review: iFrogz Soft Gloss Case for iPad
November 3, 2010 by Daynah · Leave a Comment
The iFrogz Soft Gloss iPad case is simplicity with a little pizazz! If you ever slipped into those jelly shoes back in the 80′s, you’ll feel right at home with this case.
This clear case features a radial circular pattern etched on the interior, highlighting the beautiful AppleTM logo in the back.
Putting the iPad in the case is quite easy. Just slide one corner at a time and it’s in. There are cutouts for all ports and buttons on the iPad, making all functionalities accessible. The case covers all the edges of the iPad, protecting it from any potential bumps and scratches.
What makes this case stand out is the beautiful design. You get ouu’s and ahh’s when you carry your iPad around in this. It’s sleek, compact, and should fit in most iPad sleeves and bags. It makes a fashion statement while protecting your iPad! It’s a total blast from the past!
The iFrogs Soft Gloss is available in three retro translucent colors — pink, blue, and clear. You can get them for $29.99 at iFrogz.com
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars · $29.99 · iFrogz.com
review: OtterBox Commuter case for iPhone 4
September 15, 2010 by Christine Chan · Leave a Comment
Earlier on I reviewed the Otterbox Defender series case for the iPhone 4. While it offers the best protection out there, there was a big problem with it – it’s too bulky and ugly. But what if you were to combine Otterbox’s rugged defense with a stylish and sleek look? That’s where the Otterbox Commuter case comes in.
The Commuter case comes in two parts – the silicon skin that goes around the phone and then the hard, polycarbonate shell that goes on top of the silicon. This gives your iPhone 4 all-around shock absorbency and protection from everyday wear-and-tear. There’s also an optional screen protector that is included with the case, but I chose to not install it.
The install of the case should be simple enough, though I had some trouble getting the shell perfectly aligned with the spaces on the silicon case. Wrap your iPhone with the silicon, and make sure that the ports are covered with the silicon. Then insert the device top-first into the polycarbonate shell, working your way down. Make sure to check that all the parts are aligned properly, and finish by having the bottom snap into place.
Once the case is on, you’ll feel the Otterbox protection right away. The headphone port and sync charging ports are both protected by a silicon plug to keep dust out of them. The power and volume buttons are covered with a layer of the silicon, but they can be pushed without any additional force – almost as if the silicon wasn’t there. The ringer toggle switch is easily accessible no matter what size your finger or nail is.
The back of the case has a perfect cutout for the camera and flash, even dividing the two from each other. There is a cutout in the silicon and polycarbonate shell so that the glorious Apple logo is displayed – just in case you need to show off that you’re still using the latest from Cupertino.
You could probably drop this on concrete and no harm would be done (though I haven’t tested this, I’m just trusting Otterbox’s reputation in protection) to your device. The screen gets a nice, thick layer of case lip around it, so if you happen to drop your device screen first, it will be protected by that thick layer on top of it. The glass will never get touched by unwanted surfaces.
The only thing I have a problem with is the fact that the exposed silicon will attract lint, dust, and any other small debris. I put the phone with the case in my pocket for a couple of minutes and pulled it out, only to be horrified with the amount of little white lint specks I found on it. I was hoping that this silicon could have been something more like the Speck PixelSkin HD, where I have no troubles of lint getting stuck to it.
But I suppose that it is a small trade-off if you want serious protection for your device without the extra bulk of the original Defender series from Otterbox. I believe the Commuter series is a great case for women that are looking for serious device protection, since the Defender is just a little too bulky for most (at least I think). It’s also great for guys that don’t like bulk on their device but want some great protection.
Maybe they can use some sort of non-sticky silicon in the future though – that’s the biggest reason I dislike most silicon cases/skins. But other than that, I would highly recommend this case.
review by Christine Chan
rating 4.5 out of 5 stars • OtterBox.com
Speck PixelSkin case for iPhone 4: review
July 7, 2010 by Christine Chan · 3 Comments
Speck’s PixelSkin case for the iPhone 4 is another silicon skin that goes over the entire device. It provides a much thicker skin than the other silicon case I tried out from Macally, which is great for more shock absorption. This also adds more lift to the glass than the Macally case, so the front and back glass panels will most likely survive a fall or any impact. The square pattern on the back of the case will provide a better grip. The silicon material also makes the entire device a bit more slip resistant on flat surfaces.
The skin itself has openings only for the headphone port, silent switch, and for the 30-pin connecting port. The holes on the back for the camera and LED flash are perfectly cut, which shows that there has been some time perfecting the fit for the iPhone 4.
The silicon material does not feel sticky in the hand, not even when you slide it into you pocket. It does, however, become a little harder to take out smoothly when pulling out of a pocket, and as a result, it will collect dust and debris on the silicon. Especially in other places where there may be dust, it may get attracted to the rubbery surface, which will be especially noticeable on black (the sample that I received). Though this may be less of an issue with lighter colors.
I also feel that it’s important that the PixelSkin case also does not leave the entire bottom open, however, it leaves enough space for the 30-pin connecting port to work with older cables. This is because the new iPhone 4 USB cable has a smaller plastic lip on the 30-pin part than the previous models. As a result, most older iPhone cables would not work with Apple’s own Bumper case (I’ve tried) because of the smaller opening that the Bumper leaves. So Speck decided to make the opening in the medium range, so that it would not leave too much space open for dust to collect, but also big enough to make it compatible with older cables.
A great silicon case, but I have to knock it down a bit because of the tendency to collect dust on the surface.
rating four out of five stars • SpeckProducts.com
review: iTiki for iPhone
April 13, 2010 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
Silicone rubber iPhone cases aren’t typically the best candidates for unique styling; typically you get your choice of colors and that’s about it, as they’re all generally shaped and structured in the same manner. Some rubber cases try to get fancy by using thicker material and then etching into it, and while that’s generally the formula that TikiCase uses with its iTiki for iPhone, this case isn’t really any bulkier than the best of the non-etched rubber cases on the market.
The conceptual idea behind the case is that it’s a Tiki God, complete with a snout carved into the front, legs on the back, and little teeth surrounding the iPhone’s screen, as if the case were eating the device. This kind of themery won’t work for everyone, but it’s a fun design nonetheless. The port cut-outs are generally done well (the vibrate switch could be a little more accessible, but I’ve seen much worse elsewhere). My only concern with the case is that the teeth, small as they are, tended to get bumped into by the tip of my finger when tapping items on either the very top of the very bottom of the screen. The teeth didn’t actually get in the way of operation or slow me down any; it was just a little annoying. If the teeth were positioned an eighth of an inch further away from the screen, it would be a complete non issue.
Not everyone’s cup of tea, but in an era where most soft silicone iPhone cases look pretty much the same, it’s nice to see the iTiki being physically and conceptually unique while not being so bulky as to be impractical in the process. Choice of orange or blue.
RadTech introduces Gelz for iPad
April 6, 2010 by Beatweek · Leave a Comment
RadTech has introduced the Gelz silicone rubber case for iPad. The Gelz comes in a choice of black, white, or purple, sells for $24.95, and is available immediately. The bottom of the case peels back for full physical compatibility with iPad-compatible docking devices. The company claims that its use of “low-tack, medium density” silicone will help prevent the buildup of lint on the case, an issue with some silicone cases. The material is 1.2 millimeters in thickness.
Gelz for iPad is available at RadTech.us.
review: Deos
March 9, 2010 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
These pair of thin soft silicone rubber pieces slides onto the left and right buds of your Apple earbuds and covers the entire outer shell and stem while slightly recessing the speaker grilles. The good news is that I found them easy to slide on and to remove, and more importantly, they didn’t make wearing the Apple earbuds any less comfortable or block the grilles in a way that would affect the audio. The flipside is that my experience in testing thin silicone products is that they’re more adept at protecting against cosmetic scratches than impact-related damage, meaning that this product is realistically more about styling than it is about protection. This might be best evidenced by the fact that while the simple silicone Deos that I’ve tested here sells for a mere ten dollars, the company also offers sparking and diamond-studded versions of the product at higher prices.
My advice on iPhone and iPod earbuds remains the same: spend a few bucks and get a pouch to carry them in. Or better yet, spend twenty bucks on in-ear earbuds, and then carry them in a pouch. But if you’re more interested in making your existing earbuds look more stylish, while adding a layer of possible protection, I can report that the Deos does indeed work as advertised.
Learn more about Deos at DeosLive.com
Tekkeon myCase for iPhone
July 8, 2009 by Beatweek · Leave a Comment
Having seen one open-faced soft silicone rubber case after another since the iPhone first launched in 2007, these days it takes something out of the ordinary to pique my curiosity in the category. Tekkeon’s myCase did just that with its three dimensional back surfaces, ranging from musical notes that rise just a bit above the surface, to palm tree leaves that do the same.
Aside from the unique designs on the back of each model, the myCase is pretty standard fare when it comes to one-piece silicone cases: you slip your iPhone into the front cut-out, pull the four corners into place, and smaller cut-outs around the sides give you access to everything. The play-through material covering the volume buttons and top button are a nice touch, but I did find that the cut-out for the vibrator switch was a bit smaller than it should be, and accessing it did take a little bit more digging with my fingernail than it should have.
In fact when I first applied the case, the cut-outs didn’t quite line up in general, and I had to stretch the rubber a bit in order to get them to line up. After that one time, things lined up just fine when putting the iPhone into the case, indicative of the fact that silicone does sometimes stretch in the wrong directions and has to be realigned.
But while the case is fairly average as a silicone case in terms of functionality, the unique designs on the rear surface are the reason you buy this case, and the reason for its above-average rating.
Learn more at Tekkeon.com
Incipio Silicrylic for iPhone
July 6, 2009 by Beatweek · Leave a Comment
The combination of hard plastic and soft rubber represents one of the more protective and often interesting-looking case designs out there, which makes it unfortunate that we don’t often see such cases come to market (Contour’s Showcase and iSkin’s Duo being notable exceptions). Incipio’s Silicrylic case, whose name is a clever combination of “silicone” rubber and “acrylic” plastic, is the new kid on the block in the category for iPhone 3G and 3GS.
The Silicrylic consists of a slip-on soft rubber case which can be used by itself but whose contours just beg for the included hard plastic shell to be snapped on top of it. The result is a mix of scratch protection and impact protection that includes rubber along the edges, both rubber and plastic across the back, and most importantly, rubber and plastic wrapping around all four corners, which tend to be the most common impact point when an iPhone is dropped). The styling is less flamboyant than that of some other rubber/plastic combo cases, thanks to the fact that while the Silicrylic comes in a number of different color choices, the rubber and plastic for each model are the same color (although you can order a two-pack for $5 more in order to mix and match colors).
Continuing with the full-body protection theme, the Silicrylic comes with screen film and a cloth for wiping down the screen before applying the film. Also included is a small piece of plastic (similar to what comes with the iPod touch) that allows you stand your iPhone up at an angle vertically, but sadly not horizontally (it’ll topple over).
In all, the Silicrylic is an extremely solid choice, not so flashy perhaps, but scores high on protection, color choice, and what’s included in the package.
Check out iProng Magazine’s 42nd issue featuring a cover story interview with the Black Eyed Peas, a hands-on look at the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3.0, and the top fifty accessories for iPhone and iPod. Also interviewed: Butterfly Boucher, Davy Knowles, Endless Hallway, Gretel, Kingsfoil and much more.
