Qmadix Metalix Case for the iPhone 4/4S

Today i'll be looking at a snap-on-the-back style case from Qmadix called the Metalix. I hadn't heard of this company before so I was anxious to get my hands on one of their cases for review. How does it stack up against the heavy hitters in the case market? Let's find out right now.

The Metalix case is a snap-on-the-back case as mentioned above. Installation was simple and extremely secure. In fact, it fits so tight that removal was quite a challenge which is both good and bad. The build quality of the case is stunning to be honest. The case is constructed of a sturdy polycarbonate with an aluminum insert plate on the back. The edges of the aluminum plate are beveled to produce a nice shiny edge as seen above. Along the back sides of the case, there is a raised dot pattern to enhance grip and it also helps to keep the phone securely planted when it is set down. Like I mentioned before, the quality and look of the case is outstanding and I can't say enough about it actually!

The top and bottom of the case are wide open as would be expected. The left side of the case has a large cutout for the volume buttons and silent switch. The back side of the case has a pill shaped cutout for the camera with a black flash ring to eliminate any camera flashback from the LED flash.

Overall, I love this case and i'm surprised it doesn't appear in all big box stores along side the Incase snap case as it blows that one out of the water. I highly, highly recommend the Metalix case and for $29.99, it is an absolute steal. The case is offered in 5 different colors; black, blue, gray, purple and red.

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Ballistic Lifestyle Smooth Series iPhone 4/4S Case

Today i'll be reviewing the newest case from Ballistic called the Lifestyle Smooth case. I've reviewed their HardCore case before which was quite bulky. This case is a lot more slim, but still offers a nice amount of protection for your iPhone 4/4S.

The first thing that I noticed when installing the case is that it is a lot more rigid than it looks and required a fair amount of force to install and remove from the iPhone. Because of this, it will bubble most if not all screen shields. I don't use a screen shield, so no worries for me. The case extends over the screen with a nice amount of lip to protect your phone when it is dropped and also provides sufficient lay on the table design.

In the packaging, you'll find replacement corner bumpers in different colors (based upon which color your case is). You can see all of the color combinations on the website. The bumper pieces are easily swappable by pushing them through the case from the outside. They are small, soft rubber pieces which brings me to my first complaint about this case. The bumper pieces hold pocket lint like crazy as I found out when I took my phone out of my pocket when I got to work today.

Ballistic did a great job with the cutouts for the controls. The cutout for the headphone jack is very large and will fit almost all headphone plugs. On top of the case, you'll see the on/off switch is covered but unfortunately provides very poor feedback i.e. you have to press very hard to get the switch to activate. Along the bottom of the case, there are 3 separate cutouts for the speaker, microphone and 30 pin dock connector. The 30 pin cutout is very large and shouldn't pose any issues with aftermarket cables. Along the left side there is an oversized cutout for the silent switch which makes the case compatible with all versions of the iPhone 4/4S. The volume buttons are also covered but fortunately these provide great feedback and didn't pose any issues.

Overall, Ballistic did a pretty good job at creating a slim and protective case that you can use on a daily basis versus using a gigantic Otterbox. I've noticed that a LOT of people buy the Otterbox Defender and i'm not so sure why when they can buy a nice slim case like this one. The Ballistic Lifestyle smooth is available in 6 vibrant colors and sells for $29.99.

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Spigen SGP Linear Series Mix & Match

Today i'll be taking a closer look at the Linear Series Mix & Match case for the iPhone 4/4S made by Spigen SGP. They've been making high quality cases for awhile and i've been very excited to get this case to review for you guys.

Spigen SGP recently launched their Mix & Match line of products which allows you to separately purchase the parts of the case to literally Mix & Match any color combo that you so desire. The pieces are very well priced and affordable enough to buy a couple different colors for daily variety.

The Linear Series is comprised of 3 pieces; one top frame, one bottom frame and one back cover. The fitment of them as a whole is outstanding. To install the case, I simply placed the back cover behind the phone and flexed the top frame onto the phone making sure to keep the back cover firmly attached. The last step was to hold the top and back with one hand and use the other hand to snap on the bottom frame which holds the entire assembly together. The installed fit is perfect and it doesn't move around on the phone at all.

The case has a great feel in the users hand as all the edges are rounded and smooth. The one “semi” complaint that I have is that the finish of the case is very slick and can possibly slip out of your hands if you aren't careful. As for the cutouts on the case, the left side features one large cutout for the volume buttons and silent switch, the top has a nice oversized cutout for the headphone jack with a pinhole for the secondary mic paired with a nice oversized and beveled cutout for the on/off button, lastly, the bottom of the case has separate cutouts for the microphone, speaker and 30 pin dock connector. The 30 pin connector cutout is oversized enough to accommodate most cables. The back cover has a pill shaped cutout for the camera with a black flash ring that eliminates any flashback. The SGP logo is small and tastefully located on the lower portion of the plate (their logo is also embossed on the left side of the frame).

Overall, I'm very pleased with the case and I'm highly recommending it. I've used it for a few days and I can't complain about anything except for the slick finish as mentioned above. Spigen SGP has not disappointed in the past and surely doesn't disappoint with this case. The top frame is priced at $6.99, the lower frame is priced at $4.99, and the back cover is priced at $9.99 available in a plethora of colors which SGP claims offers 1,000 different color combinations. Go customize your Linear Series Mix & Match case here.

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Mophie Powerstation PRO

Mophie has been hard at work creating their new line of products that they've branded as PRO models. The powerstation PRO is one of the newest products that they offer and one that i'll have the chance to review for you guys today

The Powerstation PRO is an upgraded version of the popular Powerstation that Mophie has been selling for awhile. It's no secret that Mophie is one of the top players in the portable battery and battery case market; if not THE top player. Does the Powerstation PRO live up to its PRO name? Let's find out right now!

The PRO version offers many upgrades over the standard Powerstation. One of which is the increase in battery capacity; you now get 6,000mAh versus 4,000mAh. Because of the increased battery capacity, you'll see that the Powerstation PRO is noticeably larger than the Powerstation. The battery itself is surrounded by a rigid but rubbery casing that should handle the most brutal of drops on concrete. I would venture to say you could even throw this battery and watch it bounce around with no damage. The charging port and USB port are both covered with the same rubberized material and should keep all grime and elements out from those sensitive areas. One small detail I noticed is that those port covers also have small gaskets to further ensure moisture doesn't enter. The Powerstation PRO is dust and water resistant so you can literally take it anywhere you go (other than underwater). I wouldn't hesitate taking it with me camping or hiking in the dirtiest of conditions. 

The unit as a whole is low key and simple as the battery is gray and the casing is black rubber. The mophie logo appears on top of the battery along with 4 small LED lights below it to indicate how much charge remains. On the left side, you'll find one rubberized button that you need to press in order to turn on the battery which doubled as a status light button to illuminate the LED's showing you the amount of charge left. Other than that, the only other features on the battery are the charging and USB ports on the front.

Mophie has nailed it once again with their Powerstation PRO and I am highly recommending it as I absolutely love this product. The price is significantly higher than the Powerstation but rightfully so due to the increased battery capacity and the ruggedness that is the Powerstation PRO. You can grab this battery for $129.95 at mophie.com

ID America Spark In-Ear Headphones

Today we'll be taking a look at the Spark headphones by ID America. I've reviewed some of their iPhone cases but now I'd like to look at their audio side of the business. The phone cases come with a very cheap pricetag and these are priced at $59.95. Is the product worth its price? Be sure to read on below to find out!

The build quality of the Spark headphones is impressive for the price. The earbuds are constructed of aluminum and resemble a sparkplug. They are extremely lightweight and feel solid in your hand. The splitter and the audio plug are metallic but ID America chose to make the in-line microphone out of plastic. This is one gripe I have about the build quality as this is something that should be metallic and should be upgraded with a 3 button mic instead of the 1 button design.

So you're wondering how they sound? Overall, for the value, i'd say they are okay. I wasn't overly impressed yet I wasn't disappointed. The Spark headphones are bass heavy with a solid but smooth punch. The mids are adequate and are not completely overpowered. The treble is lacking and doesn't present a smooth sound. The extension is mediocre and is apparent in the high registers. Overall though, treble is crisp and the sound isn't too bad.

I've used comparable Klipsch s4's and in my opinion, the Klipsch product takes the edge over these albeit slightly more expensive. For a relatively basic, dynamic and bass heavy headphone, you can't go wrong with the ID America Spark at $59.95. They come in 9 different color combinations and are available via the ID America website.

Jays t-Jays Four in-ear headphones

Today i'll be taking an in depth look into the t-Jays in ear headphones made by a company called Jays. They are a company out of Sweden and offer an extensive line of headphones to suit almost anybody.

In a large market of headphones and in ear headphones, Jays is one of many companies and they are one to take note of. Their name is not too commonly heard but I would like to say that they are ones who create a worthy product.

The t-Jays Four are the product that i've had the opportunity to review. The Four version offers a 3 button remote control on the cord in contract to the t-Jays Three. One thing that I couldn't understand is the reasoning for using standard wiring instead of the flat style (tangle free) wiring that is used on some of their other headphones. That is one thing that these could really benefit from since these were always getting tangled. The t-Jays four wiring is something that I haven't seen before. They make the cord length short (23.5 inches) by default with an additional 27.5 inch “extension” cord if you need the extra length depending upon your intended usage. I found the short default length to be too short for me and I was always using the extension cord which was constantly getting tangled.

The t-Jays have 10mm drivers with a sensitivity of 98dB @ 1kHz, impedance of 16 ohms and a frequency response of 15 Hz – 25,000 Hz. The earbuds are black rubber coated, but I would have liked to see other color offerings, white in particular. These seal the ear canal pretty well and let minimal outside noise in, which I prefer.

The sound signature leans on the bass side and is very warm. I found highs to be lacking with the mids and lows sometimes overpowering. Some users prefer bass heavy listening – these would be the right choice for you.

The t-Jays are available for $129. At this price, I think that they are slightly overpriced as the similar Klipsch s4's are cheaper and sound better in my opinion. Overall, the product is very well built, sound pretty good and come with all the accessories that you would ever need.

Audyssey Audio Dock Air

Audyssey is a Los Angeles based company who designs innovative audio technologies and products. I was fortunate enough to be given the Audio Dock Air for review. At a steep MSRP of $399.99, does the product stand up for itself? Make sure you read on to find out!

In the box, you get the speaker itself, a power brick and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cord. Upon my initial unboxing and removal of the speaker, I noticed that the speaker has some heft to it , as it weighs in at 5 pounds. The speaker itself is 4.7” wide by 8.9” deep by 8.3” tall.

The Audio Dock Air features Apple's proprietary wireless streaming technology called AirPlay. Setting up the wireless connection is straightforward and simple if you follow the included instruction manual. There are a few steps involved that will connect the speaker to your home wireless network and after a few minutes, I was up and running. The one complaint I have about the wireless streaming is that there is a lag. What I mean is that when my iPhone 4S was controlling the speaker, if I changed songs, the speaker wouldn't see the new song for 2-3 seconds, however volume input was reflected almost immediately.

Build quality of the unit is impressive. Like I mentioned above, you will immediately notice the weight of the speaker. It looks and feels high quality and for $399.99, it should be. There are two 0.75” tweeters, two 3” woofers and two 4” passive bass radiators. The two sides of the speaker are separated by a gray plastic trim that ties the design together rather well. The top of the unit features a volume knob and LED indicators for power and wifi connection. One end of the speaker has the pairing button, aux input and power inputs while the other end has a 3.5mm headphone port and a useless IR receiver. I'm not sure why the IR receiver is included on this speaker since it does not have a remote control.

So, how does this baby sound? In short, it's okay. Audyssey claims the speaker will provide rich and balanced sound which I didn't find to be true. In my testing, I didn't find the sound signature to be balanced. At ½ volume on my iPhone, you'll come close to having a balanced sound but as soon as you go beyond ½ volume, the highs drown the bass (almost completely) and the sound signature becomes extremely treble heavy. As you near max volume, I noticed that the sound remains crystal clear and this speaker can really pump out some sound albeit next to zero bass at high volumes. As for the bass that Audyssey brags about, I didn't buy into it and couldn't replicate any sort of impressive bass levels despite the different genres of music I played through it. In fact, I was disappointed as I had read that the Audio Dock Air pumped out some serious bass.

Upon completion of my testing, my opinion of the Audyssey Audio Dock Air is mixed. At half volume, the sound is adequate but I don't think it is enough to justify spending $399.99 of your hard earned money on. At $249.99, I could recommend this product, but I believe it is just too expensive for what you're getting.