Griffin's antenna-stub sporting ClearBoost case for the iPhone just hit the streets, and opinions are already pouring in. The case involves the antenna, a bumper and a screen protector, and while the resulting combination is not much for loooks, iLounge found it to improve performance in certain situations. Apparently in very low coverage areas the ClearBoost isn't much help, but in wonky two or three bar situations ClearBoost added one or two bars. Sounds like a win to us, but you're going to have to have some serious need of signal to sacrifice iPhone aesthetics this totally.
[Via
iLounge]
I booster
It looks like a [insert noun here]!
you guys report on cases now? i see..
i like ur avatar..
silicone. cases, that is. mmhmm
I don't think we'll ever see Zed with a low rank...
I wish my avatar had boobs.
I have yet to find an iPhone case that isn't ugly as dirt.. :/
put a "as seen on tv" logo on it and it block those harmful radiation too.
"Sounds like a win to us, but you're going to have to have some serious need of signal to sacrifice iPhone aesthetics this totally."
It is good to grammar. I often.
dump?
ewe wyn
hmm that was to Avedis. i see the reply is still broken-ass?
I dunno the iSkin Revo is pretty nice :)
well,they have those completely clear cases for the iphone don't they?like they do with the classics?Those dont look too bad.
Sigh... supposed to be to giantenemycrab. Reply is broken.
I think "this totally" means "this much", in which case that sentence is fine.
Dammit, that was at Avedis.
It looks like a walkie-talkie now......
new iphone coming out soon anyways.
not often i see "ugly-ass" in my rss feed....
Agent18 makes a very nice case for the iPhone.
Is it just me, for is that case giving the finger in a legit way...
i think it looks fine - i have the seidio case - and it looks similar - except with the stub at the top
A cell phone is useless if it cannot get a tower, I'd trade looks for a better signal any day. Aesthetics are meaning less if it has no function.
Why am I getting these Apple news in my non-Apple rss feeds? I wanted gadget news without the endless Apple tidbits, and so I changed my feeds to non-Apple ones. But apparently Engadget insists on informing us every time Jobs wipes his a$$.
ooooh. i don't know! who am i?
A bird?
A plane?
What?
iPhone Clearboost antenna
looks like an upside down popsicle
case?
and a note from xkcd...
"Griffin's ugly ass-clear boost iPhone antenna booster hits the scene"
I don't think we'll ever see Zed with a low rank...
Reply is broken. I'll just start the trend and [-1] myself right now.
For both posts.
Yea, that'll never work. Please be serious.
http://www.andybrain.com/extras/cellphone-antenna-booster-sticker-review-and-test.htm
Yea, not happenin.
http://iPhoneLEGO.com/
Am I the only one who doesn't think this looks that bad? I mean, it's not great, but then I can't imagine an addon that wouldn't make the iPhone look clunky.
Is it giving me the finger?
I always have 5 bars on my iPhone, so I don't see the point of this, actually.
Like [nearly] all cases, this one looks like it will invalidate every dock you own.
The only attractive and dock-friendly case (insert #10) I've found is the Cozip. Sure, it's only minimally "protective", but if reducing the likelihood of dropping the phone is protective [it is], then it's also "protective".
I use a molded case by Incase. Rather than using the dock I just plug the charge cable directly into the phone. I prefer to have good protection rather than the ability to use the dock. Of course one could always remove the case while charging but it just seems easier to me to not use the dock.
reminds me of those "signal booster sticker" scam (the sticker that sells for 10 bucks that scientifically tested will not boost signal strength)
Another one of those?
looks like bunny ears for your iphone.
It's not a scam. I put 5 of those stickers on my cellphone and now I have to pay international roaming charges each time I make a call.
I think he's a tit! I just can't decide which one I prefer of the two though.
At least this could help those actors figure out which way to hold it!
I don't think you know the way Engadget works. If they post the story saying Device X is ugly, the next 50 posts talk about how ugly it is. If the story says Device X is sexy, the next 50 posts are "me want"'s.
me want
Me rikey!
hahaha, oh the engadget humor.
looks like the default engadget avatar
I think I found your Motorcycle, I mean, Chopper.
Look people. I don't care how much you try, you will never get more signal from a piece of plastic.
This thing is placebo in it's purest form. Note the lack of electrical connection to the external
antenna port. Hope that people don't fall into this trap.
With all due respect, Rod, you are mistaken.
First, that is not an external antenna port. That is the camera lens. iPhones do not have antenna ports, thus the induction-coupled antenna booster.
Second, Griffin has been the most solid innovator of excellent Apple product solutions. For instance, way back when, their adapters allowing people to use VGA monitors with their Macs, or various other monitors such as sync-on-green, etc. They pioneered the iPod accessory market, creating the iTrip for the first generation iPod that amazingly transmitted the headphone jack over FM. Why is this so special? Note that there was NO power supply, and NO data connection. How did it get power? It was able to transform the audio signal to get enough power. Very clever. Further to that, you could change the frequency it transmitted on by playing a special "song" for any frequency. The iTrip understood the modem-like sound, and re-tuned as directed. Genius.
All I have to say is that Griffin has been amazing me for years, and I have *never* seen a product of theirs under-perform expectations.
I'd suggest that those interested buy in confidence. If you need to really boost your signal, such as at home or work where you have very low signal strength, I'd suggest the zBoost YX510 from Wi-Ex. This thing rocks.