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Review: Griffin Survivor + Catalyst waterproof iPhone 5 case
The Griffin Survivor + Catalyst waterproof case (US$69.99) is said to keep your iPhone dry up to 3 meters deep in water and protect your iPhone from drops from a height of 2 meters or less. On a day-to-day basis I don't use a case for my iPhone. However, there have been plenty of occasions when I've wished I did use one, so as not to worry about protecting and shielding it in certain situations, like when I'm at the beach, hiking or camping etc. Design The Griffin Survivor + Catalyst (GSC) case has TPE shock-absorbing bumpers, a PET-integrated screen cover, a silicone O-ring to seal the case together and keep water out, and a polycarbonate frame. Though light, it feels sturdy -- especially with an iPhone inside it. Two nylon latches lock the case together, there's a charge port door as well as volume control, home button and power button. It also comes with a lanyard to attach to the case. On the back panel of the GSC are two latches that release the back panel from the rest of the case. The silicon O-ring seal wraps around the edges of the back panel. The GSC comes with two large-print A3 pages of instructions and a bright red alert card placed within the case that tells you to follow the instructions precisely or there will be "damage to your device." Function I've never used a waterproof case before, so I read the instructions through very carefully. Griffin tells you to do a test on the case every time you use it to make sure the seal is intact and the case isn't damaged in anyway. This involves checking for damage or dust within the case, its latches and buttons, and assembling it without the iPhone inside and submerging it in water for 30 minutes. If you see water bubbles coming from the case straight away there's a problem with the seal or the case is damaged. If there are no air bubbles and after 30 minutes you remove the case and there's no water present inside, you're good to go at placing your iPhone in the case. Of course once you've inserted your iPhone you need to make sure the seal is flush with the case again and check it all fits snugly together. I did the test and found no air bubbles or signs of water in the case after 30 minutes. So I took the plunge and put my iPhone 5 into the case exactly as prescribed in the instructions. It's always a little frightening to place expensive gear in harms way, but I took a deep breathe (for me and my iPhone) and placed it in my basin of water. I was reluctant to leave the phone submerged for too long, so I gave it 30 seconds, scrolled through the lock screen to the home screen, swiped through a few pages of apps. and pulled it out again. Thankfully, after opening up the GSC I found no water on my iPhone, though I did find the experience a little nerve wracking. I decided to repeat the experiment again, but this time use some tissue paper instead of my iPhone, and leave the case in water for much longer than 30 seconds. Unfortunately, after about 40 minutes I did notice there were some small droplets of water within the case and parts of the tissue paper were damp. I can only assume that this time round I didn't quite get the assembly of the case right. If you're ever in doubt, Griffin has an extensive range of support articles and videos on how to test and look after the GSC Conclusion In terms of protection against the elements and accidental drops, the GSC really stands up and I can't fault it. If my iPhone were to fall in water, it would be protected well on a bad day if not entirely on any other. The case obviously adds some bulk to your iPhone, but I've seen and used bulkier cases. It's not unattractive and Griffin says it will be releasing some more adventurous colors next year. The lanyard attachment is a practical addition, too. Pros Good to excellent protection from drops and the elements, including dust, sand and water. Protects your iPhone in submerged water Good looking and functional for a case of this design Light weight Cons Somewhat laborious process to ensure the case is entirely waterproof There are still times when some water may get through if the case isn't assembled and tested properly. Who's it for? Those who use their iPhone in extreme environments and don't want to worry about damage from the elements.
Meizu tablet case patent application hints at slate plans
Like most other mobile companies out there, it appears Meizu is looking to branch out from cellphones to tablets. It's a little too early to say for sure what the manufacturer's plans are, but a recent patent filing by Jo Young Soo, Meizu's lead designer, with China's SIPO (State Intellectual Property Office) gives a hint that a slate may be in the works. The application isn't for a tablet, per se, but for a protective case that holds a tablet and keyboard. Now, it's quite a leap from case to tablet, but Meizu doesn't seem like the type of company to suddenly jump into the third-party iPad accessory market. Obviously we'll just have to wait and see what happens, but don't be shocked if the Chinese manufacturer hops into the Honeycomb fray soon.
Jeff Bezos drops phone, has eureka moment, patents mini airbags
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos must have time on his hands and butter on his fingers. Why else would he have personally signed this patent application for a horrendously complicated "damage avoidance system?" It involves using a smartphone's inbuilt motion sensors to detect a free-fall calamity, then sending an emergency signal to a separate protective sleeve, which finally "deploys an airbag prior to contact." Heck, if we're going down that road Jeff, why not just stick some mini thrusters on it and make it hover?
Kindle gets waterproof case from M-Edge, begins its life aquatic
Check this slice of molded plastic out. The Guardian case from M-Edge claims to be the world's first waterproof flotation device for the Kindle, allowing users a "hands-free" reading experience whether they're in the bathtub or the pool. Resisting aquatic incursions to a depth of one meter, the Guardian comes with three internal buoyancy chambers, a dual hinge, a four-latch closing system, and flexible button cutouts to keep the keyboard useful. Phew, hell of a wordy spec sheet for something you could fashion out of spare parts in your garage, but if you want it done professionally, the M-Edge option goes on sale today for $79.99. Bargain!
T-Mobile warming up to Nexus One in retail stores, starts offering covers
So far, T-Mobile USA's been supporting the Nexus One at an arm's length -- Google exclusively manages sales, even if you want a new contract -- but the carrier's taking one small step this week toward fully embracing HTC's Snapdragon-powered beast. No, they're not exactly stocking phones in the store, but at least you'll be able to protect your existing investment with a new stock of plastic protective covers that are designed specifically for the phone. It seems kind of odd to think that you'd go to the trouble of ordering the phone through the mail then head into the local T-Mobile shop to accessorize it -- but hey, T-Mobile, don't let us stop you from supporting bad-ass Android gear. Seriously. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Motorola Droid already getting accessorized
If there's one thing that's sure to break a new Droid owner's heart, it's scratching the hell out of it -- or worse yet, dropping it to its untimely death. Wouldn't that be a tragedy? Of course, one quick and dirty way to avoid a lot of that heartache is to equip your phone with a beefy protective case, and from what we're seeing here, it looks like there won't be any problem whatsoever finding such cases on day one of the Droid's availability (whenever that happens to be). What we've got here is a third-party case (excuse us -- "carrying solution") that's popped up over at Best Buy Mobile, though interestingly, the Droid's model number of A855 is being featured far more prominently than the catchy name itself. Given the look of this thing, we think you'll need to have an extreme dedication to preserving your phone's rugged handsomeness to actually equip it, but hey, more power to you -- meanwhile, we'll carry on with letting our phones rustle around with coins, keys, pens, and switchblades in our pockets. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
iPhone accessory mini-review and gallery: Incase Protective Cover
When I purchase just about any electronic gadget these days, I usually factor in the cost of at least a $20-$30 case to buy right along with it. When I went to purchase my 8GB iPhone Friday night, I considered its price to be $630, not $599; there was no way I was walking out of the Apple Store without some way to protect my shiny new gadget, even if I had to get some kind of super-stretchy iPod case to hold me over. Thankfully, my Apple Store was ready to roll with a healthy dose of both in-house and 3rd party accessories, including some from one of my favorite accessory and case manufacturers: Incase (who just recently re-launched their website, finally). With a few different hard rubber and leather case options available, I settled on the $29.95 Incase Protective Cover in black, and here is a mini-review. For those who want the cliff notes: it's a great case that fits the iPhone like a glove, flawlessly providing access to all the phone's controls and ports. I definitely recommend it. Check out our gallery for images of the case in action.To expand a little: this Incase Protective Case is designed really well, and once applied to your phone it hardly shifts in place, despite being slightly flexible, though hardened, rubber. This isn't like the silicon cases from iSkin - it's pretty rigid. One drawback of the case though is the lack of any clear protective cover for the iPhone's display. Considering that PC World has done a pretty good job of exploring how strong, durable and apparently un-scratch-able the iPhone's display is in this video, you might not have to worry about it. Another alternative for protecting your iPhone's display, at least for now, would be to leave on the clear plastic sticker; that's what I did, and my phone touch UI seems to function just fine. If you've already tossed out that sticker, a pack of Crystal Film from Power Support, also available in Apple Stores for $14.95, might do the trick. I picked up a pack of this stuff but I'm honestly wary of using it since I still have the original clear sticker on my iPhone. If anyone tries that film stuff out, please comment with your experience.Getting back to the case though, it also adds a level of grip-ability to the phone's otherwise sleek and possibly too-slick exterior. For anyone concerned about dropping the phone during calls or carrying too many groceries in at once, this case should add all the grip you need. However, one unavoidable drawback to this case - and likely every case made for the iPhone - is that the dock won't be usable without removing the case. Anyone who has used just about any case on their iPod probably won't be surprised by this. You'll either have to deal with removing your Incase Protective Case each time you want to sit your iPhone in its dock, or simply stick with using the cable altogether.Ultimately, I highly recommend the Incase Protective Case. It's another successful effort from an established Apple accessory maker that protects (almost) everything that needs it, while still offering unhindered access to the iPhone's exterior controls and ports. I give the $29.95 cases a 5/5 rating, and you can see more pictures and colors here, as well as the rest of Incase's iPhone lineup here.%Gallery-4455%
