A common complaint about the iPhone is that it has no physical buttons for playback control; you're forced to use the phone's touchscreen, which presents challenges when carrying the iPhone in a bag or pocket. Another complaint is that the iPhone's recessed headphone jack prevents you from using many third-party headphones that offer better performance than the stock earbuds.
Apple provides a workaround for the first issue via the special earbuds included with the iPhone: the right-hand cable provides a small, inline module that includes a microphone and a control module. Squeeze the module once to pause or resume iPod playback, or to answer or end a call; squeeze it twice in succession to skip to the next track. The functionality is limited--you can't skip back, skim, or perform any other action, but it's a welcome way to get at least some degree of playback and call control.
Third-party vendors have provided workarounds for the second issue through small adapters that let you connect other headphones to the iPhone's headphone jack. (We've reviewed two, and we have a few more to cover.) Unfortunately, when you use most third-party headphones, you lose the stock earbuds' control module and microphone. Shure makes an adapter that includes such functionality, but it's $40 and somewhat bulky.
For those who want better audio quality without losing the additional features of Apple's earbuds, an appealing alternative is provided by Ultimate Buds. The company takes a set of quality in-ear-canal headphones--either the Etymotics ER-6i (MSRP $149) or the Future Sonics/XtremeMac FS1 (MSRP $150)--and a set of Apple's iPhone earbuds, and then performs electronics surgery, grafting the iPhone-headset's cable and controller onto the in-ear-canal headphones. The result is the Ultimate Buds UB7 (pictured above) or UB7EB, each $150 (at the time of this writing, the UB7EB is on sale for $120). You get the sound quality and noise isolation of the ER-6i (UB7) or FS1 (UB7EB) with the playback-control and phone-making convenience of Apple's own iPhone earbuds. (Ultimate Buds will instead modify your favorite set of headphones for $40; we didn't test this service.)
Continue reading "Review: Ultimate Buds UB7 and UB7EB"
Every time I listen to something on my iPhone, I have to decide whether to use Apple's stock headphones (which include a microphone and track controls but make music almost inaudible when I'm walking down the street or on the train) or my fancy, custom-molded ear pieces (which seal out background noise and sound great, but don't give me any control over the iPhone -- and require an adapter to even work with the iPhone's recessed jack to boot).
So I was excited to see that Fastmac today announced its Universal Headphone Adapter for the iPhone. The adapter lets you use any 3.5 mm headphones, and comes in three models: an in-line audio adapter with flexible cable & gold plated connector port ($5); one that adds a shirt clip, built-in microphone and a music playback and phone control button ($10); and finally one that adds to that an adjustable volume slider and noise suppression microphone ($20).
Now I'm not sure how the volume slider will work (can you even control the volume through the headphone port?), but that top-of-the-line adapter is half the price of Shure's $40 Music Phone Adapter, so I'm definitely going to give it a try.
Look, yes, the iPhone is kind of a fingerprint magnet. It attracts smudges the way Black Friday sales attract insanity. And the brilliant folks at Phone Fingers saw this as an opportunity—nay, a duty. A way to prevent people from desecrating their holy iPhones with their greasy, oily fingers. For just $10, you can buy a set of 25 phone fingers, latex sheathes that cover your thumb and forefinger (or, presumably, any other finger you choose to use your iPhone with). They claim that the iPhone's touchscreen works perfectly with the Phone Fingers; we claim that you will look really stupid wearing them. Which is true? Both, neither? You decide.
Before you go out and spend you $10 on disassembled latex gloves, or even shell out the $3 for the five-piece "try before you buy" set (wait...isn't that still buying?), I feel obliged to let you know that the fine minds here at iPhone Central have come up with our own competing revolutionary way of removing fingerprints and smudges from your iPhone. It's an innovative cleaning fabric which, with one simple swipe, will clean your iPhone from top to bottom. Better yet, it comes in an almost infinite number of colors and designs. And, just for kicks, we've also designed it so it'll keep your torso warm, while enabling you to use your arms and head. We call it the shirt. Available now at reasonable prices from fine retailers the world over.
Contour Design's Showcase cases for the iPod have earned positive reviews from us, thanks to designs that provide good protection without obscuring the iPod's own attractive surfaces--hence the name Showcase. The company recently released its $35 Showcase for iPhone, and it's a worthy addition to the Showcase line.
Like previous Showcase cases, the Showcase for iPhone is a clear-plastic shell with a thin layer of black-rubber around the edges for added shock protection. To put the case on your iPhone, you flip open a back panel, slide the phone into the base of the case, and then snap the back panel closed. (I wonder how the back panel's plastic hinge will hold up over time, although it showed no signs of wear after my testing.) The iPhone fits perfectly inside the Showcase--as well as any case I've tested--and the case adds less bulk than I expected. On the other hand, the case isn't the easiest to remove; you need to release a small latch that's so well-contoured (no pun intended) that it's difficult to grasp.
The case's clear design lets you see nearly the entire back of your iPod through the plastic. (Four tiny, rubber nubs on the back of the case prevent the back plastic from getting scratched when you put the case down.) The case leaves the iPhone's screen accessible, and also provides openings for the iPhone's Home button, earpiece, motion and light sensors, camera lens, volume buttons, Ring/Silent switch, headphone jack, Sleep/Wake button, dock-connector port, and speaker/microphone area. This sounds like a lot of unprotected area, but each opening is tailored perfectly, and the thickness of the case means that, apart from the screen, the exposed areas are recessed enough to offer protection against bumps and scratches. The only drawbacks to this design are that you'll need to remove your iPhone from the case (or use something like SendStation's Dock Extender) to use dock-cradle accessories, and I found it difficult to flip the Ring/Silent switch from Silent to Ring mode; the switch is too close to the edge of the case when at the Silent position.
The Showcase includes a sturdy but slightly bulky--at least compared to the case itself--plastic belt holster. Your Showcase-encased iPhone clips into the holster easily; openings on the bottom of the holster mean that the iPhone's volume buttons and Ring/Silent switch are always accessible. You can place your iPhone in the holster at any orientation; placing it with the screen facing out lets you access the screen without removing it from the holster, whereas placing it with the screen facing in fully protects the screen. The non-removable, spring-loaded belt clip rotates 360 degrees with locking positions every 30 degrees.
My only other complaint about the Showcase is the lack of screen protection if you don't use the included holster. (Power Support's Crystal Film Set works well with the Showcase if this is a concern.) Still, this is one of the best iPhone cases I've yet tested, and one that I've found myself reaching for frequently when I want protection for my own iPhone.
Incipio's Orion ($20) is your basic sleeve/pouch case, designed to keep your iPhone safe in transit, but to be removed when you use the iPhone. The Orion is made from a leather-like material stitched together on three sides to form a pocket with an open top, and it includes a soft, micro-suede liner on the interior. There's no additional padding, though the case is reasonably thick. It's available in any of eight colors--white, green, pink, brown (Zune envy?), burnt orange, blue, black, and camouflage--so you should be able to find one that matches your personal preferences.
The Orion also features Incipio's unique EasyReach system, which makes getting your iPhone out of the tight-fitting case quite simple. EasyReach is a strap that's secured to the inside bottom-front of the case but lays against the inside back of the case. When you push your iPhone down into the Orion, the phone pushes down on the EasyReach strap, pulling it into the case, where it winds up nearly flush with the case's top edge. When it's time to take the iPhone out, a quick pull on the strap pulls the phone out about an inch, from which point it's quite easy to pull out with your fingers. (There's a cutout in the back of the case, so you can easily grab the strap. In the photo at left, you can see the top of the strap extending beyond the case.) If you receive a call when the phone is in the case, the EasyReach strap makes it simple to get to the phone quickly. Apple's Leather Case for iPods offers a similar pull-strap system, but costs $99, thanks to real leather and an internal support structure to strengthen the case.
About the only issue I had with this case is that it definitely affects the volume of the iPhone's ring. If you've chosen a quieter ring, and/or you keep your volume low, you may find that the case makes it difficult to hear when your phone rings--there's no cutout for the speaker, and the case and liner do a fairly effective job of muffling the iPhone's sound.
If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive carrying case that offers good protection for your iPhone's screen and other scratchable parts, the Orion is worth a look.
Incipio's Silicrylic ($30) is a combination silicone and acrylic case that provides protection for everything other than the screen of your iPhone. Putting the case on is a two-step process; you first slide the iPhone into the silicone case, and then slip the now-encased phone into the acrylic surround. The silicone case, which has cutouts for the iPHone's dock-connector port, mute switch, and camera, adds a protective layer of padding and helps secure the iPhone tightly in place inside the acrylic. Four color combinations are available: berry red or light pink silicone with clear acrylic, and mercury or black silicone with smoke acrylic.
The acrylic case surrounds the iPhone on the sides and back, with cutouts for the dock-connector port, Ring/Silent switch, volume buttons, Sleep button, and headphone jack. (The Sleep and Volume buttons are covered by molded sections of the silicone case that allow you to press the buttons through the case.) The headphone jack works fine with Apple's stock headphones, but the silicone case interfered with the connector on a set of Bose headphones that I tried. The back of the acrylic case contains four small holes, through which small "nubs" from the silicone case protrude--these four feet mean your iPhone no longer goes sliding across any smooth surface you may set it on. There's also a larger, thumb-size hole in the middle of the back of the acrylic case. There weren't any instructions included with this case, so at first I was a bit stumped as to its purpose. However, the first time I went to place my iPhone in a dock cradle--which requires removing it from the case--the purpose of the hole became apparent: you remove the iPhone from the acrylic case by pressing your thumb or finger against the silicone case through this hole. The iPhone then pops out of the acrylic, and it's then an easy matter to slide the iPhone out of the silicone case.
I didn't have any typing issues near the edges of the screen as I did with the PDO's Reviso case. That's mainly because the acrylic shell doesn't wrap around the front of the iPhone, and the silicone case isn't very thick. The only real problem I had was with the Ring/Silent switch: it's easy enough to flick down (to silent mode), but the combined acrylic and silicone cases made it difficult for my "fingernail challenged" fingers to flick the switch back to ring mode. My only other complaint with this case is that it offers no screen protection at all, but it's not designed to be worn on your belt. So if you toss your phone in a pocket, the screen is just as exposed as if you had no case on the iPhone at all. On the other hand, if you were to drop your iPhone (though I didn't test this!), the combination of the acrylic and silicone cases seems like it would help cushion the fall--as long as it didn't land on its screen on a sharp object, of course.
Overall, I found this to be a good case. I liked the non-skid feet, and the fact that there's not a lot of added bulk, even with two cases on the iPhone. I could still easily slip the iPhone into my pocket (my preferred carrying method), and I had no issues with slippage of the iPhone within the case.
The PDO Reviso ($30) is a black leather "use in place" iPhone case that includes a clear plastic screen protector. While it's design is 99% black leather, one thing that differentiates it from the competition is the "dual racing stripe" that runs down the back of the case--available in your choice of red, white, or blue. On the same we received, the stripes are definitely eye-grabbers, though they aren't perfectly parallel. Some may see this as a flaw, while others may see it as a sign of a genuine hand-crafted product. To me, though, the racing stripes look just a bit cheesy. The case has a solid feel to it, and it completely encloses most of your iPhone--there's a small slit at the bottom for the dock-connector port and microphone/speaker, but the sides are completely enclosed (including the bottom corners) up to the level of the volume control. From there on, the case is open on the sides and top.
The other things you'll find on the back of the case are a small hole for the camera and a permanently-attached belt clip. I don't like to wear my phone on my belt (might as well wear a sign saying "mug me!," I figure), so I would have preferred a removable clip. Still, it's not overly bulky even if you slip the case into your pocket. The only problem I had with the design of the back is that the camera hole is only a bit larger than the camera lens, and I occasionally found found that the case had moved enough to partially obscure the camera.
Putting the case itself on the iPhone is generally simple, even though there were no instructions included--only the parts and a cardboard insert with a small picture of the iPhone on it.) Just slide the phone in, and then pull a strap over the top to secure it. The strap closes with Velcro, not a snap as on some other cases. Over time, this may lead to difficulties closing the latch if lint builds up on the Velcro, but I had no issues during my testing.
The plastic screen protector, on the other hand, was tricker to install. The protector itself has two protective films on it--one on the front and one on the back. One film is labeled "(1) Please peel off this mask BEFORE application" and the other is labeled "(2) Please peel off this mask AFTER application." Using my advanced logic capabilities, I quickly deduced that the side labeled "(1)" must be the side that faces the iPhone's screen, otherwise removing the "(2)" cover was going to be quite difficult. Still, a "this side down" tag would have made things a bit clearer.
The film cover is relatively stiff, so it was fairly easy to position it properly on the iPhone. You'll want to make sure your screen is completely clean, however; there were a couple of small specks of dust on mine, and both turned into small bubbles that resisted all attempts at smoothing with a credit card. The film has a slightly tacky, but not adhesive-like, surface, and I was able to peel it up and remove the foreign objects; you'll want to be careful, though, not to get fingerprints on the film if you do this--they'll be very visible.
The film doesn't interfere with the iPhone's touch-sensitive screen in any way; I had no troubles typing, scrolling, or tapping. If you decide you don't want the film, it's easy to remove--just slide a credit card or other object under the edge near the iPhone's Home button, and the film lifts right off.
I only had one real issue using the case--tapping items that appear close to the edge of the screen, such as the Q, P, Delete, Shift, and Return keys on the keyboard, was somewhat difficult due to the thickness of the case. When I tried to reach one of these edge-located buttons, my thumb would end up touching the case instead of the key. With some practice, I was able to change the angle of my thumb when typing on these edge keys, but it's still not a completely natural motion.
Overall, the Reviso case provides a durable enclosure for the iPhone, and the included screen protector is a nice addition to an already attractively-priced package. The protection comes at a price, of course--your iPhone is now thicker, and that thickness may cause issues with pressing some of the edge-located onscreen buttons. If possible, I would recommend checking out the case in person to see if this will be an issue for you--if you type differently than I, or if you're more agile, perhaps this won't be an issue.
