PhantomSkinz Matte Protection for iPhone 4
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The iPhone 4's smooth and shiny glass back looks extremely good but without any fingerprints on it, and as you all know, it's a fingerprint magnet! So what we have here is a matte body protection kit from PhantomSkinz which makes these clear skins as do many other companies out there. With this matte skin not only will it give you that extra scratch protection but it also get rid of those everyday finger prints while adding this matte textured finish to your iPhone 4. Now even when this matte film protects against scratches and finger prints doesn't mean you can eat some oily fries and not have any finger prints show up. The PhantomSkinz require a wet installation which took me only a few minutes to flat out some air bubbles with a plastic card and I was done. It was a very easy installation and I was left with a great looking finish to my iPhone 4's back.
Depending on your choice of protection kit, I also installed the matte side band protection all along and that was a piece of cake as well. I would highly recommend getting the matte version as it helps with finger prints, give you some slight grip with it's grainy texture and it also looks pretty awesome. The film has a perfect cutout for the camera and flash so no need to worry about that. The PhantomSkinz do not come with any application solution, but you only need to dip the films it some water and dish soap and you're ready to apply them, you can also use a spray bottle if you have one around to make it even more easy. The PhantomSkinz are exactly what you would get from other similar known brands out there. The Matte Full Body Kit will run you $24.95 for a back, sides and front protection and $15.95 for just a Matte Back protection.
SwitchEasy Colors for iPhone 4
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SwitchEasy Colors for the iPhone 4 is a very simple silicone case with a unique home button add-on. The first thing you will notice straight away on the Colors case is this very delicious looking home button. It's raised up and colors slightly different from the actually case coloring and it's pretty shiny unlike the matte silicone texture of the case itself. This jelly-like looking home button is very responsive once you press it but it doesn't give you much feedback, however it is still very fun to press! The Colors silicone is very grippy and feels great in the hand, it also seems to be a high quality material. I was surprised to find out that the Colors attracted little to no lint, I would think that the black color will show off lint a little more. The overall fitting is tight and form fitting, but I should note that the sides of the case will eventually begin to expand outwards and that might effect the overall fitness. Currently the Colors case is holding up great and my fingers do not peel off the side rims outward.
The Colors offers great protection but minimal drop protection due to it's non-bulkiness design and pretty thin silicone. With the Colors, SwitchEasy provides you with matching port covers to protects your headphone jack and Dock Connector ports from getting any dust and dirt inside them, as well as water. I find these port protectors to be very useful as they blend in seamlessly with the case. Cutouts for the camera and flash are perfect and wide and so is the cutout for the silent switch. While all the buttons are covered up, they stay very responsive and easy to press. Also, the Colors come with two clear screen protectors which fit perfectly and even have a cutout for the front facing camera. The Colors cases are available in 9 colors and come with X2 clear screen protects, X2 headphone port cover and X2 Dock Connector port cover. Price $14.99.
Update on 2010-08-10 06:15 by Nir Schneider
Note: I have experienced issues while using the camera flash in low light condition with this Lime Colors case which will cause a yellowish glow in your photos due to the light reflecting off the case. This isn't an issue with the Stealth black Colors case. I cannot comment on the rest of the Colors case colors.
Boomwave Strapz Folio for iPad
/The Strapz by Boomwave is a folio style case for the iPad that is made out of leather, although it does not smell like your typical leather, more of a pleather smell. The Starpz has a modern look to it with a pattern of slits on the front flap to show off the color of the inner neoprene sleeve which your iPad slides into. The outside finish of outer leather is smooth while the inside is a rough texture. The iPad slides very easily into the neoprene sleeve, but the neoprene is only on one side while the back is covered by the Strapz rough leather insides. This is a problem because this rough texture could scratch your iPads back side (depending on which side you slide in). Also there is very pminimal padding and protections against shock and even small bumps. The neoprene sleeve should fully surround the iPad from front to back, but this is not the case.
The Strapz leather flaps are pretty thin leaving the back side with very little impact protection because there isn't padding on the back side. The way the Strapz secures the iPad inside is by slipping over the rubber band to close the flaps together and while doing so, your iPad is secured and will not fall out of the neoprene slip pocket. The Boomwave logo is embossed on the front side corner, and it isn't really noticeable which is nice. The Strapz does not offer much protection for your iPad, and I could not recommend it. Strapz is available in blue, green and orange. Price $43.
Gear4 IceBox Edge Case for iPhone 4
/The Case surprised me when i opened it, i really only bought this case to protect my phone on day 1 while i search for 'better' cases. I never had high expectations for it, but was shocked of the standard and quality of the case after using it for only a few hours. Its been going strong and well for the past 2 weeks and im glad to say i have not removed the case from my phone from day 1.
The case is available in a wide range of shops within the UK but we are unsure if these are stoking within the US yet. Retail price: £19.99
