Posts tagged Smrtcase
Accessory Review: SmrtCase for iPhone
May 9th
What’s there to say? I have a phone, I need to protect it. Protect it from what? Scratches? Sure. Drops? Definitely? Dropping it in the toilet? Probably not.
But everyone seems to have different requirements for their phone cases. Some people don’t really care for protection, and use cases merely to adorn the phone. I’m talking about those girls whose phones are blinged beyond recognition; where you doubt whether they understand what a case is for in the first place. And don’t get me started on those multi-coloured silicone cases.
But there is a large group of intelligent people who recognize that, after spending hundreds of dollars on a phone, it is in his or her best interest to keep it clean, scratch-free and working.
The SmrtCase iPhone is one of those cases. While not exactly a beast, its “gimmick” keeps it feeling fresh and useful while maintaining the iPhone’s core attractiveness. The idea behind it comes from the fact that there is a curved back on the iPhone that leaves some space between the phone back and the case. Deciding to design a case to utilize this space seems only natural. Not to mention the fact that some people are less likely to forget their cell phone at home than their wallet. And say you’re going out and don’t have a lot of space; stick your debit card and a $20 in the slot on the back of the phone and you’re good to go.
SmrtCase thought ahead, too. They knew that sliding a card in and out of your iPhone would scratch the screen, so they included a clear, reusable sticker that sticks to the back of your phone, absorbing all those nasty scratches.
But you have to realize that when you buy this case, you’re not getting an Otterbox Defender, or something of its ilk. You’re getting a fairly lightweight polymer shell, that may protect your device from a couple feet, after that, you’re on your own.
I have to say, though, the SmrtCase is a fairly unassuming iPhone case; it almost disappears when you install it. It is barely visible when you look head-on at your device, and adds only a couple millimeters of thickness on the back.
It is disappointing, though, to see that SmrtCase didn’t increase the size of the card holding slot. I could easily stand it being extended another few millimeters, which would make it much easier to install two full-sized cards. As it stands, you’re limited to one thick card and maybe a business card or a folded-up bill.
SmrtCase is not trying to hide the shortcomings of its cases. They acknowledge that they live in a niche market. But I have been using it on a regular basis, and basically love it. It’s just hardy enough to put my mind at ease in case I drop the phone, and understated enough that I don’t feel the extra weight.
To be sure, this won’t replace my Otterbox case for heavy-duty activities where I’d be concerned about exposing my iPhone to the elements, but this case is almost good enough to replace a wallet on those nights when less is more.
For more information, check out SmrtCase.
Highly Recommended.
BlackBerry Accessory Review: SmrtCase Glide for Tour 9630
May 4th
While I’ve never been fond of putting a case on my BlackBerry, I have to admit that I was intrigued when I first saw the SmrtCase Glide. The idea behind the case is much like any other case, where being thin, light, and unobtrusive are key. However, the SmrtCase Glide quite literally has a card up its sleeve because the case allows users to carry with them a credit card, ID card, business cards, and any other cards you can think of.
The SmrtCase Glide does a good job protecting my phone while managing to stay fairly thin and sleek. While SmrtCase claims that the Glide will hold two plastic cards and one ID card I found that even loading up two plastic cards makes retrieving them difficult. One card really offers the best experience as far as sliding the card in and out of the case. They have also been nice enough to include a plastic shield to protect the battery door against the cards sliding in and out. While this may seem unnecessary, I was surprised to see how buggered up the shield was after using the case for a few days.
The case itself is made of semi-flexible plastic and wraps around the back of my Tour. While the case offers good protection of my phone it is a tad bulky, but then again I’m not one to use cases so I’m a harsh critic. The plastic also seems pretty cheap, and I would have loved to see a soft-touch coating on the case. My single biggest beef with the design of the SmrtCase Glide is if I use the card slot for holding any standard-sized card, it covers the camera. The flash remains uncovered but if I want to take a photo with the case on and being used as it is designed to be used, I will at least have to slide the card out partially to clear the camera lens. This seems totally crazy to me but maybe the folks at SmrtCase were banking on people rarely using their cameras. I also had some trouble with the size of the cutout for the microUSB port. It is just a little too small to allow the connector to fully click into the port. I can get my phone to charge, but if I bump anything the cord tends to pop out.
Overall I like the idea of being able to stow away a couple cards in your smartphone’s case. It’s a really nice system when you don’t want to carry your wallet just so you can have your ID and a credit card on you. That said, I still feel like the case could have been planned a little better, including a larger hole for the microUSB and perhaps pushing the card slot lower allowing for use of the camera while holding cards.
Interact With Us