review: iSkin Solo case for iPhone 4
October 11, 2010 by Christine Chan · Leave a Comment
Personally, I love cases that are one piece and easy to slip your phone in and out of – I guess these are more like ‘shells.’ I’ve also been a big fan of iSkin ever since I picked up the Solo FX back then for my 3GS. So I’m pleased to say that iSkin does not disappoint with the Solo for iPhone 4.
These are minimalistic yet sleek, gel-like skins that wrap snugly around your device. It comes in five colors, but they’re all translucent so that the back of your device will still be visible to everyone around you (proudly tout that iPhone 4!).
I found it extremely easy to get on the phone – just insert it bottom first and push the top in until the skin wraps around the device completely. The polymer material is slick on the back but the sides have a ‘frosted’ feel that add a nice, solid grip to the device.
The shell itself is pretty thin, so those that don’t like adding a lot of bulk to their phone will probably appreciate the Solo more than other cases on the market. I found my device able to fit comfortably in my pocket without any unnecessary bulk, and because of the smooth texture, I don’t see any pocket lint getting stuck on the case or device screen, which is great.
Most cases I’ve come across have the lip of the case pretty close to the edge of the front. I notice that with the Solo, the lip goes a little further in on the screen. I’m not sure why this is, but I feel that this could be better to prevent dust particles from getting under the skin and inside the case, possible scratching the glass.
The ringer toggle is given a small opening that could be a little hard to access without a nail (I tried). The volume buttons are protected by polished baubles that I found aesthetically pleasing to look at, and is definitely a unique look that I have yet to come across from other companies.
The power button is also protected by a shiny polymer bubble, though I found it feeling weird when pressing it since it’s flatter. The headphone port leaves plenty of space for whatever accessories you need to use. The back of the shell has a teardrop shaped cutout for the camera and flash so that it is non-obtrusive in your photos.
I did find one problem with the Solo and that is with the opening for the charge sync cable. I found that my older Griffin PowerJolt SE car charger had a bit of trouble staying plugged in to my iPhone with the Solo on. It wasn’t as bad as with the Apple Bumper, since that completely doesn’t work, but the plug kept slipping out due to the smaller opening of the Solo.
It seems that the Solo is better suited for the newer iPhone cables with the slimmer 30-pin dock connector. So just a word of caution – you may find yourself annoyed at getting older, wider cables to stay plugged in with this shell on.
Overall, this is a great looking, stylish shell for your iPhone 4. It’s easy to get on and off, provides enough protection while keeping slim, gives you grip, and also shows off your iPhone 4′s beauty with the translucent polymer back. Just use your older cables with caution. Once again, iSkin doesn’t disappoint with the Solo.
Highly recommended.
review by Christine Chan
rating: 4.5 stars out of five • iSkin.com
Lights to release acoustic EP “Lights. Acoustic.” in July
June 18, 2010 by Beatweek · 2 Comments
Lights, the Canadian synth pop star who released her debut album The Listening in 2009, will release an acoustic EP appropriately entitled “Lights. Acoustic.” on July 20th. The five song acoustic set will include her biggest hits like February Air and Saviour along with River, a cover of Rancid’s Fall Back Down, and new song Romance Is…, the latter two of which were not a part of The Listening. A solo acoustic tour of six major cities in late July and August will come after Lights participates in four Lilith Fair dates in July. Lights will also be appearing on the MTV show “The City” on June 29th, a show which stars Whitney Port, Roxy Olin, Olivia Palermo and Erin Kaplan.
Lights (real name Valerie Poxleitner) discussed The Listening with Beatweek in an October interview.
Iyaz reveals release date, title for debut album
Four months after releasing his “Replay” debut single, rising pop star Iyaz has finally set a date for releasing his debut album. The full length record will see the light of day on June 8th according to his people, and it’s also been revealed that the album will share the same “Replay” title as the single; it had previously reported that the album would be entitled “My Life.”
While fans will have to wait another month and a half to get their hands on the album, in the mean time they will get to hear him perform with Charice on her song “Pyramid” on the Oprah show on May 7th.
Iyaz, the British Virgin Islands native and current resident of Florida, is signed to J.R. Rotem’s Beluga Heights label. Beatweek interviewed his fellow Beluga Heights labelmate Jason Derulo earlier this year.
Ed Kowalczyk to tour Europe
Ed Kowalczyk, former lead singer of LIVE, has announced tour dates throughout Europe in May, including Germany, Holland, and Belgium. The European dates are sandwiched by stateside appearances in April in Milwaukee and in in June in Colorado. The shows are listed as being with a “full rock band” although after the events of recent months, that “rock band” will certainly not consist of any members of LIVE, the other three of whom have moved on to work with members of Candlebox on a project called The Gracious Few.
Learn more about Ed Kowalczyk’s summer tour dates at EdKowalczyk.com.
review: iSkin Solo and Solo FX
March 12, 2010 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
Easy to attach and remove, the Solo plants itself in the upper crust of one-piece rubber iPhone cases by covering the iPhone’s volume and top buttons in such a way that you can still use them, rather than leaving them exposed as some of the more budget-oriented cases on the market do. But beyond the small raised “iSkin” logo on the back, there’s very little about the Solo that makes it seem like it’s an iSkin case, save for the pair of contoured cutaways that run up the bottom half of the case’s back.
The Solo FX, on the other hand, offers a stylistic flair for three dollars more by making the case translucent and including a series of circles on the back which give the case some life, but it’s still nothing to write home about stylistically.
What ultimately makes the Solo and Solo FX recommendable, then, is the fact that they’re protective (the aforementioned button coverage), easy to use (the aforementioned ease of removal), and the fact that screen film comes bundled with the product. Fans of iSkin’s usual flair for striking design will be disappointed here, but those users looking for solid protection and ease of use won’t go wrong – unless they consider its price tag too high for such a simple case, as the seemingly inflated $29/32 price did nearly cost the Solo a half star.
Learn more about the iSkin Solo and Solo FX for iPhone 3G and 3GS at iSkin.com
