I just bought this case on Ebay. I will post pics and thoughts when I receive it. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400229407820&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_2308wt_1396
If anyone has bought this please give your thoughts. I figure for only $14 if it sucks it won't be a big deal.
I got this one. Looks similar, but comes with a screen protector. Should get it next week.
http://mobile.buy.com/ibuy/Product.aspx?sku=223077071
I got one that is very similar and I love it! here is the link to the one I have
http://cgi.ebay.com/Leather-Case-Sc...?pt=US_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item45fb4bfd29
I also purchased my screen protectors from them. Both items are excellent quality. The case fits perfectly. super tight fit, all cuts outs are perfect. The screen protectors were easy to apply as well. It will not protect the TF from drops but I am very happy with it.
Yeah both of those look very similar to what I bought. I'm glad you both like them. That eases my mind a bit.
I previously ordered 2 of these from different ebay stores. A brown and black one. Both used the same illustration, but the black one had a smaller border around the screen (this is the one I received), which is actually handy if you use the Google Labs quick menu from the stock browser, or other apps that have functionality in the screen border
The brown one had a better fit but it blocks the speakers a bit (uses 3 holes, where the black one leaves the speakers naked), black one upper border was a little bit curved.
I got this case already. It's not really top quality, but a few points to note:
- The speakers on the TF itself are blocked (that's why there is a lot of leather on the side)
- The microsd position is slightly out, meaning you have to push the pad in a bit in order to get the microsd card out
- Since the insertion point is from the bottom part of the case up, the TF will move up and down quite a lot. In fact, if you let it stand using its built-in stand, the TF will slide down so you do not see the whole screen.
- 2 Magnetic points on the top left and top right of the case. I find it very useful
- And I tried docking with the keyboard with the case, it just doesn't work well.
I only listed the cons so far, but ignoring those, I think the $14-15 I paid for it is well worth it!
I would be shocked if these turn out to be real leather.
I just got one of these today. Definitely not real leather, but it feels nice enough. The fit is good and the "stand" works well. However, the camera and light sensor on the front of the case are completely out of line, so I just cut a rectangle around instead. I wouldn't mind normally, but having it set to auto-brightness, and the hole occasionally being covered up left the screen almost always dim.
Related
Just received the rooCASE Slim Fit from PC Micro via Amazon.com. Sorry, I can't yet post links, so the product title is: rooCASE Slim-Fit (Black) Folio Case Cover with Multi Adjustable Viewing Angles for Asus Eee Pad Transformer 10.1-Inch TF101 Android Tablet Wi-Fi.
I had been looking for a while for a case with clips that would leave the bottom edge open so that one could dock the tablet without taking it off, so I was excited to try it out. My initial feelings are very positive.
It's PU leather, so while not top grain, it's still pretty supple and smooth. The leather is also slightly padded, so the case is comfortable to hold. The reinforced edges are crisp and straight, so there's not a lot of give or bend. The interior is a soft, padded microfiber. The foam is pretty firm, so it seems like it might retain its shape fairly well.
Structurally, the tablet is held in by two clips on each side, one each holding the top corners (when in landscape) and the main clip about 2/5 of the way down each side. On the bottom corners, there are clips, but they're more like corner protectors as they're there to guide the tablet when the case is closed.
Setting the tablet in the first two grooves felt good. The furthest groove which puts the screen in the flattest position though doesn't hold very well. This is because the rounded back of the tablet near the edge doesn't let it sit all the way into the groove. This doesn't bother me though since I don't see myself wanting to use it that flat. It actually sits nicely on my lap in the middle groove, so it's nice to be able to prop up the tablet without having to rely upon the dock.
Speaking of which, swinging the bottom edge of the tablet away from the case allows it to easily connect to the dock. Before receiving the case, I wondered whether the clip that holds it closed would get in the way. In actuality, it props up the keyboard rather well -- the keyboard rests flat between being propped up on the clip and because of the way the dock hinge props up the rear of the keyboard. Alternatively, the case cover folds back out of the way easily as well, and kind of works to support the screen a little bit. This configuration is probably better suited for a desk vs. one's lap, but I'll have to experiment a little bit.
I'm interested to see how I like using it over time, but for right now, this case has potential. I was worried about the clips: whether they'd be too weak (they're not) and whether they'd prevent the case from folding flat (they don't). I like that they hold the tablet securely in place, without the need to have the bezel surrounded/covered by leather.
The overall look resembles a small notebook/portfolio and the branding is understated -- just an embossed rooCASE logo in the lower right.
It seems like the case will protect the tablet from accidental bumps and bruises, give it a sleek appearance and quench my thirst for a higher end case until Noreve or Piel Frama attempt to separate me from my money. We'll have to see how durable it winds up being -- right now, the surface seems to repel light scratches pretty well.
Overall, for $30 I'm pretty pleased. And it comes with a small capacitive stylus, that connects to the tablet via a small plastic plug that fits into the 3.5mm jack. Shipping was via USPS and took just two days from CA to the east coast.
Lots of pics to follow.
More pics.
Last two.
(I promise, Mods)
And to complete it all, here's the link: http://amzn.com/B0058DLAA8
Can't wait for mine to arrive!
Mine came in yesterday as well. I am extremely happy with it, I did not anticipate being able to dock it with the case on, so all the best. The bundled stylus from roocase is just the cherry on top!
damn thats nice
It's great news that there's finally a decent case that you don't have to remove in order to be able to dock with the keyboard. Hopefully more manufacturers start making cases in this design.
EDIT: Hmm I have a theory... if you buy one of those cases with velcro at the bottom, could you theoretically dock it without taking off the case by just unattaching the velcro? Can anyone confirm or deny?
Can you fold it up in the dock with the case on?
maxpower47 said:
Can you fold it up in the dock with the case on?
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no
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This is the first case I have seen that uses clips to hold the Transformer, instead of a leather or fabric frame of some sort. I was beginning to think there weren't any out there. Thanks for the review.
Thank you for the review, I was waiting to see if you could plug the dock with the case on..
BTW, there are 2 other brands of what looks like the same case: Acase and Poetic...
http://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Stand-...B3PU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1311946471&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.com/Transformer-L...Q6J0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1311946529&sr=8-5
SoundSurfer said:
Thank you for the review, I was waiting to see if you could plug the dock with the case on..
BTW, there are 2 other brands of what looks like the same case: Acase and Poetic...
http://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Stand-...B3PU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1311946471&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.com/Transformer-L...Q6J0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1311946529&sr=8-5
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Their are the same one from same factory. Just selling via different sellers.
xjarl said:
Their are the same one from same factory. Just selling via different sellers.
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The Acase one is eligible for Amazon Prime. It can be in my grubby paws tomorrow.
Just received one.
I originally bought the regular multi-angle roocase version. As soon as this slim-fat was announced, I unloaded that one and pre-order this one.
They delayed the shipment for 1 week but refunded my $5 shipping charge (nice). I like this slim-fat version a lot. It's the best case I've seen (I need some protection, but I really hate to cover-up the beauty of the Tab).
Received mine today. I echo everything that the OP noted. Very nice and exactly what I was looking for.
I just ordered the $18.95 Poetic one with free shipping. I can wait a few days and save $16
I have a cheapy $12 case now from ebay. Gets the job done, but with my ghetto cutting of the area around the light sensor and front camera, it looks just a wee bit unprofessional.
Thank you for the informative review. You may have just convinced me to buy a second case.
I already have this on order it shipped out yesterday so I'm hoping it arrives soon, and after your review and all the great pics. I hope it comes even faster now. Thanks for your time in making this, good info.
thaibruin said:
I just ordered the $18.95 Poetic one with free shipping. I can wait a few days and save $16
I have a cheapy $12 case now from ebay. Gets the job done, but with my ghetto cutting of the area around the light sensor and front camera, it looks just a wee bit unprofessional.
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I unfortunately do not have that kind of patience. Case ordered and overnighted. My TF will finally have a case that doesn't hide it.
Mine arrived today too. OP is spot on - this is a great case; clean lines, excellent fit and looks sharp.
There is no slot at the bottom to connect to the charger, so to charge it, I have to lay it face up w/ the cover open.
I picked up another TPU case for my SGSII, and thought I'd do a review on it as well.
This particular case is the Cruzer Lite Argyle TPU case (I chose red).
I am particularly partial to TPU because it's thin enough where it doesn't add much bulk to the phone, adds a little grip, and does not tend to stretch over time like silicon.
Here are the details (pictures attached as well).
The fit and form of the case is solid and as to be expected from a good quality TPU case. It's very easy to take on and off, and generally doesn't lose shape over time (I've had a similar case on my Capitvate for over a year and still looks like new).
Like most TPU cases, this one is slightly raised on the front and around the camera area on the back, so you can lay it flat without worrying about scratching (provided the surface is clean).
Like my other case (and I've seemed to notice this with several of the SGSII cases I've looked at) the volume buttons are covered but the power button is open. Buttons are easy to press and get access to.
There is a cutout for a lanyard hole - so this case can be used for both the ATT and international versions.
Cutouts for the camera, ports, mics, headphone jack and speaker are all properly placed. I had no problems plugging in the 3 different types of micro usb cables I have laying around with the case on.
The top cutout for the secondary mic is large enough where it does not cover it. So far of the cases I've researched, vendors are opting to do one of three things to make their international cases compatible with our ATT version -- (1) leave the top totally uncovered (seen with some hard cases); (2) poke a second hole for the ATT mic (I believe some silicon cases have done this); and (3) make the cutout for the secondary mic large enough to compensate for both types. This particular case opts for option #3, which is my personal preference from a style perspective. Each way works functionally, it's just a matter of preference.
I've always been a fan of the semi-translucent argyle pattern. It gives a little style, but at the same time you can still see the Galaxy S II logo on the back. The nice thing is that they have several colors available (and I believe a solid black gloss one if you don't like translucent argyle) -- and choices are always good!
Overall: for a little under $9 USD, the build quality, a color I can dig rather than the typical black or white, and the fact I didn't have to "jerry-rig" the case to accommodate the secondary noise-cancelling mic on the top makes this a good value in my opinion.
Picked mine up via Amazon - http://goo.gl/Tq3uR
how does the charger fit? The case won't allow me to completely plug into the micro usb
Warjcowski said:
how does the charger fit? The case won't allow me to completely plug into the micro usb
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Really? I had no problems plugging any of my micro usb cables into the phone with the case on.
I ordered the green one yesterday, showed up this morning for overnight shipping. WOW, I had to take off the other TPU and put this one on. Love it.
sweetboy02125 said:
I ordered the green one yesterday, showed up this morning for overnight shipping. WOW, I had to take off the other TPU and put this one on. Love it.
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Can you upload some pictures?
I picked up another one of these cases in blue, and like the review for my red one, the quality and everything else matches my first one so happy there.
I really like how bright the colors are and seem to "pop" (yeah, I know it's not a scientific term!)
Some pics of the blue one if anyone is interested.
pinoymutt said:
I picked up another one of these cases in blue, and like the review for my red one, the quality and everything else matches my first one so happy there.
I really like how bright the colors are and seem to "pop" (yeah, I know it's not a scientific term!)
Some pics of the blue one if anyone is interested.
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Sorry couldn't add pics to my post above for some reason. Here they are.
pinoymutt said:
I am particularly partial to TPU because it's thin enough where it doesn't add much bulk to the phone, adds a little grip, and does not tend to stretch over time like silicon.
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@pinoymutt,
I'm interested in your comment here. I bought a silicone gel case for my captivate in August last year. I havn't noticed any stretching. In fact, I've been very satisfied with it, and while I've passed the phone on, I expect my wife to get a couple more years use from it. This was, however, my first phone that needed a case, so it was my first experience. Are there maybe differences between different silicone gel cases? What was your experience?
creepyncrawly said:
@pinoymutt,
I'm interested in your comment here. I bought a silicone gel case for my captivate in August last year. I havn't noticed any stretching. In fact, I've been very satisfied with it, and while I've passed the phone on, I expect my wife to get a couple more years use from it. This was, however, my first phone that needed a case, so it was my first experience. Are there maybe differences between different silicone gel cases? What was your experience?
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From my experience with previous phones, at least with the older types of silicon cases, they tended to stretch over time, meaning especially with a lot of on/off removal (esp back in the days when I needed a lot of battery pulls to fix lockups on WM phones). After a while it just seemed to be "loose" on the sides and just didn't have a snug fit. Also, a lot of the older silicon cases tend to pick up lint and dust a lot more easily, and especially if you put it in a your pocket with a rougher surface (like jeans), it would kind of "stick" when you tried to take it out.
TPU on the other hand, tends to be a little thinner and smoother so you don't have many of those issues I mentioned above. To me TPU has always been a good compromise between the protection of a hard case, but the flexibility of silicon.
Now, the reason I emphasized "older" silicon above, is that I have heard that some companies are using newer materials that may be more durable than previous generations and have different surface qualities, so some of what I mentioned above may not be as prevalent anymore.
But with these "newer" technologies, I believe they tend to run a little more expensive. So in the end it really depends on your price point. At the low end (sub $20USD range) my experience is that you can still get a good quality TPU case, but it's really hit or miss with silicon. However, if you are willing to spend a little more, I believe the higher quality (i.e. higher priced) options tend to be quite nice.
I am by no means a case "expert," but just sharing some of my thoughts and observations as I go through different cases.
The plaid looking pattern is too girly looking for me.
Other than that it seems like a nice case.
i have this case in smoke grey the top part is diffrnt though not a big hole for the noise cancelling mic but a perfect small hole it . grabbed it on ebay for about $3-6
That's not a bad price
So after looking and looking, I finally decided to drop the $59 (shipping from their site is free) and get the Gumdrop skin case. I found that I was leaving my tablet at home all the time because I was worried about dropping it, and by the time someone makes one to satisfy my needs to work with the dock too, I'd be looking for another tablet.
So I picked up the military one, in the green from their website. I figured if I didn't like it, I can easily return it.
Item showed up today, they ship Fedex Ground if anyone is wondering, and I ordered it last Thursday. The packaging it comes in is pretty damned sturdy. I'm usually anal about protecting anything I buy, and the packaging it came in was probably a bit overboard.
Getting it pulled apart to get the printed insert out of the actual case was impressive in its own. NOTHING is going to hurt your tablet in this case, other than if you stepped in the middle of it.
Anyways, I wanted to get this thread started, so I can answer any questions folks have about this case. I just got it a few hours ago, and will do a short review this weekend, and a longer term review after a month or so. I'll get you some pictures too of all the parts and how it goes together.
A few initial notes.
1. This thing is THICK.
2. When I opened it, my first thought was, "Get rid of the integrated screen protector". I decided to pull it out, then put it on top of my tablet to see if you can use the touch screen with it on there (it is a "hard" screen protector). The screen picks up your movements PERFECT with the screen protector in place.
3. All cutouts are perfect.
4. The entire device is covered
5. The thick silicone rubber exterior has a hard plastic skeleton that you snap on over your tablet. Then you stretch the exterior over that.
6. The screen cover has a hard plastic frame that snaps into the skeleton, from the INSIDE.
There is no slack, no wiggling, and once you get it in place and push all of the locking tabs from the exterior through the skeleton, it looks like your tablet was BUILT this way. Amazing.
My only cons so far...
1. I wish the screen cover snapped in from the outside. Not that I'll ever probably take it off, but it would be nice to have the option.
2. No kickstand. With the plastic skeleton, I see no reason they couldn't have integrated a kickstand like the Incipio cases.
I am still holding out hopes for someone to make something like this that leaves a option to connect your dock. A detachable cover at the bottom and a matching case for the dock would fix it all.
Also, I'm kind of surprised no one has a dock to tablet extension cable yet. That would actually make this really nice. With a kickstand.
LOL
Okay, I'll get more info soon, get me your questions if you have any folks.
cool review, got a link by chance?
polo79 said:
cool review, got a link by chance?
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Amazon has them - http://www.amzn.com/dp/B005FVDVIW
And the manu page - http://www.gumdropcases.com/tablet-cases.html
I can't really tell the difference between the military and regular ones - I'm eyeing up that red/black model. Thanks for the review.
If they made this case that fit both the TF and dock, i would buy it
Is there any kind of buffer between the hard plasktic screen protector and the screen? My experience with hard plastic screen protectors is that sometimes small objects or dirt gets caught between the screen protector and screen. With use this trapped dirt starts to scratch the screen. You might also consider getting a stick-on screen protector as well.
I saw a review where there was a question about how this case might make the device retain heat. Do you notice any overheating?
i have the same case and think it is build like a tank and everything the OP says it is. i have not noticed any overheating at all. a lot of people were saying how ugly it is, i think it is really cool looking in person, i have the same OD green military version
bulldogbreed said:
i have the same case and think it is build like a tank and everything the OP says it is. i have not noticed any overheating at all. a lot of people were saying how ugly it is, i think it is really cool looking in person, i have the same OD green military version
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Is there any kind of buffer between the hard plasktic screen protector and the screen? My experience with hard plastic screen protectors is that sometimes small objects or dirt gets caught between the screen protector and screen. With use this trapped dirt starts to scratch the screen. You might also consider getting a stick-on screen protector as well.
My priorities for selection was protection, functionality & "looks". I doubt I'll invest in the keyboard/dock; I'm essentially wanting a larger smart phone, LOL
My only nit with it...is the images make the green look more pastelly versus a darker tone...which IMO, is more in line with a "military" green. But I guess the tone makes it a bit more fashionable. I can live with it.
Great lil review. Thank you for reaffirming my choice.
I bought one of these in white and it's a soft silicone rubber. The color is a somewhat transparent white, think of very watered down milk. I imagine it will be a bit of a pain going in-n-out of jeans pockets as it's soft and grippy and I imagine it will come off the phone rather easily during the process. I haven't tried it with jeans yet, but that's my impression. The case does come up and over the edge of the glass screen, so the screen is protected somewhat when the phone is placed face down on a flat surface. I don't think I'd recommend it, but it was less than $2.
P.S. Well it goes in-n-out of pockets ok, but the way the on/off and volume buttons are configured on this case, makes them far to easy to accidentally get pressed.
I also bought one of these in white, and it's a nice firm but flexible, TPU material. The color is a true white and fully opaque. It fits the phone nicely, and the holes all line up well. There may be a problem with the Headphone jack, as the hole is the same size as the hole in the phone and the plug may not fully seat, though the cheap headphones I have here at my office worked fine. Also it is somewhat evident where the mold comes together as there is a little bit of flash at the seam. The case does come up and over the edge of the glass screen, so the screen is protected somewhat when the phone is placed face down on a flat surface. All in all a pretty nice case for $4.
I also got a clear S-Line type TPU case from this guy for $1.99 delivered. Both form and function are just fine. It's a bit thicker than the other two, Has some grippy texture along the sides of the long edges. All in all another decent option.
Well I got 2 Mercury Jelly cases from this guy on ebay, not bad for $7.88 each delivered, but I did find them just a little cheaper the other day. The cases are nice, I got 1 white and 1 black. The white case is a bit of a warm white, not cool and bright. The black case is a deep dark black, and it shows finger prints very easily. All the openings line-up well and they seem just a bit over-sized, this will make plugging in the micro USB, and headphone plug simple and they're sure to get fully inserted without any interference from the case. There is a little flash from the molding process present, but nothing crazy. Nice cases, but I'm not sure they're worth nearly twice the price of the second case mentioned in my first post, which really is very similar to these.
Barry (NJ) said:
Well I got 2 Mercury Jelly cases from this guy on ebay, not bad for $7.88, but I did find them just a little cheaper the other day. The cases are nice, I got 1 white and 1 black. The white case is a bit of a warm white, not cool and bright. The black case is a deep dark black, and it shows finger prints very easily. All the openings line-up well and they seem just a bit over-sized, this will make plugging in the micro USB, and headphone plug simple and they're sure to get fully inserted without any interference from the case. There is a little flash from the molding process present, but nothing crazy. Nice cases, but I'm not sure they're worth nearly twice the price of the second case mentioned in my first post, which really is very similar to these.
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Thanks I ordered one black and white a couple of days ago. Thanks for the review.
Sent from the TermiNOTEr! ;-)
OK, new case arrived today. This Plastic Case/Holster/Kickstand, for under $9 delivered, is of decent quality with a nice satin texture and feel. The snap-on back cover is typical of the plastic snap-on hard covers, in that the top and bottom ends of the phone are not really covered. It goes on and off the phone securely but without any difficulty. The holster will accommodate the Note in a basic TPU case as well as the delivered hard case, and probably other hard snap-on backs as well. The phone can go into the holster either face-in for protection, or face-out so the holster can function as a stand for watching movies etc. Not sure I'd recommend the holster for someone who is very active though. When I hold it with the unclipped side down, and give it a good shake, the phone will begin to slide out of the holster, but for regular walking around I think you're plenty safe. Over all a nice buy for the $
Another new case arrived today. This time a basic S-Line style TPU case in white (a nice bright crisp white), $2.95 delivered. This one is different from the clear S-Line I purchased earlier, it's a bit thinner, and the mold seems a little sharper, more defined. Installation and removal is firm, but not difficult, and the overall fit is nice and snug. All the openings clear the ports, but some of them aren't centered well (camera lense, flash, S-Pen), and that lowers the sense of quality of the case. Over all a nice buy for $2.95
So I picked up 3 of the Cruzer Lite Androidified cases from Amazon. They are running a promotion so the 3 cases cost me $19.80 or $6.60 each I got white, yellow, and clear green. The clear green is probably the coolest looking, as Andi really pops nicely. The yellow is a bit drab, kind of NYC Taxi yellow, not as bright as I'd hoped, the white is also not a bright white but a bit warm in tone. These are probably the tightest fitting TPU cases I've gotten so far. I'm not worried about damaging anything taking them on or off, but they're very snug fitting. They come up and over the screen glass slightly so offer that protection. I also like the fact that there is an extra little bit of TPU over the one corner that many cases leave fully open for an antenna on some versions of the note, offering 4 corner drop protection. The only criticism I can offer is that in general, the openings don't line-up perfectly. Nothing is blocked, but the buttons/ports aren't centered in the openings. A small quibble, true, but for a case that lists for $19.99 I'd expect better.
Well, I've got an update on the Mercury case. The inevitable has happened, my Note slipped from my hand while I was getting into my car and it hit the pavement. Of course, the first part to touch the asphalt was the corner that is open for the antenna on the Euro Notes. The damage isn't bad, not even visible with the case on it, but there is a small scratch/ding in the plastic bezel that surrounds the screen and a small scratch on the chrome where it meets the bezel, so I may stop using the Mercury case. It's a shame, because the Mercury has, in my opinion, the highest quality look and feel of all the TPU cases I've tried.
** I will post some pictures later today - I'm at work currently **
The Nillkin Fresh case came about 2-3 days ago and I was quite excited. But that was short lived. The case is a faux-leather flip cover case with a thin plastic shell on that clips to the phone. It looks decent enough, but I have some problems with mine (possibly QC problems):
The case though didn't completely fit!! Along the right side (near the SD/SIM) it is a bit warped - not bad or noticeable unless your looking right at it and for it.
The case is held closed by a magnet, but the magnet on the flip cover is quite small which then requires it to be precisely over the other pole or it does nothing. Not a big deal, but I wish this was thought out better.
Additionally, one of the main features of the case is (link below) how the case being used as a stand. The flip cover is a tri-fold design which should act as a stand but I haven't had much luck with it. The inside of the seemingly leather flip cover is a soft touch, almost suede, material that is quite slippery. This plus the fact that the case seems to be needing to be broken in makes for the "stand" feature unusable... it falls right over currently. (I have tried multiple configurations).
Over all, I bought the case on eBay for $9.99 with no shipping cost (ships from china - companies home country) and it took about 15 days to get here (in the US). Not bad, but I am already looking for a replacement that will make my device feel premium again rather then cheap.
Would I recommend this case? Yes, but only as a temporary case until more come out - like the official Sony cases or a case from Incipio (link below).
** Complete side note: I had a Nillkin case for my old Nexus 4 which only lasted a few short months because the leather started to peel away from the flip cover! I knew this would be a temporary case when I bought it, so keep that in mind!
http://www.nillkin.com/english/proshow.asp?mid=2&sid=0&tid=0&cid=1&scid=13&id=3526&page=1
http://www.incipio.com/cases/smartphone-cases/sony-smartphones/sony-xperia-z-ultra-cases.html
I was fortunate to get to try that case out and many others (being in hk and china) - and I posted about this case. It's unfortunate you didn't read my post and what case eventually went with in the big Z ultra case thread.
This case is definitely not recommended if you want one to work well with desk stand, and want to use the trifold ipad style cover as a stand.
The snap-in style plastic mounts doesn't make it easy to pop in and out of to use the desk stand, and the plastic mounts are shiny thus looks and feels cheap.
Finally, the cover doesn't even come close to the quality and feel of the ipad cover, even the vinyl kind. The material is stiff and plasticky and most importantly doesn't fold together to function as a working stand at all. It will unfold/collapse and fall over.
In addition, there's an issue with the the magnet. With the magnet closed, there is a gap between the last third of the tri-fold cover and the phone's screen. This gap exists because the case (mold or design) is not the right fit - the wider flap makes it essentially unable to align with the opposing magnet. If you try to push the flap down to get rid of the gap, you inadvertently push/slide the magnet off and the cover comes loose. In practice, the magnet will never be engaged because you'll always push the cover down somehow (pocket, bag, stacking something on top).
The only Nillkin I recommend is the http://www.nillkin.com/english/proshow.asp?mid=2&sid=0&tid=0&cid=1&scid=13&id=3516&page=1 shield case. I ended up buying the black one for scenarios where I don't want a flip cover. The fit is good, texture is good (good grippy backside), and it doesn't look too cheap (no shiny plastic). It's decent protection for rougher than usual situations. There are sections where there's a thin piece of plastic on the edge of the phone (like over the usb flap) where it feels weak, cheap and easily breakable. Besides that only issue, I like this case as a back-up.
For a flip cover case that works well with a desk stand, actually stands up, and feels decent quality - I recommend Kaso and Krussell. I went with Kaso as a cheaper alternative for now.
So I guess it's not just me... which is kind of a bummer, but I have already found a replacement. Now if only October 22 was here (my Birthday) I could get a new case!
Thanks for the replay, some good thoughts there!
toonhead85
Funny how the 2 Nillkin cases the OP talks about are the exact 2 I bought online.
I bought the white Fresh, and Yellow leather.
Anyway, after having used both, now I know that flip covers, despite the protection it gives, tend to get in the way of general use. Answering calls involve one extra hassle step.
Taking pictures, you have to roll the flip cover up into the triangle as if you are going to use it as a stand and hold it in your left hand, because simply flipping it and folding it over will obstruct the camera.
Nothing wrong with the build quality...I am sure it is better than most cheapos out there. All the useful ports are left uncovered (one of the reasons why I chose Nillkin...there is actual thought process that has gone into the design). If you want to use the magnetic charging port, not many other manufacturers apart from Nillkin make them uncovered.
The yellow I chose is less vibrant in colour (than what it seemed on screen), and does not go so well with the white ZU I have, so that got retired until the day I get SBH-52 and leave my phone in the bag.
For the Nillkin Fresh, I got in white, and am very happy with it, and currently in use.
It has a nice tight fit, seems to be made of good tough plastic, and the texture on the back helps with general grip.
I did make one modification to it, because even though the magnetic charging port is left open by design, it was impossible to get a good connection while the pone was still in the case. So I cut off the thin strip that runs along the screen side of the mag port. Filed it down with nail clipper file, and now it is perfect. It has not lost structural rigidity.
The number of times that i thought that I had closed the USB port properly, but was still slightly open (thus not making it fully waterproof) has prompted me to get the magnetic charging cable. I knew it was something I wanted while I was out choosing the case, so for those who are still looking for cases, I won't say go Nillkin, but make sure you go for one that has the magnetic charging port uncovered.
Whether you buy DK-30 is a different debate. Some like it, but some find it expensive for what it is. There are not many covers out there tat allow you to dock with it on.
But the USB magnetic charging cable is something I believe every ZU owner should have. For that reason get a cover with the port uncovered.
jewelkobayashi said:
I did make one modification to it, because even though the magnetic charging port is left open by design, it was impossible to get a good connection while the pone was still in the case. So I cut off the thin strip that runs along the screen side of the mag port. Filed it down with nail clipper file, and now it is perfect. It has not lost structural rigidity.
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Click to collapse
Can we please get pictures of this modification? Keen to replicate. Otherwise attractive looking case, be a shame to waste.
liqn7 said:
Can we please get pictures of this modification? Keen to replicate. Otherwise attractive looking case, be a shame to waste.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here u go
jewelkobayashi said:
Nothing wrong with the build quality...
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Click to collapse
I came back to post a quick update about the case I got and this caught my eye... actually the build quality is the reason as well!!
The case is broken ><. On the top left hand side (near the charging port) the case has snapped. A piece is broken clean off and only after about 2 weeks. I know the case was $10, but I also had build quality issues with a Nexus 4 case, so I am going to say the quality is rather low.
With this new information, I am going to say stay away from this case. The long import time (from HK to US), and poor quality aren't worth it. Spend the few extra bucks and get a quality case you will have for more than a few weeks.
Just my 2 cents though...
toonhead85