Reviews by The Church of Apple

Tag: 4

  • Uncommon iPod touch 4 Custom Capsule Case Review

    The Uncommon Case is a customizable case where you can add your own image to a case for the iPod touch. The image goes on the back of the case and is a great conversation piece especially when you have a picture of your dog on it or a picture of your kids. What the case looks like is all up to you. The case is available from Uncommon for $34.95. Let’s see if this very personalized case is for you.

    Form

    The form of this case is very interesting. The design of the case is not made by the company. With this case, it is made by you. You make the design, whether it be an image of your pets, family, your favorite whatever, it’s all up to you. I personally put a picture of my dog on the case. You can choose whatever you want. In terms of quality, the case is made of a durable material. You drop the case, the iPod touch will probably not be damaged. The case has a hole for the camera and has a protector on the wake/sleep button on top and the volume buttons on the side. The case color can be just about any color you can come up with. I put my dogs picture with a black background which I think is the best way to go since it makes the picture stand out but it is all up to you. You can also put a caption on the image if you want and in any font. The case is slim and light, it adds almost no profile to the iPod yet still keeping it protected. This case is the most customized case I have seen and thus the best in form.

    Function

    The case does protect the device well. There is a side bumper should it fall face down onto the ground. This will prevent the screen from breaking. The ports are protected well and I appreciate that all the ports are easily accessible. The power button is hard to press but it does seem to get easier the more you use it. The case has a camera hole so the camera doesn’t get blocked. The case is easy to take off as well. The case will not take the contents of your pocket with it when you take the iPod touch out of your pocket. The case is really more of a “Form” case since the impressive feature is the customizing of the case. It’s a normal case but, with your own image on it, it’s not. It’s your own customized case and I know that a lot of people, including yourself, would like. In addition to the case, a big part of the experience is the creation of the case. The designing of the case is a multi-part but simple process. All you do is add images, resize it the way you want it, add a caption, choose the color of the case, save and you are done. The process is almost fun, designing your case and seeing what different cases you can make. You can even save multiple designed cases, choose the best one and then buy that one. The customization of this case and it’s thin profile made me replace my OtterBox iPod touch case with this one.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Personalized to your liking
    -Protects the iPod touch well
    -Slim profile
    -Access to all ports
    -Easy to design cases on the Uncommon website
    -Easy to take off the case (not that you would want to)

    Cons

    -Difficult to press the unlock/lock button on top at first

    Ways to improve

    The only way to improve that I could see is to get rid of the piece that covers the unlock/lock button. It would make it easy to press the button.

    This case is a great case. One of the best I have reviewed because of it’s customizability, slim profile and easy process to customize the case. This case easily earns a 5 star review from me.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

    Images Courtesy: Uncommon

  • Switcheasy Pelle case

       The Switcheasy Pelle case is an iPad 2/3 case that is available directly from Switcheasy for $59.99 direct from the manufacturer. The case is made out of very durable material and has a slide lock for the stand, which in myopinion is a good idea and I’ll explain in a bit. Again, switch easy made the same color error they made with the exec case. As you all know, my name is Joe and I am a guy. They sent me a blueish green case with little “diamonds” on it. Unless I want to have “bling” on my iPad case, this isn’t exactly my choice but I’ll tell you why it might be your choice, that is if they send you a color you like.

    Form:

    The design of the case is simplistic yet elegant. The case features a bifold Polyurethane Faux Leather front cover and a tough polycarbonate backing. The front cover of the case comes in five colors, two with the “bling”, three without. It has pink and blue-green with sparkles, and red, blue and black without them. The backing is set to whatever front color you get. There is a light brown that goes with the pink, blue-green and red cases. There is a light blue backing for the blue case and a black backing for the black case. The little diamonds are located on a metal “lock” that locks and unlocks the bifold. The lock is used so that if you want to use the stand, you can pull out the bifold and use the stand and if not, you can lock it in so it isn’t slinging about, which is a really nice form and function of the case.  The material of the case is very soft to the hand and is not sharp. Despite it’s slim and lightweight form factor, the case provides very good protection from wear and tear and three story falls alike. All the ports are adequately protected and I like the quilt-like hole pattern they use to cover the speaker. I have found that the quality of the speaker is not reduced by the protection so that is nice (the iPad speaker is already not good as it is, we don’t need something completely blocking out the sound).  The stitching that went into the case is solid and there are no loose strings. I think the case definitely aces the “form” section of the review, but of course the real question is “Is it sufficient?”

    Function:

    In short, the answer to that question is mostly yes. The case does very well at doing what it is made to do. It protects the iPad should it fall out of your hands. It has the auto lock/unlock feature that just about every iPad 2/3 case has and while in itself isn’t a thing that will give it a higher prestige than other cases, it is one of those things that if it didn’t have it, it would be a big negative. I am a fan of the lock and unlock of the bifold since when I am not using the stand on the case, I don’t want something dangling down and annoying my hand or flopping around, so it is an appreciated feature. Again, as I mentioned the case does have good protection of the ports. There are a few things I am not pleased with, however. The case lacks protection for the screen when it is open. Therefore, should you drop the iPad while the front cover is open and it lands on the screen face down, the case will provide no protection should it fall face down. Another thing, as with the previous Switcheasy case I reviewed, the exec, the case has the annoying port protectors that aren’t attached nor can be stored in a pouch. The protectors would have worked if they pulled a Ottorbox case idea where the protectors are part of the case. They do provide purpose in everyday use but they are weakly implemented and need to be improved. On a brighter note, the stand on the Pelle is better than the one on the exec case. It was a bit difficult to figure out but once I did, it provided a much better stand than the exec did, the entire iPad is still protected and it provides a better, more ergonomically correct angle. This one isn’t too high and isn’t too low. It also provides an adequate upright stand which the exec didn’t provide as well as the Pelle did. In all, the case does what it’s supposed to do, protect.

    Conclusion:

    Pros:

    -Provides adequate protection

    -Made out of strong material

    -Auto lock/unlock feature

    -Lock and unlock bifold minimize “dangling”

    -Adequate stand both landscaper and portrait

    Cons:

    -When the front cover is open, the screen of the iPad is completely unprotected. This is my biggest issue.

    -Port protectors not integrated with the case and can easily be lost

     

    As you can see there are a lot more Pros in this case than Cons. The one thing this case does best is provide protection but one thing it does worst at is provide protection (when the front cover is open). The case is very protective and grips the iPad in a death grip, so there is no possibility of it falling out. As a lot of iOS screens are getting damaged these days, it is important for cases to provide protection on the front of it and this case does not do so. However, I will say this. I have not seen a lot of iPads with broken screens but a lot of iPhones and iPods with broken screens. iPads tend not to get screens broken but it is possible. Despite the fact that the front isn’t covered at all when the front cover is open, it is still a really good case. It provides adequate protection when closed (when most falls happen) and provides an adequate stand, something the exec case lacked. The areas around the ports are protected by the case efficiently and that is part of the reason why I see no point in the port protectors. The case has its pros and cons and despite one major con, the major pros block it out mostly and give the case a 4 star rating.

     

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Switcheasy exec iPad case

    The Switcheasy exec case is an iPad case that is available from Switcheasy for $59.99 directly from the store. The case is available in 5 colors, black, orange, blue, green or pink. The case is made out of very durable materialand offers a stand and protectors for the different ports (we will discuss these in a minute). The case they sent me was pink (not entirely sure why, my name is Joe, how much more obvious could it get?) so I won’t be using it but I’m going to explain why it might be for you, just make sure you get it in the right color.

     

    Form:

    The exec case is made out of very durable polycarbonate and PU material. It is some of the strongest case material on the market making this one very protective case. The case comes in 5 stunning colors (even the pink looks good), black, orange, blue, green, or pink, my favorite being the black one since it matches well with a white iPad. Speaking of iPad, it fits the iPad 2 and the new iPad perfectly, using a very durable snap frame to lock into place. In fact, it grips it so tight, there is a certain way you have to put it on or it won’t even go on. The way to put it on is simple but it definitely is comforting to know this case is as attached to the iPad as an alcoholic is to his bottle. The stand is set up to where the front cover have groves in it, the one side of the iPad comes out and goes into the groves as a stand. It works well as a stand to make the iPad tall, but isn’t very ergonomically correct to type on. The texture on the case is very smooth and is “kind” to the touch. Again, it is very durable and does not bend but yet the case adds little weight. It does add a bit of thickness to it but that’s a tradeoff for one really protective case, perhaps one of the most protective on the market. The form of this case is perfect and should not be changed one bit (with the exception of the stand, I’ll discuss this in a moment). The case is attractive and appeals to the eye while still being made out of the materials to protect it from the worst of falls.

    Function:

    As made apparent in the previous paragraph, this case is very protective. It will protect it against falls that most cases would give little protection to. This is the main purpose of the case and it it exceeds it well. Also, as with most iPad cases these days, the case has the auto wake feature which in itself doesn’t make a case better than others but a lack of it certainly makes it worse, so I’m glad this case has it. All the ports and buttons are easily accessible, something that is a little harder to find in cases. However, despite it serving it’s main purposes, the case does has it’s flaws. For one, the port protectors are useful, but only if the iPad will sit and collect dust. The protectors are not attached to the case and that’s a huge flaw because you only have two sets of these things, once you lose them (which is very easy to do since there is no pouch or anywhere to put it), they’re gone and if you want them back you need to buy more. This, in my opinion, was a big flaw. The protectors, in order to prove useful, should have been attached to the case, just are the protectors are for the Otterbox cases. The protectors on those is probably what the company was striving for but missed it. In fact, I’d rather them not give them to you at all. Also, another thing was the stand. While it was a positive in my view that it had one, the case has a flawed stand. To put the iPad in a typing position, it could be done, very easily too,  but it was a little low for me. I would have preferred it a bit higher, and this isn’t such a big deal as compared to the “stand tall” stand. In order to have a tall iPad, you will need to take out half the iPad to put into a grove on the front cover of the case. There are a few issues with this. One, you need a flat surface because the front cover needs to be flat. Two, half the iPad is uncovered, should it fall while “standing” you might be in trouble, especially on high surfaces. Three, I found it a bit difficult to get the iPad out of the side to put it into a grove. While this isn’t necessarily a problem with me, people with weak hands won’t be able to get it out to make a stand. I feel that the stand is poorly implemented and needs improvement. I feel that if I were Switcheasy, I would make the front cover go into a slit in the back and make a stand out of that. Of course, I am not reviewing a stand, I’m reviewing a case, and as a case it does very well. However, because the case comes with a stand, it would not be fair not to include it.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Very protective

    -Auto-on function

    -Comes in great colors

    -Made out of smooth-to-the-touch, protective material

    Cons

    -Doesn’t need the I/O protectors

    -Poor stand

     

    As you can see the pros outweigh the cons and the case performs its main function of protecting the case but unfortunately doesn’t provide a sufficient stand. Therefore, if you don’t mind it having a not-so-good stand, then this case is perfect for you. If you want a stand, I would look somewhere else but I wouldn’t look far, this company has other great cases that may be for you, I have a few other cases from this company I think you’d really enjoy. As a stand-alone stand, it clearly earns a 5/5 but as a case with a stand I would give it a 4/5 with the power of the protection of the case saving it from a 3.5. I feel I should rate everything that it comes with so, with that,  the score is a 4/5.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe