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Speck offers ToughSkin case for iPhone 3G
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#2
mbeckman 
- Newbie
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- Group: Members
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 04-September 08
Posted 04 September 2008 - 10:47 PM
As an owner of Speck's excellent 2G toughskin case, I must say that I'm seriously displeased with this one. I just received it and after a day of use I've had nothing but problems. First of all, the case comes with no instructions, but it's not at all intuitive how you're supposed to assemble the thing. There is an essential hard plastic bezel that you have to clip to the front of the iPhone first, but it's packed inside this clear plastic "fake" iphone screen image so it looks like part of the packaging you'd throw away. WIthout that bezel, however, the phone won't stay in the case. I'm an engineer and still had a heck of a time figuring it out.
Second, the skin is much less supple and rubbery-feeling than the old case. It feels like a cheap plastic, and is way more bulky than the 2G skin: about 25% fatter (front to back), even though the 3G phone is not that much thicker. The 3G skin makes the phone much more cumbersome -- where the 2G skin was smooth on the back, letting it slide into my pocket pretty easily, the new skin is all knobby on the back, making it virtually impossible to get into my pocket, due to extreme friction.
But the worst thing is the clip, which is definitely much more flimsy and cheap feeling than the old clip; the plastic is about half the thickness -- and stiffness. The clip has these huge ears sticking out from the face that constantly catch on clothing and stuff when clipped to my belt. I have no idea what their purpose is -- they're completely unnecessary as far as I can tell and I'm going to cut them off. I'm tempted mail them back to Speck's designer in protest.
When you use the clip in easel mode in portrait orientation, it's at a much shallower angle than the 2G version, making the iPhone screen reflect massively, and making the stand too unstable to touch, let alone dial. In landscape orientation with the clip locked open, the design is so sloppy that the phone won't rest level and teeters from end to end.
Perhaps the biggest annoyance of the clip for me is that there is no opening in the end to plug in the charger when you're traveling. Those of us who used the clip as a dashboard hanger found this ability on the 2G case invaluable. Now you have to remove the phone from the clip to charge it, leaving you no way to hang it.
I had been using my 3G phone in the old 2G case -- it fits fine, but the skin covers the face sensor resulting in unreliable handset-to-ear operation. That's why I bought the new case, but none of these design defects are visible in Speck's product photos. They don't even show the clip.
I don't understand this quality drop from Speck at all. What's going on over there?
Second, the skin is much less supple and rubbery-feeling than the old case. It feels like a cheap plastic, and is way more bulky than the 2G skin: about 25% fatter (front to back), even though the 3G phone is not that much thicker. The 3G skin makes the phone much more cumbersome -- where the 2G skin was smooth on the back, letting it slide into my pocket pretty easily, the new skin is all knobby on the back, making it virtually impossible to get into my pocket, due to extreme friction.
But the worst thing is the clip, which is definitely much more flimsy and cheap feeling than the old clip; the plastic is about half the thickness -- and stiffness. The clip has these huge ears sticking out from the face that constantly catch on clothing and stuff when clipped to my belt. I have no idea what their purpose is -- they're completely unnecessary as far as I can tell and I'm going to cut them off. I'm tempted mail them back to Speck's designer in protest.
When you use the clip in easel mode in portrait orientation, it's at a much shallower angle than the 2G version, making the iPhone screen reflect massively, and making the stand too unstable to touch, let alone dial. In landscape orientation with the clip locked open, the design is so sloppy that the phone won't rest level and teeters from end to end.
Perhaps the biggest annoyance of the clip for me is that there is no opening in the end to plug in the charger when you're traveling. Those of us who used the clip as a dashboard hanger found this ability on the 2G case invaluable. Now you have to remove the phone from the clip to charge it, leaving you no way to hang it.
I had been using my 3G phone in the old 2G case -- it fits fine, but the skin covers the face sensor resulting in unreliable handset-to-ear operation. That's why I bought the new case, but none of these design defects are visible in Speck's product photos. They don't even show the clip.
I don't understand this quality drop from Speck at all. What's going on over there?
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