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iTalk ProGel Case HTC One V
by koshkha
~Review it while you can~
Rumour has it that our IT department are about to recall all our HTC One V phones due to a weird intermittent fault which involves the phones sporadically and unpredictably turning themselves off. With that in mind, I realised I'd better review my phone cover before I have to return the phone. Since ... I've had the cover for about 9 months now, I'm pretty sure I can say I've given it a good battering and am qualified to have an opinion on its performance.
The HTC was the first phone I've had which I actually liked enough to feel the urge to buy it presents. Many of my previous phones could happily have leapt off fifth floor balconies and I'd not have cared. A bit like ladies tights where you can guarantee that the more they cost and the finer they are, the more likely they are to ladder, you can be sure that a phone you don't like will be effectively indestructible. Unless of course you drop it down the toilet - but that's another story.
~Dressed for success~
Once I'd realised that I loved my phone I went in search of a cover. It wasn't actually out of any desire to particularly protect the phone or to 'reflect my personality' or anything crazy like that. I just wanted something which would help me to find the damned thing in the bottom of my bag. The HTC One V is a slim, black phone and it's ever so easy to lose it. I wanted something which would make it stand out a bit more amongst all the stuff in my bag and also something which would ensure that if it were sitting on a table with several other similar phones, it would be easy to spot mine.
I went off to look at Amazon and find out what was available. There are just so many options these days. I knew I didn't want a full case which would require me not only to find it before it stopped ringing but also to get the case open and into the right position. For that reason I opted for what I'd call a half-cover - something that covers the back and sides of the phone and doesn't interfere with the screen. Obviously you need to be sure to get one that fits the right model of phone to ensure that it fights snugly and that all the necessary holes are in the right places.
~Bargainousness~
From memory I paid around four pounds including postage and packaging for the the 'Italkonline Super Hydro Gel Butterfly Protective Case for the HTC One V. I'd never heard of Italkonline but they seem to have tens of thousands of listings on Amazon. I figured that for £4 it would be hard to make a significant mistake. Why did I pick the one with the butterflies? Well people keep telling me subconsciously it must have been because I've had thyroid cancer and butterflies are symbolic of the thyroid. I have to say that's total tosh - I just liked the butterflies. Totally conscious, no hidden meanings, just lots of pretty flutterbys.
My first instinct when the phone arrived was that the case looked too small. I really thought it wouldn't fit. Second instinct was "Hey, pretty butterflies". The case is a bit of a squeeze to get onto the phone and you may fear for your fingernails in the process. First time it's very tight but if you take it off a couple of times, it seems to get the hang of things. The very good news about the HTC One V is that there's really very little reason to ever take the case off because the battery is not removable. I've had phones that I've had to repeatedly remove the back in order to take out the battery and force a reset but the battery is not accessible at all. The only time I took the case off was when I needed to remove the sim card a couple of times after my company removed a usage limit which required a reset to activate it.
~Made to Measure~
The case is made to measure for the phone with holes cut into it for the charger, the headset, the camera lens and the microphone. For the button on the top which locks the phone or the large button on the side that changes the volume, you have a small bulge over the buttons and you need to push them through the rubbery material. This isn't as easy as it probably should be and can be a tad annoying.
On to the materials the cover is made from a shock resistant rubbery stuff that the manufactures call
Super Hydro Gel TPU Protective armour. It sounds like something you'd dress a bomb disposal expert in. This is a millimetre or two think and acts to protect the phone from knocks and bumps as well as giving it a slight non-slip surface. I've never dropped this phone which shouldn't surprise anyone as we never do drop things if we've bought them protective covers, do we? I am left wondering what would happen to the screen if I dropped this but I'm not wondering enough to be willing to try it out. The cover does protrude slightly around the rim of the phone so potentially I can imagine it would give a bit or protection if the phone was dropped flat.
I've said already that I bought it because it was pretty and the decoration is rather lovely. The butterflies of various colours and sizes are fluttering across the surface and the design has an almost three dimensional effect due to each butterfly having a shadow. The surface of the case is matte and this matte surface is starting to wear off in places. Particularly around the edges, the matte coating has rubbed off. It doesn't look ugly or dirty but you can tell it's not new and it's seem quite a lot of action.
~Does it meet my needs?~
Because the background is white to grey in colour I do find it a bit easier to find the phone in my bag although I try to always put it in the same place to avoid too much scrabbling around. I have no difficulty to spot my phone when it's hanging out with its HTC One V buddies at work so the case also performs well against that objective.
My husband recently got his first smartphone, another HTC but a smaller type, on a Tesco contract. I wanted to get him a case too and ordered a really cute one with a teddy bear face on it. Yeah, I know, roughty toughty or what? That case was made from brittle plastic and whilst the colours were strong and vibrant and better than this gel material case, his case arrived with a crack in it already. When IT do finally demand the HTC One V back and replace it with something else (rumours say Samsung, who knows?) I will definitely go back to Italkonline and look at their options for a rubbery half-cover for whatever I get.
Value for money is fantastic, the cover does exactly what I want it to do. If they can fix the peeling of the matte surface, they will be no reason to ever consider any other supplier.
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Gadget Giant S2 Flip Case Screen Protector
by jeffjen
Just after Christmas I decided to make the move from a pay as you go mobile to a contract mobile and chose the Samsung Galaxy S2, after seeing it was now offered free from my network provider along with a decent monthly allowance bundle for a fair price.
My last few mobile phones have been Samsung and I have always been happy ... with them and so I felt confident I would be getting a decent phone, but I had also read and heard good things about it too.
When my phone arrived and I unpacked it, I was over the moon with the size. I knew it was a little larger than some smartphones, but hoped it would still be a phone I could hold safely and comfortably in my hand.
I need not have worried however, because although the phone was larger than what I was used to, I was still able to hold it securely enough, but I did still worry about dropping it, especially when bearing in mind how much the phone was worth!
I was also concerned that if I did happen to drop my phone, that the large screen could easily be broken or damaged and decided I should look for some sort of cover for it as soon as possible.
Another concern of mine was when carrying the phone around in my bag, the screen would maybe become scratched or damaged and so I wanted something which would protect the screen whilst in my bag too.
I turned to Amazon and began browsing the vast amount of mobile phone covers available and that is where I found this Black Flip PU Leather Case / Cover / Pouch & LCD Screen Protector at a very low price of just £1.25 plus 99p postage and packing.
I soon decided whilst browsing through the various covers and cases available, that I wanted a leather-type cover which covered my phone completely, but easily flipped open to access the phone.
By selecting this type of cover, all of the phone including the screen would be protected by the case.
I ordered this Black Flip PU Leather Case / Cover / Pouch & LCD Screen Protector with some trepidation as I thought that for a price as low as £1.25 it couldn't be very good. However, there were some decent reviews of it and I figured that if it did turn out to be poor quality or not very good in any way, then I hadn't spent a lot of money.
When my case arrived a few days after ordering, my first impressions were good as I removed it from the packaging. It seemed strong and good quality, far exceeding my expectations if I am honest, as by now I had convinced myself that a rubbish product was going to arrive.
My Samsung Galaxy S2 fitted easily into the case with a secure click as I pressed it into the moulded plastic edging which holds the phone in place. The edging is backed by the sturdy and strong faux leather case and the front part of the case then flips up over the screen of the phone and a magnetic tab at the top snaps down over the top of the phone to hold it shut.
The cover is perfect for the Galaxy S2 and the side buttons, camera lens etc are all visible and aligned perfectly with the spaces cut out from the case for them. The only part that isn't is the where you plug in the charger at the bottom of the phone, therefore you have to have the case open to charge your phone, but this is not a problem at all for me personally.
The magnetic tab doesn't get in the way at all when you are using the phone either to make or receive a call or when using it for any other function.
The case also came with a protective cover for your screen but I decided not to use this. I am happy enough with the case giving me the protection I require for my phone.
Overall, this is an excellent case for the money and I am very happy with it. After 3 months of use, it shows no sign of wear and tear and protects my phone perfectly. The price on Amazon for this case is now £3.25 but with free delivery. A little more than I paid in total for mine, but still a bargain which I am more than happy to recommend.
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Apple iPad Smart Cover
by Seven17
This Smart Cover fits quite snuggly around the iPad screen but it doesn't offer much protection, especially if you place in in a bag or don't clean it often enough. If anything, this has done damage to my iPad rather than protect it.
When placed into my bag little balls of grit got lodged in between the screen and the fabric ... side of the cover. These balls of grit stick to the fabric and therefore get tangled up, and move about on the screen. I have since had 4 new minor scratches on the screen from where the cover moved about in place and the grit glided across the screen.
This adds a lot of weight to the iPad too, when holding it with one hand you really notice the difference. It's not uncomfortable to hold when folded back but does make the iPad more prone to slipping out of my hand because it folds up, just holding on to the cover at the back is a bad idea without holding the bottom, as it will literally just fall apart since the iPad is heavier, thus falling to the ground.
Mine being black leather, it has a smooth but hard outside and a soft fabric on the inside. This has lots of little fibres sticking up all over the place but isn't rough in any way. It feels like felt although I can't say for definite that it is.
This is relatively simple to clean on the leather side, you can just wipe it down with a cloth soaked in dettox and this doesn't get any colour out or damage the cover, it works fine and removes dirt although not every little bit can be picked up with just a quick going over.
This also cleans the iPad screen when you put it down, don't know if this is intentional by Apple, i'm assuming not. Basically it wipes the fingerprints off the screen but there are fingerprint lines where the folding ridges are because the fabric is indented and cannot brush the screen, even if you press hard.
I have had this since Christmas 2012 and it's not broken but at the top the bar has a lot of faded metal around the corners and this appears as black stuff on the back of the iPad, it just rubs off onto it.
The magnet is quite strong though and takes a good yank to get it off. It's not difficult to get off, but what i would describe as "secure"
Overall it's not great, it traps dirt and grit, it's not really designed for protection other than to stop sharp objects hitting the screen, and the metal is already wearing off after a few months so i will award 3 stars.
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