ID America Skyline

ID America is a company with a few unique designs for the iPhone 4/4S.  I've reviewed their Dry Ice case and today i'm going to be showing you guys the Skyline case which is their rigid flex case made of TPU.  Will this be a cheap throw on case to satisfy most of your needs?  Read on to find out! 

The first thing you'll notice is that the case is very flexible but it's not so soft that it will attract pocket lint.  On that note, I do have to say that the holes in the back of the case will allow lint to enter the case and pile up on the back of your device.  I knew this would happen and i'm not too sure I can handle it with my OCD ways.   

The fitment of the case is perfect and the cutouts are precise.  The sleep/wake button is covered but the volume buttons and silent switch are one large opening.  The 30 pin dock connector and speaker/microphone are also one large cutout.  The headphone cutout is a moderate size and shouldn't pose many issues.  The cutout for the camera is large but is relatively close to the flash which showed some flashback problems.

I like this case but a downfall as discussed earlier is the holes in the back allowing lint/dust/grime to enter between the case and the phone potentially scratching your phone.  In the packaging, you will get screen shields for the front and back and that should be enough to  keep your device safe.  Assuming a worst case, lint/dust/grime could enter the holes in the back and make its way to the metallic bezel and scuff it if you don't remove the case every once in awhile to clean it out.

In my opinion, this case is priced a little high at $24.95 in comparison to its counterpart, the Dry Ice ($19.99) which is a hard polycarbonate snap on case.  The Skyline is available in White, Black and Pink and is available on their website.  Bottom line is that I simply cannot recommend this case due to its steep price for what you are getting.  At $15, I would recommend throwing on both screen shields along with the case for a daily “beater” case but $24.95 is too rich for my taste considering the package as a whole.

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K-array Ecodock

The K-array Ecodock is a small speaker amplifier made of plexiglass.  The dock is constructed with multiple pieces of plexiglass which are screwed together that amplify the stock iPhone 4 speakers.  The Ecodock has claimed it can amplify the sound by 10dB.  By design, it uses the natural laws of physics and the principle of the horn loudspeaker to distribute acoustic energy over a wide air surface.   

In my testing, it does seem that it will amplify the speakers by a significant amount but I was not 100% impressed by this piece.  It almost amplifies the speakers “too much” (including highs) and the sound is not really enjoyable.  My other complaint is the method by which you “dock” your iPhone.  To use the Ecodock, you set your phone into the shallow cavity that's cut into the dock, but from my testing, this is not sturdy whatsoever.  When installed, you can immediately see the phone is not securely seated and it appears the phone will fall over.  I was nervous my phone was going to fall and shatter.  Due to this docking method and the not-so-impressive sound amplification, I cannot recommend the K-array Ecodock.  It retails for $19.95.

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RearthUSA Ringke Steel Bumper for iPhone 4/4S

There are a lot of companies making bumper cases of all different types but RearthUSA has something a little different to offer; a product they call the Ringke Steel Bumper.  This is the first one of this type that i've seen and I will go into a little more detail later. 

The Ringke is a bumper case composed of 3 separate pieces.  You will first take the silicone bumper and fit it around the edge of your phone, next, take the top stainless steel frame and fit it on top of the silicone bumper, lastly, you will take the bottom stainless steel frame and fit it onto the silicone bumper and ensuring the 2 hooks lock into the 2 holes that are in the top frame piece.  It will take some pressure to compress the silicone bumper enough to get the hooks to lock in place, but this will ensure a nice, solid and tight fit to the case.  

With the case installed, the phone does not feel overly bulky and is surprisingly slim (adding 1.3mm to the thickness).  There are 2 separate versions of this case; one that is specific to the iPhone 4 and one specific to the iPhone 4S.  The case extends onto the screen and back glass providing lay on the table design with no worries of scratching your screen.  The case features a cutout for the silent switch, silicone buttons to cover the volume buttons, a smaller cutout for the headphone jack and secondary mic, a silcone covering for the sleep/wake button and 3 separate cutouts for the 30 pin dock connector/mic/and speaker on the bottom of the iPhone.  The cutout for the 30 pin dock connector is relatively small and I believe some aftermarket connectors would cause you problems.  With that being said, the case is pretty slim so you may be able to compress the silicone enough to make aftermarket connectors work.  The headphone jack on the other hand, will give those of you with large headphones (with the large plug) issues as you won't be able to get it to fit without an adapter.   

I was impressed by the unique style of this case and I'd definitely recommend it.  With the case, they also provide front and back screen shields, a squeege card, microfiber cloth, a lanyard and an installation tool that will help get the silicone to lay flat on the screen with the frame installed.  The case as you see here runs $29.99 and is available in 10 different colors.  RearthUSA also offers (as options) audio caps and dock caps for $1.99 and $2.99 respectively. 

 

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Switcheasy iPhone 4/4S Case Preview

I was lucky enough to work with Switcheasy and was sent a whole bunch of their cases to feature for all of you readers.  I will be doing separate reviews for each, make sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks!  I will have reviews for the following Switcheasy cases:
Capsule Rebel, Capsule Rebel X, Odyssey, Eclipse, Melt, Colors, Card and lastly the Plank case.  Take a look at some of their unique products!  

ProClip In-Vehicle Device Mount

How often have you had your phone in your pocket and had to fumble around with it to answer a call while driving?  How often have you wished you had some kind of mount for your phone while you're using it to navigate to a foreign destination?  Well, I have a product for review that may fulfill your requests.  It's the In-Vehicle Device Mount by ProClip.   

ProClip makes device mounts for almost every auto maker and for almost every device you need to mount for easy accessibility.  The mounting system is a two piece system which involves a mout that is custom made for your vehicle and a holder that's made specifically for the device you want to mount.   

I drive a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado and the mounting piece fits perfectly into the dashboard seams as you can see.  Once the mount is installed into the truck, you take the 4 included self tapping screws and screw the holder into the mount.  It's as simple as that to assemble the mounting system.  The holder has screws to adjust the width of the holder arms which creates a custom fitment for your device depending upon which case you use and it's size.  I opted for the holder with a charging pass through so that I can utilize the mount by itself, or plug in my charger to the holder cradle when it needs to be charged.   

The system is on the pricier side but the kit as a whole is high quality and fits well.  I'd recommend their products as I could not find any cons in my testing.  Check out www.proclipusa.com

The mounting system for my truck ran $29.99 for the mount and $79.99 for the holder with pass through connector.

myCharge Portable Power Bank 6000

For those people who are always short on battery life throughout the day but dislike using battery cases on their device, the best option is a portable battery pack.  I have a really great battery pack for review by a company called myCharge.  They offer many portable battery packs in varying sizes but the one I have had a chance to use is the Portable Power Bank 6000.  

This battery packs a TON of punch with 6,000mAh of power!  The battery itself is very lightweight and very small for what it is.  The pack has a nice, soft touch finish to the large surfaces and a brushed finish plastic band.  There are a few controls that run along the band which include an On/Off switch, a charging input port, indicator lights, and button that displays the charge level and a plain USB port which you can use to plug in any device that you might have which charges via USB.  What I really like about this battery pack is that there are 3 built in charging connectors.  These are connected to the pack and flip out to charge your device.  The 3 connectors that are built in are; a 30 pin connector for apple products such as an iPod, iPhone, etc and on the other end of the pack are a micro USB and mini USB.  

Like I mentioned, this battery pack contains 6,000 mAh which gives you up to 24 more hours of talk time, 34 more hours of WiFi, 34 more hours of video and 137 hours of music!  The apple connector output is 5VDC @ 2.1A and the mini/micro USB output is 5VDC @ 1A.  The USB output port is 5VDC @ 1A and the input is 5VDC @ 500mA - 1.8A.  

I really, really like this unit and I would recommend it to anyone.  The build quality and battery power is remarkable.  This unit sells for $99.99 but there are smaller batteries (3000, 2000 & 1500) also available for less than $99.99 if you don't quite need all 6,000mAh.  

Xtrucase Slider & Duo Slider

Today I have a review for you guys from a company called Xtrucase.  I'm going to be reviewing both the Slider case (Black) and the Duo Slider case (White).  The market for aluminum cases is rapidly growing and there are a lot of choices out there.  What makes this one different than the others?  More on that later.  

Both of these cases are based on the same concept which is a 2 piece slider design made of Swiss aircraft grade aluminum with an anodized finish.  The back "ring" slides off of the case which allows you to drop your phone into the case.  When you have your phone installed in the bumper, you slide the "ring" into the case until the locking mechanism clicks into place, locking everything together.  This is different than most of the aluminum cases that require screws and a screwdriver to install.  

The Slider case is Xtrucase's entry level case where the Duo is their high end model.  The Duo Slider case has an even higher level of detail, more beveled lips and edges including a UV hard coating on the new pearl white version (which looks amazing by the way).  It has more material machined out of it making it lighter and more appealing.  

The fitment of both cases is absolutely perfect and the 2 pieces fit together seamlessly.  The cutout for the headphone jack and secondary mic is very generously sized which should accommodate most headphones.  The Duo Slider has a metallic button for the sleep/wake button whereas the original Slider has a cutout for it.  Both versions contain an oversized cutout for the volume buttons and vibrate switch so the cases will work with all versions of the iPhone 4. The original slider case has 3 cutouts on the bottom for the speaker, microphone and 30 pin connector.  The Duo Slider has one large cutout to encompass all of these openings.  The right side of the original slider contains a single cutout for the sim card where the Duo Slider contains 3 cutouts similar to the Vapor Pro case.  

I've been told that Xtrucase is working on additional attachments for these cases that will take the place of the sliding frame piece such as kickstands, belt clips, extended batteries, back plates etc.  These options will allow the user to customize the case to his/her lifestyle, something that I haven't seen before in these types of aluminum cases. 

Each case comes with front and back screen shields which are not affected (bubbled) with the case installed.  The cases don't add a lot of bulk and feel great in hand.  The Duo Slider feels a lot more sleek than the original Slider. 

I am highly recommending the aluminum cases by Xtrucase.  They are competitively priced at $49.99 for the Slider and $65 for the Duo Slider which are available in 15 different colors.  I have a promo code for you readers!  Use "MyiTechGadgets" to receive 20% off your order. 

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