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Cath Kidston iPhone 4 case
by QueenM
iPhone falls out of locker at work? Smashed.
iPhone falls off of a shelf when it vibrates? Smashed.
iPhone gets so much as looked at the wrong way? Smashed.
Okay, maybe it's not quite that bad, however I have had the back of my iPhone 4 smash twice and it was twice too many! Luckily, the Apple Store is a 20 second ... walk from work, so I managed to get it fixed within minutes on my lunch break and I picked up a protective case for it too. I settled on the Hampton Rose print from Cath Kidston range as it was the only one in the store that I even liked a little bit, but now I look at it to be one of the best things I've ever bought.
The case itself is shaped just like an iPhone 4, except it's a tiny bit bigger so that the phone fits inside. It has a squoval cut out of the back so that you can still take photos and there are sections on the side, top and bottom so you can access all of the little buttons and holes. The print is set on an off white base, with pink and blue flowers scattered all over. It's the typical Cath Kidston girly floral pattern, and now that I'm used to having it, I actually really love it. It looks really cute and I can tell my phone appart from my boyfriend's when they're sitting together now.
The case is made from quite a strong, hard plastic with an almost soft touch coating over it. I loved the feeling of the coating, however it looked filthy within a week, despite me having incredibly clean hands (I'm definitely a germophobe) and it scratched incredibly easy. I actually thought that it was just poor quality and that the pattern would come off with the coating, however the more it chipped off, I realised that the pattern was imprinted onto the plastic itself so I ended up peeling the coating off one day to be left with a beautiful white base again. I much prefer the case now that it's pure white with the flowers, and the plastic is easily cleaned, therefore won't be looking dirty like it did with the coating over it.
To put the case on, you simply pop one side of the phone in and then push the other in. It'll make a little click sound when it's in fully and then it won't budge, as much as you try! One thing that does bother me is that it adds a few mm to the back of the phone which is a problem in some iPod docks. You then have to take the case off to use it in the dock, which is a nightmare because it's such a tight fit. This isn't really a complaint though because anything other than a tight fit wouldn't be protective, it's just a bit of a niggle really.
Aside from being cute, it's also saved me from a few mishaps! The lockers we have at work are pretty horrendous and my phone falls out when I open the door at least twice a month. I was worried that this case wouldn't be too protective as it's a hard plastic and therefore might break itself if dropped from a height, but my butterfingers have let it go a fair few times and it's still going strong. The plastic itself has never chipped, only the coating on top, so now that I've removed that it still looks brand new, despite having had it for 3-4 months now.
When I first bought it, I was scared that it would make the phone feel much bulkier in my hand, but it really didn't add that much to it at all and is incredibly comfortable to use.
Another worry I had was that the area around the camera would cause problems with photos whilst using the flash, however Cath Kidston seem to have redesigned the camera hole since their first iPhone 4 cases were released. The newer cases, like mine, now have a much larger area so that the flash doesn't bounce and cause a ring around the edge of the photos. This is definitely a bonus for me as I do tend to take a lot of quick snaps with my phone.
This did set me back £24.95 which is extortionate for a phone case (considering you can get good ones for £2.99 on ebay - something that I've only just found out), however I wouldn't be without it now. It's the same price online and in the Cath Kidston store too, so Apple don't seem to be making any more of a profit out of it than Cath Kidston are, which is good to see. I hate when stores sell branded items at a much higher price than the brand itself sells them for.
I really do recommend this case, although I'll remove one star for the price because you really are just paying for the name. I also recommend that you go ahead and peel off the coating straight away because it'll save you the disgust of how filthy it looks after a week or two of use!
Thanks for reading!
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Griffin Survivor iPhone Case
by fififo
I've got one of those ninja iPhones which leap of furniture at random times for no obvious reason, straight onto the wooden floor. Yes I have insurance but that isn't going to save the photos etc I have on the phone. I was buying a robust case for my daughter's iPad when I came across this phone cover and thought, problem ... solved.
The cover comes in three parts:
- A rigid plastic frame, including a screen cover, which is clipped around the phone to protect it.
- A thick silicone cover which goes over the frame increasing the protection
- A clip which goes over the silicone cover to let you attach it to your belt. (Never used so not part of the
review)
It is incredibly easy and intuitive to put together as there are gaps all over for the different parts of the phone such as the charging point and the camera. There are also instructions but I didn't need to follow them at all. You can take it on and off fairly quickly too.
There are a variety of colours including pink, white and blue available but I chose black. With the cover on the phone looks like a (how to say this nicely) BRICK. So much like a brick that my nephew thought I had lost my iPhone. Could this be a security feature making it an unlikely target for theft ?
It definitely works. Now when the phone jumps from the table to the floor, you can hardly hear it at all and I feel safe in the knowledge that it's not going to get damaged.
For day to day use, I don't believe that the case interferes with the running of the phone. The outer edges of the screen are lightly obscured by the phone but not in a way that would cause any problems. I also have no difficulty using all the screen functions or changing the phone to silent. I play bejewelled on my phone and noticed no difference when the cover is on. Sound quality seems the same but I don't listen to a lot of music so I cannot fully comment.
The one big drawback with the case is the camera. For safety, the camera lens is covered with a silicone triangle that you can lift away when taking a photo, Now it may just be me but I struggle to hold the triangle out of the way, keep the phone steady and take a picture. It is manageable for the odd picture but when you are taking a lot of them in a day, it becomes too much. It got so annoying during a recent walk round the Olympic mascots in London that I removed the case entirely.
To sum up, this is a very robust case that will protect your iPhone well without interfering with its function as a phone or screen device. However it detracts significantly from the design quality of the phone and makes taking photos cumbersome.
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