Re-protecting the iPhone - Updated
iPhone protection has become an ongoing issue for me. I thought I had everything settled when I got the Zagg screen protector and back protector installed on my iPhone 3G at an official Zagg company store, but it appears that that was not the case. After a couple of months of usage, the back protector started to permanently store a large amount of lint, dust, etc... and a corner started to peel up and the front screen protector got a scratch on it. I though they were "Scratch-Proof"? Apparently not.
Disappointed, I tore them off at work one day while vowing to find a better solution. I started looking at Apple's online store and found some great reviews on things, but wasn't initially wowed.
I started searching YouTube for case reviews and stumbled on to this one about the SwitchEasy CapsuleRebel. It looked pretty awesome, so I ordered two: one for me and one for the wife, who is getting an iPhone in just under two weeks. I ordered them on Friday and received them on Monday and immediately opened and installed mine. It looked great at first but then I noticed that there was a sort of manufacturing defect that caused the bottom left-hand corner to sag and expose a fair bit of chrome. Since the case is meant to cover the chrome entirely (and it does all but in that one spot) it looks pretty terrible and was quite disappointing to see. I tried out the wife's, which fit fine, but since it's a totally different color I have no interest in it. Turns out she doesn't want hers as I told her that when I took mine off if felt like I had to stretch it like crazy and was scared that hers might get screwed up if she took it off for cleaning. I packed them both up and wrote SwitchEasy asking for a refund. I haven't heard back yet.
Foregoing our usual nap, I spent a few hours starting at square one and searching for cases again online. I wound up at Apple's online store again and sorted by the most highly rated products. I read about the Incase Slider. It's the highest rated case for the iPhone 3G on Apple's store, even if it only has 18 reviews. I went down to the Apple Store in the Brea Mall (where a lady dropped her baby's bottle and spilled milk all over the floor) and picked one up, along with some screen protectors. The protectors didn't fit with the case (it pushed up two spots on the bottom), even after removing and re-applying the screen protector a number of times. I just took it off and will be taking it back to the Apple Store soon.
I'm pretty happy with the Incase Slider so far. It's a really tight fit and the bottom part that comes off for docking is pretty difficult to remove. This could be a good or a bad thing, but it's great so far. I don't have a dock (yet) so I have no plans to ever take it off. It's on there very well and can't imagine that dropping it would cause it to come off under any circumstance. It may be a negative once I finally cough up the dough for an iPhone 3G dock. I imagine that it will get a bit easier to remove it with use, but hopefully not too much.
My iPhone 3G is now screen protector-free and I'm pretty confident that I'm not missing out on any protection. I have to remind myself that the screen is made out of glass. Yes, glass. Wikipedia even describes it as "scratch-resistant." When was the last time you scratched glass? How about scratch-resistant glass? Small rocks flying at your car around 70MPH on the freeway have a hard time marking windshield glass and so I think my iPhone will be just fine in my pocket. In fact, PCWorld did an awesome torture test that included scratching keys right on the iPhone 3Gs screen, but they weren't able to scratch it. If they weren't able to scratch it intentionally with a number of keys and other things that might be in a packed pocket, I'm sure it will do just fine in the empty pocket that I keep mine in.
The iPhone 3G may not look as sexy as it did when I had my InvisibleSHIELD installed from Zagg, but then I think back and wonder... how sexy is an iPhone with a clear backing that's peeling away, trapping lint that I can't remove, and a front screen protector with a scratch on it? Not very. The Incase Slider looks pretty good and is super slim, so I'm happy. I've had it for less than a day and since I didn't go into the office today it didn't get a pocket lint test. We'll see how it does through the weekend and I'll have a pretty good idea about whether I love it or not by then. I think it has great potential so far and will share my opinions on it sometime next week.
UPDATE 11/12/08 - 4:36AM: SwitchEasy has since sent me an email apologizing because I was not happy with the product and included instructions for sending back the cases and receiving a refund. Cool!
Disappointed, I tore them off at work one day while vowing to find a better solution. I started looking at Apple's online store and found some great reviews on things, but wasn't initially wowed.
I started searching YouTube for case reviews and stumbled on to this one about the SwitchEasy CapsuleRebel. It looked pretty awesome, so I ordered two: one for me and one for the wife, who is getting an iPhone in just under two weeks. I ordered them on Friday and received them on Monday and immediately opened and installed mine. It looked great at first but then I noticed that there was a sort of manufacturing defect that caused the bottom left-hand corner to sag and expose a fair bit of chrome. Since the case is meant to cover the chrome entirely (and it does all but in that one spot) it looks pretty terrible and was quite disappointing to see. I tried out the wife's, which fit fine, but since it's a totally different color I have no interest in it. Turns out she doesn't want hers as I told her that when I took mine off if felt like I had to stretch it like crazy and was scared that hers might get screwed up if she took it off for cleaning. I packed them both up and wrote SwitchEasy asking for a refund. I haven't heard back yet.
Foregoing our usual nap, I spent a few hours starting at square one and searching for cases again online. I wound up at Apple's online store again and sorted by the most highly rated products. I read about the Incase Slider. It's the highest rated case for the iPhone 3G on Apple's store, even if it only has 18 reviews. I went down to the Apple Store in the Brea Mall (where a lady dropped her baby's bottle and spilled milk all over the floor) and picked one up, along with some screen protectors. The protectors didn't fit with the case (it pushed up two spots on the bottom), even after removing and re-applying the screen protector a number of times. I just took it off and will be taking it back to the Apple Store soon.
I'm pretty happy with the Incase Slider so far. It's a really tight fit and the bottom part that comes off for docking is pretty difficult to remove. This could be a good or a bad thing, but it's great so far. I don't have a dock (yet) so I have no plans to ever take it off. It's on there very well and can't imagine that dropping it would cause it to come off under any circumstance. It may be a negative once I finally cough up the dough for an iPhone 3G dock. I imagine that it will get a bit easier to remove it with use, but hopefully not too much.
My iPhone 3G is now screen protector-free and I'm pretty confident that I'm not missing out on any protection. I have to remind myself that the screen is made out of glass. Yes, glass. Wikipedia even describes it as "scratch-resistant." When was the last time you scratched glass? How about scratch-resistant glass? Small rocks flying at your car around 70MPH on the freeway have a hard time marking windshield glass and so I think my iPhone will be just fine in my pocket. In fact, PCWorld did an awesome torture test that included scratching keys right on the iPhone 3Gs screen, but they weren't able to scratch it. If they weren't able to scratch it intentionally with a number of keys and other things that might be in a packed pocket, I'm sure it will do just fine in the empty pocket that I keep mine in.
The iPhone 3G may not look as sexy as it did when I had my InvisibleSHIELD installed from Zagg, but then I think back and wonder... how sexy is an iPhone with a clear backing that's peeling away, trapping lint that I can't remove, and a front screen protector with a scratch on it? Not very. The Incase Slider looks pretty good and is super slim, so I'm happy. I've had it for less than a day and since I didn't go into the office today it didn't get a pocket lint test. We'll see how it does through the weekend and I'll have a pretty good idea about whether I love it or not by then. I think it has great potential so far and will share my opinions on it sometime next week.
UPDATE 11/12/08 - 4:36AM: SwitchEasy has since sent me an email apologizing because I was not happy with the product and included instructions for sending back the cases and receiving a refund. Cool!
Comments
what-a-small world.