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(More customer reviews)Simply put, what we've got here is good Iphone protection for little more than the price of a heavy meal at Carl's Jr. (at least as of this writing. Usual disclaimer applies.) These TPU cases are the new silicon cases, which is to say, they're a dime a dozen. When Ipods became the rage in 2004, 2005, you couldn't walk into an electronics store without finding a ridiculous array of silicon cases. Silicon's pretty much passe' today, and for good reason: it attracts every bit of lint and dust anywhere near it, and eventually the case will stretch out and look, not to mention FIT, awful. That's where TPU comes in.
TPU, standing for some chemical compound I can't wrap my head around, is kind of the more mature sibling of silicon. It's relatively soft and flexible, but not so much that it'll stretch out like silicon did. And it exhibits none of that sticky nature that even the best silicon was known to do. TPU is more like soft plastic, and it's very forgiving just like silicon.
This particular Belkin case isn't perfect, but for its extremely low price, that can be forgiven. It's a nice color - translucent blue - and it fits snugly against the iPhone, adding minimal bulk but giving a decent amount of protection. There's a nice lip to the screen side so it's safe to lay it face down on a table. I won't say this is Speck Candyshell protective, but a small tumble onto hard surfaces should prove crack free just from the soft nature of the TPU. This isn't going to save your iPhone from something smashing into it. It's purely meant for light duty protection.
That said, being soft, and possibly due to the low price, this case has a couple of minor issues. Most notable is the mold line between the back and sides. It's a relatively sharp edge - we're talking relative to soft material here. You won't cut your fingers, obviously, but I find myself fiddling with that edge almost any time I have the iPhone in my hand, and sometimes gazing off into the distance, thinking of ways to soften it without ruining the Grip Vue's glossy finish. (This mold line also causes a wonky wedge-shaped sleep button. I made the mistake of hacking at that with a very sharp knife and now it's wonky in a different way. You win some, you lose some.) Second, being soft, the TPU doesn't hold a straight edge so well, leaving the two long edges down the iPhone's front a little wobbly looking, as if perhaps the case overheated and warped. It didn't, it's just the way this stuff is. And maybe this sounds a little nitpicky, but the volume buttons are recessed, so you have to dig in a bit to get to them. It's fine most of the time, but in a pinch, it actually takes a little work. Again, this is all fairly minor, and some may not care at all about any of these issues.
For those wondering, since it was such a problem early on with practically every case, there are no camera flash problems to be found. The Grip Vue has the enlarged, oblong opening rather than the keyhole opening that showed up in early case designs. The dock connector port is a bit larger than the new, extra slender Apple cable that's been shipping with the iPhone 4, so some, but not all non-Apple cables will fit. (If your cable connector is wider than the center of the screws, or thicker than the antenna band, it probably will not fit. The opening will stretch a bit to accomodate some slightly larger connectors, but don't ask for miracles.)
If you simply want some level of protection that covers the iPhone's glass back, you can't ask for much better at a cheap price than this. If you want really good protection at a higher price, look for the far bulkier, but much, much nicer Speck Candyshell, or go way off the deep end and get an Otterbox, which is basically a bombshelter for your iPhone.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Belkin F8Z642tt142 Grip Vue Case for iPhone 4 (Vivid Blue)
Belkin F8Z642tt142-iPhone Grip Vue Tint-Vivid Blue
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