand slants the iPhone back a little too far when stood up horizontally (though still stable), but works nicely when the iPhone is stood sideways for watching video. I’ve seen a few other cases come with better stands, but cases most don’t include one at all, so it’s tough to complain about the inclusion of one here.
My one complaint about the case itself is that the cut-out for the silencer switch is too small to be easily accessed, which should or shouldn’t play into your buying decision depending on how often you typically access it. The Tuffwrap is so new that it’s not yet available for order on XtremeMac’s website, and it’s unclear where each model falls within the $19-$29 suggested MSRP, so our star rating will have to wait until then.
Learn more about the Tuffwrap at XtremeMac.com.
Review: XtremeMac Microshield
October 12, 2009 by Beatweek · Leave a Comment
New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the new Microshield plastic shield for iPhone 3G and 3GS from XtremeMac, priced at $24-$29…
review by Bill Palmer
Another day, another major vendor enters the “iPhone plastic shield” fray. While these one piece snap-on pieces of hardshell protection for the iPhone’s back, sides, and corners may not be much to write home about in general, at least XtremeMac was courteous enough to release theirs in a number of varieties. In addition to the clear plastic Microshield itself, the Microshield Tatu line offers a choice of three different etched patterns on clear plastic, and the Microshield Accent offers a choice of four colors rimming the edges of a smoky translucent plastic center.
These shields are, in a word, fun. They’re all see-through to varying degrees, which allows your iPhone to retain some of its identity while simultaneously being personalized. Ranging in price from $24-29, the Microshield series is significantly thicker, sturdier, and better looking than the generic $9 iPhone shields that have generally preceded it. It’s also easy to attach and remove from your iPhone, and it comes with screen film. However, my tests showed the cut-out for the silencer switch to be too small, making it tricky to access it with your fingernail – so iPhone users who frequently access that switch should probably look elsewhere.
Learn more about the Microshield at XtremeMac.com.
Review: Marware Accent for iPhone
October 9, 2009 by Beatweek · Leave a Comment
New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the new Accent leather flip case for iPhone 3G and 3GS from Marware, priced at $29…
review by Bill Palmer
One of the relatively few closed-face iPhone cases to come to market this year, Marware’s Accent reminds me of the flip-open cases for the traditional full-size iPod that were so popular back when the traditional iPod was still popular itself. In contrast, iPhone users seem to be leaning toward open-face cases or shields in order to keep the touch screen easily accessible. But there are always going to be users who want to keep their iPhone’s front face hidden, either or protection or discretion, and for those users the Accent does a pretty nice job overall.
That is, of course, if you like the shiny leather material and the flower design featured on the front face of all eight available colors, which comes down to a matter of personal taste. From a functional standpoint, the Accent provides easy enough access to all the ports and controls (including the screen, once you lift up the flap). Just as importantly, you can easily remove the iPhone from the case (not a given for this type of case) by pushing up through the bottom dock connecter cutout, which is a good thing since it’s unlikely that you’d want to spend any real amount of time talking on your iPhone while it’s inside the case, with the front flap hitting you in the back of the head – so you’ll likely be wanting to quickly remove it from the case any time the phone rings.
Why not a higher rating? Something about the Accent feels a bit less sturdy than it could be, as evidenced by the fact that the front flap’s velcro pieces have to be aligned each time you close it; allowing it to close naturally can result in it lining up a bit too high or low. Perhaps it’s a trade-off for being able to get the iPhone out of the case so easily. I really don’t know how many people are still looking for this kind of case in 2009 – but if you’re one of them, this’ll get the job done.
Learn more about the Accent at Marware.com.
Review: MicroShell for iPhone
New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the new MicroShell plastic shield for iPhone 3G and 3GS from Marware, priced at $29…
review by Bill Palmer
Vendors wouldn’t keep offering more and more iPhone shields if they weren’t so popular with users, and now that the industry’s biggest names are joining the fray, shields are seemingly here to stay. And with good reason, as they’re generally easier to attach and remove than a full-blown case, and don’t interfere with the iPhone’s touch screen functionality. I’ve tested iPhone shields ranging in price from $9 to $60, and so Marware’s $29 MicroShell falls somewhere in the middle.
And wow is it ever pretty. The metallic red model in particular is shiny all around and manages to catch any light in the room. A single piece of plastic, the MicroShell gets its biggest functional props for including a left-side cutout that’s large enough for the iPhone’s silencer switch to be easily accessed, which can’t be said for far too many other iPhone shields I’ve tested. On the other hand, like most other shields, the MicroShell stops just a millimeter or two short of covering all of the left and right sides of the iPhone’s chrome bezel, something I’d love to see someone finally get right.
The essential question with the MicroShell is whether this single piece of plastic is really worth its $29 price tag. It’s thicker, a lot sturdier, and much better-looking than the generic $9 competitors out there, so as is often the case with products of this type, it’ll largely come down to your budget. The MicroShell does come with bundled screen film, which helps in the justification of its price tag.
Learn more about the MicroShell at Marware.com.
Review: Voi Lorem
New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the new Voi Lorem iPhone case, priced at $24…
review by Bill Palmer
Somewhere along the line at one of the industry trade shows our staff came up with the internal terminology of “JAIC” – short for “Just Another iPhone Case” – which meant that the iPhone case we were looking at was just like the last ten we’d looked at and it was time to move on in search of iPhone cases that actually offered something that the last ten didn’t. At this point, with the iPhone’s body having not changed shape in more than a year, any new iPhone case has qualify as not being a “JAIC” just to get covered by us at all, as we don’t want to bore you to death. Which brings us to the Voi Lorem case which, if not emphatically so, manages to avoid being a JAIC with a few tricks up its sleeve.
Consisting of a two piece hard-body plastic design, the Voi Lorem allows you to set your iPhone into the back piece before snapping a small trim piece onto the front which holds the iPhone inside and protects its metal bezel. And that’s mostly it. The colors are pretty blatant (red, pink, black, grey), with those first two in particular ensuring that your iPhone will stand out. The tricks? One is a tiny metal bar over the iPhone’s Apple logo that allows for the attachment of an included handstrap, which leads to the obvious question: does anyone really carry their iPhone hanging from their wrist? But in my testing I did find that it was a useful way to hold your iPhone, knowing that the handstrap would ensure it doesn’t go splat on the ground if it falls out of your hand (and some of you will be pleased to know that the handstrap can be left off entirely with minimal impact). The other trick, this one more widely usable, is that the little square on the back is actually a push-through that allows you to easily nudge the iPhone out of the case in a way that isn’t always automatic with hard plastic cases. But that’s only after you snap off the front plastic piece.
So does the Voi Lorem offer something you can’t already get from ten other vendors? Yes and no. The soft padding inside is a nice touch, and the $24 price sounds favorable until you realize they’re charging $5.95 extra for screen film. The Voi Lorem may not add much to the existing iPhone lexicon, but it’s a well done product overall. You can decide whether it’s right for you.
Learn more about the Voi Lorem at 4voi.com.
Review: More Thing Metallic Series
September 15, 2009 by Beatweek · Leave a Comment
New in iProng Labs: a hands-on review of the new Metallic Series iPhone shield from More-Thing, priced at $32…
review by Bill Palmer
iPhone shields are all the rage here in 2009, as the represent a nice compromise between carrying your iPhone in a full-on case which can feel like overkill considering how sturdy the iPhone is, and carrying it without a case it all which leaves the iPhone’s most scratchable (the rear surface) and dentable (the four corners) wide open. Shields essentially cover just the iPhone’s rear and corners, along with parts of the left and right sides, and typically offer some kind of stylistic flair along the way. In the past year I’ve seen everything from $9 thin plastic shields to fancy-looking $60 shields made from exotic materials and everything in between. with screen film.
More-Thing’s $32 Metallic Series Engraved Edition splits the difference, both in terms of price and material. It isn’t actually made of metal (and I’m not sure I’d want it to be, considering the sharp edges involved), but the hard plastic is painted up to look like silver metal with a choice of interspersed red patterns ranging from a criss-cross to a lattice stripe. with screen film.
This shield looks nice. In fact you might even initially think that it actually is a thin slide of metal when you first start using it (although the ability to faintly see right through the red on the back does eventually give away the fact that it’s not metal, unless you’re talking Scotty’s “transparent aluminum” from Star Trek IV). So essentially you’re paying thirty-plus dollars for a really pretty-looking plastic iPhone shield. Granted, it’s a thicker and sturdier than the typical nine dollar cheap-o plastic shield. But buying the Metallic Series over a more generic competing product still comes down to more of a fashion decision more than anything else. Is it worth it? I’ll let each of you decide. The patterns really do look cool from the back, though, particularly where the red stripes cross your iPhone’s Apple logo and make the logo appear to be red. The Metallic Series comes bundled with screen film.
Learn more about the Metallic Series at More-Thing.com.
