Engadget reader Martin Schrotz is a man after our own hearts. He's taken the editors' choice for
best smartphone of 2009 and tricked it out with a handsome new back cover made out of titanium. Not sufficiently pleased with the plastic casing provided by Apple, Martin opened up his favorite CAD program and refashioned his phone into the much hardier and indubitably more awesome machine you see before you. The new backing is built out of a titanium alloy that allows RF waves through and therefore requires no plastic parts to let the wireless communications flow. Check out the gallery for more before hitting the link below to bug Martin to provide you with a video or a price estimate.
Update: We now have exclusive video of the device as well, so head on
over here to see it making a call.
posted February 24th 2010 6:23AM
I'm not a fan of the iPhone.. In fact i hate it.. :P
But this looks nice.. :D
@snkaniff mee too. Obviously the maker has better design choice than Apple's
@blackactor
Shows how much you know. iPhone OS has supported 802.1x since OS 2.0. We're up to 3.1.3, but of course, you already knew that.
@snkaniff
This is a pretty cool mod. I have to say though as a 3gs owner (I'm typing this on it right now) it's a good phone but it is not deserving of the phone of the year title.
@AltairDusk
I still think it is the best phone out there right now. Although I don't think it will last as king once all these new android phones hit.
I use my IPhone everyday and use my computer a lot less. It has truly changed the landscape of smartphone use. It is an amazing, device albeit with a few flaws. To not recognize this is a display of ignorance.
@AltairDusk
I don't like the iPhone because I didn't like the way it felt when I first held it. Didn't feel very comfortable to hold.. :P
OS is a completely different issue. Not too comfortable with that either. And i'm a hardcore techie.. :D
@blackactor
ugh...no, you don't need anything. 802.1x authentication is there (at least on 3.1)
@Rodz
802.1x using a username/password can be done on the iPhone itself, but if you want to use certificates you need to do it using the desktop utility.
@69camaroSS agreed.
@mikes63737
And in what corporate rollout where they need certificates wouldn't they be imaging the phones themselves (with the cert) anyway?
The entire point is moot.
iPhonesuxxx
WinMoRulez!!!!!
@arei
It is? Then why do certificates work on a NON-IMAGED palm, windows mobile, blackberry, or symbian device without the use of a desktop app? iSuck just can't do alot of things, Apple dictates the rules.
@arei
this back paired with a mirrored protective screen cover would be pure win.
@snkaniff
Gizmodo says this is a fake.
@Reisa
Gizmodo's call on this is fake (at least they've now corrected their wrong call).
@AltairDusk
which phone is more deserving and why?
@Canucker
Heh heh ... well, they ALMOST admitted it.
@mikmik111 No way ! Come on the apple's choice is way better then the titanium cover , it's smooth and has 2 colors way better
@AltairDusk I knowww! iPhone 3GS is the best phone available now all over the world ! But it doesn't get the best phone ! People are obviously more into blackberries because of the BB service ! But iphon is way better I can think of a hundred reasons why !
Hopefully the boys at Apple can see this. This redesign looks great, except for the huge Apple logo of course.
Either way, I'd shit my pants with joy if this actually became a reality come next iPhone update
@Vintagecondom The HTC Legend already does metal unibody, so Apple does need to up the game.
@YpoCaramel
Ι only hope they won't make it with chromium...
@Vintagecondom
Don't worry. Apple will usurp the patent real quick, but with a much cheaper metal. After all, they don't want to charge up the wazoo on their stylish products.
Heh...
@YpoCaramel The first iPhone looks great! I liked the plastic at first too, however it's just getting old now. An iPhone with a new aluminum type of material would be awesome.
Truthfully though, my vote is anything but chrome
@yode
Apple's invested a ton of hours I'm sure for their phone casing. I'd be surprised if it was plastic again. Interested to see if they'll retake the lead for hardware quality or if HTC and the like will be equal.
@Vintagecondom
All I'm hoping for is for Apple to make a carbon fiber iPhone. That would be the shizznit.
@Vintagecondom I dunno, this seems like it would a a disaster for all the radio signals...
@Mach
i dunno, maybe you didn't actually read the article???
Looks gorgeous! It does look a little thicker though, and I assume it's not going to fit into a dock, or many car cradles. I suppose with the CNC skills he has though, he can easily fashion his own.
@ChimeraX
Not sure about that. I have a slim case that adds a little extra bulk and amazingly it still fits in my dock
@ChimeraX It's fake! Get your facts straight guys!
@choufleur47 Get our facts straight? Look at the time-stamps, that story wasn't posted when we had commented, so sorry for not being 1337 and late to the party ;)
Haha.. they too the iPad style and applied it to the iPhone..
Guess you could call it an.... iPhone...
See what I did there?
@geekthree took*
is titanium relatively cheap? If so why hasn't apple thought of this. Remember the TiBook?
@yode
because it aint.
@yode Titanium is by no means "cheap". I suppose if you're comparing it to the precious metals it could qualify as cheap.
Either way apple's ID team should hire this guy. That thing looks bad ass.
@yode Ti is expensive and hard. That's what would make it the worst and best idea to case a phone in. I wish I had a titanium phone - I'd never have to worry about it.
This looks great, and adds great functionality. The best apple-mod I've seen.
That's awesome! He could make some cash off that thing.
I'm shocked he didn't post this as leaked shots of the "new" Apple iPhone!
I wonder what the weight difference is between the mod and the real
This looks better than the actual stock Iphone! :O
I foresee a side job in the near future for this dude.
@barkerja If he can afford to have that single prototype manufactured, I'm guessing he doesn't need a side job.
Now there is a good reason to buy an iPhone! No more self cracking plastic for no damn reason and it can be used as external heatsink.
@KGB titanium is very strong and durable but yet it's very brittle at least if you drop a plastic one on hard flooring abs plastic can absorb some kind of shock. Where Ti will break garaunteed it's properties are similar to tungsten carbide which in fact is 10 times stronger than Ti.
@Drlau9
Ti can stand up to a simple drop to a floor many times over. Plastic on the other hand.. cant.
@Drlau9
bullshit. titanium is one of the most flexible metals on earth. ask the frame of my glasses.
@fokka
Pure titanium metal can exist as a dark gray, shiny metal or as a dark gray powder. It has a melting point of 1,677°C (3,051°F) and a boiling point of 3,277°C (5,931°F). Its density is 4.6 grams per cubic centimeter. Titanium metal is brittle when cold and can break apart easily at room temperature. At higher temperatures, it becomes malleable and ductile. Malleable means capable of being hammered into thin sheets. Ductile means capable of being drawn into thin wires.
Titanium has an interesting physical property. Small amounts of oxygen or nitrogen, make it much stronger.
Read more: http://www.chemistryexplained.com/elements/T-Z/Titanium.html
@Please forgive me pure titanium is brittle however thats why we have alloys. it's like iron and steel.