iSkin Aura Cases for iPhone 5 - Review

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

This is the best looking case I have ever seen.  The brushed aluminum on the back, with the machined aluminum outline, is eye-catching and unique.  A trim piece around the outside that matches the colored aluminum back is a nice touch.  The general design of this case fits into the “slim” category: the sides hug the case while leaving the top and bottom open.  I couldn’t wait to get it out of the box and on my iPhone 5.

RESILIENT

The phone fits extremely well into this case; a lip on the sides come just slightly around the face to hold it in place.  The sides of the case come just around each corner to provide protection and additional fit.  The open ends provide no interference with your media connections making this case ideal if you like to use docking peripherals, or if you own the Lightning adapter.

The aforementioned trim piece on the left and right edge is actually rubberized and slightly protruding from the edge.  This makes for an excellent grip and feel.  There is a small opening for the toggle switch which required the use of my fingernail to get at it.  This is typical of cases like this, and I personally don’t think it is big deal.

I admit that when I first saw this I was concerned that the aluminum back pieces would end up nicked and scarred from regular use.  Impressively, after several weeks of use and one unintentional drop, the case looks almost brand new with no scoring on the aluminum.

For you camera-philes out there I noticed iSkin’s website statement about the opening around the camera having “anti-glare ring” for flash photography.  I had chalked this up to finish, so I decided to give it a try by shooting a photo without (left) and with (right) the case.  I did notice that without the case the photo looked a little more washed-out.  This is an unscientific attempt from an amateur, but I would say their claim holds up.

Picture taken with no case on iPhone

Picture taken with iSkin Aura on iPhone

Only one minor thing with the case, and it is by no means a deal-breaker.  The volume buttons are integrated with the rubberized trim, but I don’t think they make solid contact with the buttons on the phone; when you press them you have to use an unusual amount of pressure for them to react.  Using the edge of your finger, rather than the flat of your fingerprint, makes this easier.  Upon inspection there are little round protrusions on the underside of the buttons.  These probably could have been a little bigger, or made out of something more rigid to get better responsiveness.

BOTTOM LINE

This is one of many cases that iSkin sells.  With this one you can’t go wrong.  It has to be one of the best looking cases on the market without sacrificing functionality.  I have never had anyone grab my phone away from me to check out the case until I put this one on, and I have two friends who bought them the next day.  Do yourself a favor: go to iSkin.com and pick one.

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Zero Chroma VarioProtect 5 - Review

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Out of the box this case looks great.  There are subtle ridges on each side to conform to left- or right-handed gripping, and in the design these indentations stop short of the face for a seamless look from the front.  A nickel-sized indentation on the back in the middle seems to be for index finger placement.  The case gets thicker at the bottom to accommodate the stand rather than making the whole thing the same thickness.  The stand collapses flush and is visually unobtrusive.

FORM

Someone knew what they were doing when they designed for grip.  The 4 indentations on each side fit comfortably no matter how you hold your phone.  The indent in the back was well positioned as a natural place to fit your index finger when talking on the phone.  This case covers the volume and power buttons to cover phone almost completely.  The only side openings in the case are at the mute toggle switch, one for each speaker (the left one shares the headphone jack), and one for the Lightning adapter port.  Overall, this case fits well and feels good in your hand.

THE STAND

This is one of the coolest and well-designed features of any case I have ever owned.  The stand rotates 360 degrees and has 11 different “locking” positions for angle adjustment.  The latter provides the ability to view the phone from any position on nearly any surface at just the right angle.  As one would expect, when the phone is in the “vertical/upright” position it can get a little tippy so you can’t use all 11 positions.  Since this is really designed for viewing in the widescreen position that isn’t critical.  Just a great stand.

THE (FATAL) FLAWS

Unfortunately, there are two flaws that made me give up on this case after a few days.  The less serious of the two is the sensitivity of the lock button.  It seemed like every time I picked up the case it would lock the screen.  I tend to grab my phone the long way, and if I applied even the smallest amount of pressure it would close up on me.  This was especially annoying when watching a movie as it stops playback.

What ended my love-affair with this case was the serious design flaw with the Lightning connector; the case opening is not wide enough to fit 30-pin-Lightning adapter.  I use my old 30-pins extensively and move my adapter as necessary.  This includes my USB connections in the car and my charger at work.  The only way to use the adapter is to remove the phone from the case.  This should never have to happen, and it is disappointing that after all the thought that seemed to go into designing the case this little detail was over-looked.

BOTTOM LINE

If you are an Apple product user who only owns or uses the Lightning cable made for the iPhone 5/iPad mini then get this case.  If you use the Lightning adapter this case is to be avoided.  No case should have to be removed as a part of normal use.  Add to that the lock button sensitivity and you have a case that falls short.  After experiencing all the positives this case has to offer I could not have been more disappointed.

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LifeProof Case gets an upgrade for iPhone5

Once again we call upon our man Drew to give us his perspective from the demanding world of the construction trades.  Want to kill a phone fast, work with concrete all day.  Dust, water and dropping your device off of the scaffolding to a cement floor; that's about as bad as it gets.  Here are his thoughts... 

I am in the cement industry, I am very rough on my phones and this one holds up to everything. I drop it all the time and nothing ever happens; maybe a little dent on the case but the phone is always good. I have dropped it in snow, water (completely submersed in water and sprayed under the faucet), dirt, wet mud and cement. I have gotten cement and concrete dust on it and it always just rinses off with water at the sink and dried with a towel, which is my favorite thing about it.  I love this case for someone that beats up his phone, is clumsy or has a child that wants to play with it and try to eat it and drool all over your phone.

Compared to the iPhone 4 model, it seems more durable and a  slimmer design.  I like that the screw in plug for earphones was more integrated into the design, so it doesn't look so weird and bulky now. It's a slick design.   I like that now there is a cut out around the back for the apple to show, I know it's not functional but it adds a nice touch. The sound and mic are great with no muffling and is loud.  The glass over the camera never is spotty or blurry, you can't even tell there is a screen over it protecting it. 

The belt clip I use all the time.  It bevels away from the screen when locked in so the screen never touches or gets scratched.  It can be plugged in and the camera is accessible when clipped in.   You can clip it face in or out and has two different size clips for different size belts. I had the iPhone4 clip as well and it always broke, this one is not the same.

If I have to find a flaw, it is that the screen is easily scratchable.  Just wiping off mud causes little scratches on the screen protector.  All in all this is the best case I have found.  Trust me, if I can't ruin this thing, I'm pretty sure  no one can.

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LifeProof Case - Review

While wondering the halls of the Outdoor Retailer show some months ago, I ran into a display that was nothing short of amazing.  A guy had a brand new iPhone 4 in a slick little black case and he was absolutely abusing it.  Dunking it in water, whacking it with a hammer, dropping it on the floor and covering it in super fine sand, any of which would have rendered a naked phone immediately worthless.  The banner behind him read LifeProof, and that is exactly what this case is.

Now, I was a little skeptical when I got one of these things in my hand.  It didn't seem like it was beefy enough to do all the things it claimed it could do.  It's no thicker than a normal case, unlike the chunky Otter Box case that has been the standard in rugged iPhone protection.  The screen cover seemed uber-thin; and how was water not going to get through the slot over the speaker???

Once I watched the "Installation Video", put the case on and played with it for a few minutes, I was ready to put it through the paces.  I reluctantly went to the driveway and dropped it from about shoulder height to the concrete, no problem, whew.  Next, off to the shower to see how it handles a little water, note that I wasn't ready to submerge this thing just yet.   Not a problem...  So the next big test was to bring this thing with to the BWCA for a few days in the woods.    I walked around with my phone in my pocket the whole time, went for a swim, not a problem at all, but that isn't what impressed me.  What did is this little story.

Dinner time by the campfire, sun was down and it was dark, I mean "can"t see your feet" dark.  I am sitting on a log cutting my steak (yeah we eat pretty well up there).  I had several pieces cut up so as I usually do I went to stab my knife in the log next to me and when I jammed it down I didn't hit wood.  I knew immediately what I had done, I just stabbed my razor sharp camp knife into the face of my iPhone, the screen was going to be toast for sure, right.  To my utter amazement the case saved it.  Not only did it save it but the knife only dented the case, it is STILL waterproof and works as well as the day it came out of the box.  

All in all, I am amazed by this case.  If you play outside and have an iPhone 4, this will be the best $79.99 you've ever spent!

Here is one of LifeProof's videos of the case underwater snorkeling...   Thought it was pretty cool.

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