If I come up with a good way to get better pics, I will. On to the review. I noticed Switcheasy had added some new cases to their site, and being big fans of both my Capsule Rebel and Capsule Neo, I had to pick one up.

Update: Moar pics

The Nude is a super thin, clear (or one of 6 other colors) case that’s made to protect the iPhone from minor bumps and scrapes while adding effectively no bulk. It does a fantastic job.

Admittedly, if you’re super rough on your phone or have a job where there’s a big change of damage, I’d go with something like an Otterbox, but for the average user, I would say the nude is the ideal case. It comes with two screen protectors, cloth, and squeegee, like all Switcheasy Products, and literally just snaps in place.

The first, and pretty much only thing you notice about the Nude is…you don’t notice it all. Most cases annoy me to some degree in that they add some bulk. Some add a lot, some relatively little, but the Nude adds none. For all intents and purposes, in your hand, in your pocket, sitting on your desk, your iPhone is the same size it was when you unboxed it from Apple.

Absolutely love it.

Buy it on Amazon

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I emailed them about it, and they told me to boil it. Yeah. That’s right. Cook it.

This is not a standard product and you have to use the iBand for a few days to allow the d30 to get softer and then you will have full access to the mute and volume buttons.
This process can be speeded up slightly by gently stretching the iBand or placing it in boiling water.
The iBand is not a normal case it is a highly shock absorbing case which offers extreme impact protection for your iBand.

Of course, while saying that there was nothing at all wrong with the design that doesn’t let you use any of the buttons, there’s a new model coming out with cutouts for the buttons!

I am happy to say that since the launch of the iBand 1st generation we have already had our engineers work on a new iBand (2nd Gen) which will have all buttons exposed, it will also have d3o up each side of the cut’s still allowing for maximum protection.
Working with d3o is not as easy as you may think it is a 3 stage moulding process, and takes a lot of time to integrate the material.
We take customer feedback very seriously and have addressed our customers concerns with the new releases.

Right, there’s nothing wrong with the design, that’s why we changed it!

At any rate, I decided to cook my phone case, and see if it helped.

I boiled some water.

Dug out the iBand

And put it into boiling water.

Since the recipe was kinda vague, I only left it in there for a minute or so, i didn’t want to overcook it.

It looks the same, but I’m not really used to cooking my iPhone accessories.

I set it out to dry/cool.

And put it on my phone…

(The reflection looks really odd there, but my screen isn’t broken).

And…*drumroll*…it sucks cock. It might suck a little less cock, as it did seem to be a little easier to hit the lock/unlock button, but it’s still far from usable. The very fact that they have come out with a new version with cutouts for the buttons is pretty much an admission that the original design is terrible and worthless. If they had any goddamn dignity, they would send the people who bought the first (worthless, beta) version a second gen in which the hardware buttons can, you know, be used. As it stands, I’d rather put a lit emergency flare in my ass than buy anything they make. Buy a Capsule Neo or Capsule Rebel instead.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

The UI is pretty clean, it’s basically the standard Google Wave interface, but it runs a lot better that trying to use the browser.

I’ve only had it a few hours, but so far I’ve noticed that it crashes in waves with lots of users. Might be an issue if Wave catches on for bigger organizations.

Also, maybe it’s just me, but I can’t get any of the attachment buttons or anything to work. Still, for the basic functionality, it’s worth $0.99, and as it’s the first release, and Wave is still is very early beta, there’s a good change that as both mature, it will get much better. I’ll update this post when and if I see an update for the app roll out.

After having seen the YouTube video, I had to try out the Tech21 iBand for iPhone and iPod Touch. I paid a hefty $34 after shipping for one, and waited eagerly for it to arrive. It showed up, and I had high hopes. It fits smartly, and I was instantly impressed with just how little bulk it added. My main gripe with cases and covers is added bulk.

It has a strange texture, and just a quick thump on a hard surface makes you believe the impact protection claims.

So far so good. Until this.

Uh, how the fuck am I supposed to use the ring/vibrate switch? I can force the volume rockers up and down, but it’s sure as hell not easy.

And, uh, what if I’d like to use the screen lock? Are you fucking kidding me? This is the result of trying to wake the device up from sleep:

You can pretty clearly see the iPhone lock button shaped red mark. That’s from trying to wake the device up. Seriously.

This shit is unusable. Utterly worthless. If you want something to throw at the wall, buy a can of tennis balls and save $30. I can’t believe they would even try to sell this shit to people. If the idea of returning something from an internet vendor didn’t give me douche chills, I would send this fucker back. Please, for the love of god, redesign this so that it actually works for people who, you know, want to also use their phone, and not just throw it at the wall, and give the people who wasted $35 on this fucking beta version a free upgrade. This is just insulting.

I give it one star because the impact protection does seem to work very well. If you have a broken iphone you want to throw at the wall without…breaking? Buy it. Otherwise, stay far away.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

The packing is very much like the iPhone packaging, which is to say it’s pretty nice looking.

Slide the top part off the bottom, and you’re greeted with your new battery pack.

Under the tray that holds the battery, you get a cable. It’s a standard USB to mini USB, so if you’re a gadget nerd like me, you likely already have a few, but it’s still good to have extras.

I got it home and took some pics with a real camera.

The button on the front checks the power level. Each LED represents 25% battery capacity.

The bottom has a USB IN port, which you use to charge the device or sync with your computer, and a USB OUT port, which you can use to charge anything that has a USB cable. This feature really impressed me. If you have, say, a bluetooth headset with a miniusb cable, you can charge your MiLi, your phone, and your bluetooth headset with just one cable, even powering up your bluetooth when you aren’t near a computer.

The back has a “cutout” for the camera lens.

And the side stops low enough for unfettered access to the volume controls.

A couple of shots with a pack of cigarettes to demonstrate the size.

I’m currently giving it a full charge, so I can’t comment on battery life yet, but I have no reason to doubt their claim to double the battery life. As soon as it charges fully, I’ll see how long it lasts with normal usage.

In general, it works like this. You slip the phone in the case, then plug it into your computer. The phone will be charged first, then the battery pack. Discharging works the opposite way, it uses external power if it’s connected, then the battery pack will be used down to 5%, then the phone battery will begin to discharge. This is important for one reason that I haven’t seen mentioned; as we all know, the iPhone’s battery isn’t user replaceable, and any battery will only survive a finite number of charge cycles. Using this battery pack should greatly extend your battery’s service life, as well as preserve it’s efficiency for longer. Certainly something to consider. It’s also worth noting that you can still connect your phone to itunes while in the case, you don’t lose the ability to sync. In fact, you gain the ability to sync with a standard USB cable.

As you can see from the battery icon, the phone essentially thinks it’s on external power while attached to the battery pack.

The fit and finish is very good, but it certainly adds a lot of bulk. Your phone will not slide into the front pocket of your jeans with this battery attached, unless you have some very big jeans. I think my method will be to charge my phone, in the battery pack, at night, then carry it in the battery pack at work so I won’t have to worry about it all day. After work, I’ll slip my phone out of it so I can go out without carrying a brick around, as I doubt I’ll discharge a whole battery over the course of a night out.

Overall, I’m very pleased with it. If the battery life lives up to their claims, it’s a winner. Stay tuned for an update tomorrow.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

They look nice and came with a nice carrying pouch.

They also feature a mic and controller, just like the factory headset.

Most importantly, they actually fit my ear. They are seriously the most comfortable headphones I have ever put in my ear. Maybe I have small ears, or maybe people just like to be tortured, but every other headphone hurts like fuck, if not immediately, then very shortly after I put them in. I’ve tested these for hours and they feel great. I highly suggest them.

Sounds quality is pretty good, a little bass heavy for my taste, but still MUCH better than the factory headset.

Buy them on Amazon.com

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Find my iPhone uses your phone’s GPS to locate it if lost or stolen, and allows you to wipe the phone completely if it’s evident that you won’t be able to recover it.

It also allows you to push a message to the phone, so you can offer a reward if returned, then beat the person who stole your phone senseless.

Your mobileme gallery gives you 20gb of storage for files of all kinds, including albums you can make public, and allow sharing/downloading of individual images or whole albums.

And if you set your account up on your iphone, you can upload images directly from camera roll.

Highly recommended, and worth it for the “Find my Phone” feature alone.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Lots of reviews on the way, stay tuned.