Tunewear ICEWEAR case for iPhone
Company: Tunewear, Inc.
US $29.95
http://www.tunewear.com
Tunewear’s ICEWEAR case is a silicone rubber case designed to be very, very protective of your iPhone. I wrapped one around my iPhone, and here are my impressions.
Pros:
1) This is one heckuva rubber case! It’s thick, and strong.
2) It’s well-made. All the slots and holes line up just right.
Cons:
1) The case is too thick. iPhone users push the Home button 1.23 zillion times per day. The cutout over the Home button on the sample unit was a bit too small, but the primary problem was the thickness of the material; it’s thick enough to prevent a good solid contact with the Home button. Also, the thickness prevented a good feel of the volume buttons on the side of the case.
2) No belt clip. After-market belt clips are available, but I’m not sure how well they would adhere to the silicone material.
The Weeks Division of MyMac Labs often grants manufacturers a look at our early drafts to vet them for factual errors. Of course, MyMac reserves the right to be editorially blunt in our opinions.
Tunewear spokesman Robert Callahan had these comments:
- “ICEWEAR cases are used by people who need protection, not convenience or style. It is impossible to make a sticky silicone case that also glides easily into and out of a pant pocket. Users who work outdoors, jump in and out of their cars all day, use their iPhone/iPod while working out prefer the stickiness of ICEWEAR because the iPhone/iPod stays where they toss it. That is a targeted usage pattern. For people who want to keep their iPhone/iPod in the pocket, we have a different case, Tuneshell. Tuneshell does not protect as well as ICEWEAR, but that is a trade off.”
We appreciate learning that Tunewear has an alternative case. Even so, Robert does not really address the issue of a how a case that’s not designed to be kept in a pocket works without a belt clip. I would not care to have to carry the ICEWEAR around in my hand all day.
Conclusion:
This case will prevent most any damage to the iPhone, short of being backed over by a Hummer. Thicker cases are stronger, but this one needs a bit less thickness to allow for easier operation of the iPhone. Add a belt clip, and use a thinner material, and this would be a great case.
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