Judie and I have long been fans of Element Case and their various offerings. After our visit with them during CES 2014, that is more true than ever. Their cases are gorgeous, their offerings are expanding, and their philosophy permeates every aspect of their brand. Here are some images and videos from our time at the booth.
It wouldn’t be CES without case manufacturers announcing new accessories for the smartphone and tablet market, and the folks at Seido are no exception. Seido has been churning out quality cases for years, going back to ye olde Palm OS days, and they are ready to protect your Galaxy Note 3, iPad, and iPhone with style!
If you want serious protection for your Samsung Galaxy S4, then you’ll want to check out the upcoming Pelican ProGear Protector Galaxy S4 case. This $39.95 case offers serious protection thanks to a tough chamfer design on the outside and a soft elastomeric lining on the inside. It meets military testing specs to survive a six-foot drop!
The Samsung GALAXY Note 3 is an engineering marvel. Packed with features, its stylus is more than a mere gimmick. Still, like far too many Samsung products, it feels cheap. That’s where the iLuv FlightFit comes in. For under $30 it promises to protect your Note 3 even as it props it up for easy viewing. Pre-order yours.
As promised in the Gear Diary Newsletter, we are giving away awesome review sample cases. First up is the Element Case Atom S4 Judie recently reviewed. It has an MSRP of $54.95. Read the review, leave a comment then tweet the URL and “@geardiary @dmcohen @elementCASE”. We will announce the winner tomorrow night when we launch the next case giveaway.
Cell phone insurance usually covers the basics, like your phone taking a swim in a pint of beer. But ProtectCELL thinks insurance should be more comprehensive bang for your buck, with buyback offers and even identity theft protection plans! I keep a lot of information on my cell phone. Between banking apps, email, Facebook, and photos, you could recreate most of my life from my cell phone, and I am sure most people could say the same thing. I’ve always felt like cell phone insurance was a waste of money, but I am intrigued by the pitch I received from…
If you’ve got a Samsung Galaxy S4, and you want corner protection without covering up your phone more than absolutely necessary, then the $99.99 DRACO design HYDRA for S4 bumper case may be exactly what you’ve been looking for. It’s sleek, made of aluminum, and it manages to make the S4 look even hotter! As you may have guessed by looking at these pictures, the DRACOdesign HYDRA is an officially licensed Ducati product. Available in Meteor Black, Luxury Silver, and the Flare Red I was sent, the HYDRA is composed of aircraft grade aluminum that has been precision-machined in a 5…
Do you need Spigen SGP’s Aluminum Home Buttons for Samsung GALAXY S4? No. Are they worth the $9.99 price of admission to get three of Spigen SGP’s Aluminum Home Buttons for Samsung GALAXY S4? That depends. If you want to bring a bit of customization to your Samsung super-phone or prefer a Home Button with a bit more tactile feel the SGP Home Buttons might be a good choice for you. If, on the other hand, you don’t need to add bling to your S4-thing you may want to save the ten bucks. Here’s a look at what they offer….
If you are looking for a case that will give a bit of scratch protection to your Samsung GALAXY S4 while adding as little bulk and weight as possible, then you will want to check out the Spigen SGP Ultra Fit for the Samsung GALAXY S4. On Amazon for under $10, this case is just about as minimalist a case as you are going to find. No, it is not for the accident-prone S4 owner but those who tend to be careful with their smartphones and want a bit of extra protection will likely be quite happy! As you can…
One of the features that impressed me when I first say the Samsung GALAXY S4 at the Samsung Press conference announcing it was the smart screen functionality when combined with Samsung’s S Covers. The pairing of the special cover and the screen functionality allows S4 users to see key information without even opening the smartphone’s screen. It is a nice touch that adds a level of functionality and convenience that, while not necessary, sure is nice. Spigen SGP Crumena View Pouch also takes advantage of this functionality. As the name suggests it is a pouch and, thanks to THIS pairing…
If you are looking for simple protection for you Samsung GALAXY S4 smartphone that won’t add much bulk or weight to the device you will want to check out Spigen SGP’s Ultra Thin Air. The Ultra Thin Air is exactly what the name would suggest — a simple, super-thin, super-light snap on case that protects the back, sides and corners of the Samsung GALAXY S4. Here’s a video look… As you can see in the video, this is the Crystal Clear Transparency version of the Spigen SGP Ultra Thin Air Transparency for Samsung GALAXY S4. The case itself is made from…
Whenever I get a new device I always jumped over to the Waterfield SF bag website to see what the company might have to protect it. Waterfield cases, pouches and bags are high-quality, well designed accessories that promise to protect your device for its life and beyond. I can honestly say that I have used/currently use a Waterfield product with every device I own. And while I don’t have a Samsung GALAXY S4 (yet…) I know many of you do and if you are looking for a stylish way to protect the new Samsung super phone you’ll want to check…
The good folks at USBFever work very hard to bring plenty of the most unusual peripherals and accessories for iPhones and other smartphones to the market. From the most simple and functional to the rather esoteric offbeat tech, USBFever has got you covered! Take camera lens add-ons for cell phones. Some of you might think, “What else is there, more zoom to the telescopic lenses?” No, you’d be wrong there. The latest to swim into view is in fact the curious Magnet Stick-On Periscope Lens for the iPhone and Camera Phones. Maybe you are tired of having to…
Some weeks ago, I had the opportunity to review the Rokform Rokshield v3 for iPhone 5 (read the review). The case itself offers nice protection, but that wasn’t what stood out for me. No, what stood out when I reviewed the case at the time was the numerous possibilities a case like this afforded any iPhone user. Why is that so? Simple, the Rokform Rokshield v3 for iPhone 5 is more a system than it is a case. The Rokform Rokshield v3 for iPhone 5 is a hard case, but it also ships with a rubber bumper that wraps around it…
I will admit to having gone into my review of the MiPow Boom and MiPow Boom mini Bluetooth speakers positively inclined toward both products. After all, when Judie and I met with Brian Holmes, vice president and general manager of MiPow, back at CES in January we were immediately impressed by the attention to quality and detail the company put into their mobile accessories. During our meeting we got to check out their range of external batteries and liked what we saw. We learned about their Bluetooth headsets and were anxious to try them out. And, at the end of CES, we…
One way to predict whether or not a new device is going to be a hit is to look at how many cases and other assorted accessories are announced in the hours following the launch. For example, each time a new iDevice is announced Judie and I get dozens of emails with each company making sure we know they have something to add style and protection to the device. If such a barometer is accurate the Samsung GALAXY S4 that was announced Thursday evening is going to be a huge hit. Yes, in the day and a half since we…
Some smartphone accessories have a clear purpose and reason for existing. The purpose of other accessories is… less obvious. Case in point- the Spigen SGP Home Buttons for Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The Note 2 has a Home button and it works just fine on its own. Why then would one spend $10 to buy three different metal buttons to place over the stock Home button? Well, if you have a Verizon branded Samsung GALAXY Note 2 there is ugly and stupid Verizon branding right on the button. The Spigen SGP Home Buttons for Samsung Galaxy Note 2 cover the…
So you’ve entered the land of phablets and bought yourself a Samsung GALAXY Note 2. You love carrying one device that serves as both (a freakin’ huge) smartphone and a (tiny tiny) tablet and you take it everywhere you go. That’s great but a device getting that much use and abuse needs t be protected. Fortunately Speck has you and your Note 2 covered with their Speck CandyShell for Samsung GALAXY Note 2. It is a great way to add color while keeping your Note 2 safe and secure. The Speck CandyShell for Samsung GALAXY Note 2 comes in two…
We love Cygnett Cases at Gear Diary. They offer a tremendous number of unique styles in a variety of price ranges, and it’s always a treat to see their newest designs. While at CES 2013, we were lucky enough to swing by their booth and get a tour of the highlights on deck for 2013! Some of the graffiti-inspired cases were especially cool looking. I like a case with a pop of color, and having that sort of unusual artwork really makes the cases stand out! You can browse all of Cygnett’s various offerings on their website. Let us know…
You may not know the name Luvvitt, but you should. They make affordable, attractive iPhone, iPad, and Samsung cases, plus they’ve branched out into Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad and iPad Mini. I’ve used their Dolce back cover for my iPad 3, and even though I have tested other cases I always come back to the Luvvitt for its simplicity, durability, and style. So when I was walking the floor at CES and saw their booth, I had to stop by and learn more about them — and I am thrilled I did! Their cases are stylish and affordable, and…
I had the privilege of walking the CES floor and trying hard to cover as much as I could for Gear Diary this past week. It was, as you can imagine, absolutely geek heaven. I can’t even count how many smartphone accessories I saw this week, but one common thread stood out among the many mixed styles: if you want a nice case for your phone, buy an iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy S3, or a Note 2. Otherwise, you probably won’t see much case love. Now, seeing iPhone cases everywhere isn’t a big surprise at all. But all week I…