After Antennagate, bumper cases became the norm as protective frames for the iPhone 4. A bumper offered some buffer between the iPhone and a table you’d set it down on, but it didn’t protect either side of the chassis from scratches. This case from Element Case offers a three-part solution with its version of the bumper case by including a padded back plate and a screen protector for the front.
The Vapor COMP Epiphany iPhone case comes with its own instruction booklet, in case you needed any more proof that this is serious business First, you tack on the screen protector, and then you use the tiny Torx screwdriver keychain included with the case to install the aluminum frame. When you’re finished, choose which backplate you like the most (either the Epiphany Blue Ultrasuede or the Hererra White Pearl, featured below), peel the adhesive paper from the back and place it so that it aligns with the rest of the case. It’s a simple process, one that produces stylish results.
The bumper frame does not impact the use of either of the buttons on the iPhone 4S, though the power button doesn’t have much feedback when you press it down. There’s also a bit of rubber piping on the side of the case that helps you grib the phone. Since its material is very light, the bumper adds no extra weight to the iPhone, nor does it add bulk when you place it inside your pocket. The backplate is just as nonchalant, and feels like a soft piece of fabric when you grip it.
Overall, this is a fantastic case, and its colors look particularly nice paired with a white iPhone. However, the adhesive on the back could wear out over time. Since we had such limited time with the review unit, there’s no guarantee that it could withstand hot temperatures or a steamy bathroom, which has often caused screen protectors to slide right off. Another caveat is that the case costs a little more than a Benjamin. That makes it a bit more pricey than the previously reviewed Rokform aluminum case, which offers a similar aesthetic and could easily be paired with front and back clear protectors from another vendor.
The bottom line. If you’ve got the cash flow and you’re looking for a bumper case that’s stands out from the rest, the Vapor COMP Epiphany case from Element Cases is well worth a look.
Vapor COMP Epiphany iPhone Case
9.99
When neon colors and frilly designs are too much commotion for your iPad’s corporate lifestyle, the iFrogz Summit case is worth considering. Unlike other professional looking folio cases, this one retains its classy looks without the bulk–or the cost.
The Summit Case is made out of polyurethane, so it’s not leather, it just looks like it. Inside, there’s a plastic snap-in case that securely seats your iPad, which I’m sure of because getting the iPad out of this case was a bit of a hassle. On the top, there’s a handy little slot for your stylus pen, and on the inside there’s a pocket that can hold a small stack of business cards.
You can bend the folio cover backward to stand up the iPad for Keynote presentations and the like, or lay it flat for typing. Depending how you type, however, the angle may not be the most ergonomic for long bouts of work. Then again, that’s where a physical keyboard comes in handy.
If you’re not too keen on the all-black aesthetic, iFrogz also offers the Summit in four colors, including blue, green, pink, and white. As an added bonus, the Summit case has a magnet on the inside flap that locks up your iPad when you close the lid.
The bottom line. If you’re not keen on spending more than 0 for a nicely padded, professional-looking leather folio case, the iFrogz Summit will do the trick and it’s only half the price.
In a matter of weeks, Proview has gone from a company few have ever heard of to positioning themselves as a underdog in their iPad trademark battle against Apple Inc. Can this techno David take on Goliath and come out unscathed with their most valuable asset still intact?
On Tuesday, Reuters posted a fascinating interview with Yang Long-san, the Chinese founder of Proview. The company is currently battling Apple for trademark rights to the iPad name, which Proview argues were sold under fraudulent terms through a shell company only a month before Apple unveiled their market-leading tablet.
“Proview’s fortunes may currently be the polar opposite of Apple,” the report reveals. “One has creditors at the door and the other is the world’s most valuable listed company — but both illustrate how the fickle world of technology can make or break a company.”
After a successful run as a computer display maker, Proview got into the computer business in 1999 with a system they called the iPAD (Internet Personal Access Device), “a stripped-down PC, with a bulky CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor, a slow-ish chip and running a very basic version of Microsoft Windows.” (Coincidentally, Proview’s iPAD — shown above — bears a striking resemblance to the original iMac, which Apple first introduced a year earlier.)
More than a decade later, and Proview had mostly hit the skids — so when a company came calling in late 2008 seeking to buy the trademark to iPAD, attorneys drew up a deal and cashed a check for ,000. A month later, Apple introduced the iPad, and it became clear that Proview’s attorneys had cashed in their chips far too cheaply.
According to Yang, Proview didn’t sell all of its iPAD trademarks to Cupertino, which is at the heart of the current legal battles going on in China. “My biggest wish is to resolve all these frustrating problems and put them behind me,” Yang told Reuters via telephone. “If we can resolve all the problems we have now and I have a chance to make a comeback, I’d still want to overtake my old competitors.”
Whether the bankrupt Proview stands a chance against Apple remains to be seen, as the display maker brings their trademark battle to American shores, claiming they were essentially duped out of the iPAD trademarks. “I hope we can return to our glory days,” Yang says. “I’m sure our shareholders are hoping for the same.”
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
There was plenty of news this week about Steve Jobs and at least one of those makes the grade in case you missed it, but just like Apple isn’t one man, our coverage of all things Apple takes other things into account as well. So here’s some of our most popular stories from the week, just in case ya missed it.
- How To Completely Customize Your Mac – It’s not that what comes out of the box isn’t killer design and beautiful graphics, it’s just that sometimes you want your own spin on things. Of course you do, we do too. So we’ve got a few tips that’ll make things easier on you when you want to go full on customization.
- Don’t Go, Steve! Our 10 Favorite Steve Jobs Moments – While it’s not completely sayonara to Mr. Jobs, it is unlikely that we’re going to get the same kind of iconic moments we’ve come to expect. So we look back at 10 of our favorite Steve Jobs moments in this pictorial trip down memory lane.
- Fantastical Calendar Utility Review – iCal is all right, as far as calendar apps go, but maybe you want/need something with extra oomph and power, maybe you want something that makes things easier. Or maybe you just want something that uses plain English to make calendar events for you. Well, this one’s got that covered.
- App Showdown: Flipping News – As mobile devices take over from desktop, the space for news delivery gets hotter and hotter and new means of reading are exploding everywhere. But who wants just another boring old list like your RSS feeds? Not us, that’s for sure. So we kicked the tires on a couple of “news magazine” creation apps. Who won the race?
- 6 Tips and Tricks for Using AirDrop – One of Lion’s cool new features is AirDrop, the service that lets you do computer-to-computer file transfers without cables or third party involvement. Ah, but you know what? That’s just its marquee features. There’s a few things under the surface we thought you’d like to know about.
- How To Delete Gmail Messages in iOS – It seems like when we swipe across our messages in Gmail in the Mail app, we just get Archive all the time. How the heck can we just delete messages for once? Never fear, we gotcha covered.
As the sunny summer winds down, rumor season winds up. We can’t say that enough. Expect it: fast, furious, leaks, photos (legit and ‘shopped), whispers, unnamed staffers, broken NDAs. It’s gonna get hot out there with a new iOS and likely a new handset to go with it. But, Apple’s always got a trick or two up its sleeve, so what else is cooking in the long slow sunny summer burn?
- The Essential Guide to OS X Lion – So, did the biggest cat of all change everything? Welllll, yes and no. If you were to look at the OS on the surface, you’d see a few cosmetic changes, but under the hood it’s all raw power and newness. So, what’s it all about? We’re not National Geographic, but we got up close and personal with this megakitty to give you the latest scoop, Mac|Life style.
- RAM Off!: A Guide To Buying Mac Memory – More memory equals more power, and that’s pretty much the law of computers. But remember your Mac is a finicky beast and you may just want to have a gander at this indepth guide to how to pick up the best deals on RAM to be found anywhere. It’ll be like adding turbocharge power to your older machines.
- McTiVia Wireless Mac-to-TV Connection Review – We love this as an idea, but when the manual said it worked better with cables, we wondered what the heck we were paying 0 for when we could just slap some HDMI cables to our Mac and run them to our TV. But, if you think rocking out the big big big screen without all that cable clutter is the way to go, then McTiVia is the way to go.
- App Showdown: Scrabblish Games – Who doesn’t love a good word game? And who doesn’t like their iOS devices? And lastly, who isn’t on Facebook? With all three of these coming together, you can rock out the Scrabble or, if you so desire, you can kick it Words With Friends style. Which one lexicalizes the hardest? Let’s have a look see, shall we?
- 80 OS X Lion Features You May Have Overlooked – Remember all those features we were discussing up above? Well, we picked out 80 cool ones we think you might just miss in all the hullaballoo.
- How To Use Your iPhone as a Storage Device – It’s happened to all of us. You get to work or school and reach into your bag for that flash drive you saved all the files to and — boom — your mind’s eye rushes all the way along your commute, through your front door, into the computer room, and to the back of your desktop, where you left it plugged in. You know what you don’t forget to bring with you? Your iPhone. Here’s a slick little tip that’ll let you mac out your iOS devices as wireless flash drives.
