Three cases, two mods, one decision.
Bumper:
I've had a bumper on my iP4 for a while now and liked it except for one thing. The 30 pin opening as we all know only fits Apple usb plugs. I have a stash of plugs from Monoprice all over for quick charging (back from my 3G days). Also, in my car I have a Griffin AutoPilot that I absolutely love as it uses the line out of the iPhone. All these non Apple connectors don't fit the bumper. So I decided to try and modify the bumper so the plugs would fit. I used a Dremel to grind away little by little the area in question (needed to grind right to the edge of the rubber part). On the bottom I did it absolutely perfect and the bumper was still stiff there. I the top of the opening I went a hair (and I mean a micro hair) too much and that area is no longer stiff as it is just a strip of rubber. So if you are going to do this mod just don't go too far and it would work just fine.
Belkin Grip Vue:
So now that the bumper was a little screwy I decided to head down to Best Buy to see what choices they had. I'm going on vacation in a couple days so I needed something while traveling. I saw the mixed reviews on the Grip Vue but thought that it would do while on vacation and if I didn't like it I would return it when I got back. When buying it I made sure I bought a newer version that has the frosted edges so that the buttons work better and the flash is okay. I wanted Black Pearl but BB doesn't seem to stock this. After I put it on the first thing I noticed, and that others have mentioned, is the power button is SUPER sensitive. It literally takes a light touch to turn the phone on/off. This would be a problem for me while traveling for battery life if my phone is constantly turning on and off in my pocket.
No Name TPU case:
While in the mall I saw a Kiosk that was selling cases and they had a ton of cheapo imports for $20. I had seen these on eBay and know they can be had for $3-$8 so I asked if he would go lower. He said $18, I said $10, He said $15, I said no tax, he said sold. After having it on for a while it was kind of bugging me as the fit wasn't very good (the edges around the display are not very straight). Mind you it is plenty good enough for $3 but still it was bugging me that it made the phone look so cheap. Off it went.
Looking at the Belkin I thought maybe I can mod the inside of the case where the button is. I broke out the Dremel and very carefully took a layer off the button area. I did this a few times checking the fit on the iP4 between every round of grinding. The material comes off very easy and is predictable as you grind. The button now works perfectly. It no longer turns the iP4 on/off at the slightest touch. I actually really like this case now and will try to find a Black Pearl when I get back. That one will go through the exact same mod.
Bumper:
I've had a bumper on my iP4 for a while now and liked it except for one thing. The 30 pin opening as we all know only fits Apple usb plugs. I have a stash of plugs from Monoprice all over for quick charging (back from my 3G days). Also, in my car I have a Griffin AutoPilot that I absolutely love as it uses the line out of the iPhone. All these non Apple connectors don't fit the bumper. So I decided to try and modify the bumper so the plugs would fit. I used a Dremel to grind away little by little the area in question (needed to grind right to the edge of the rubber part). On the bottom I did it absolutely perfect and the bumper was still stiff there. I the top of the opening I went a hair (and I mean a micro hair) too much and that area is no longer stiff as it is just a strip of rubber. So if you are going to do this mod just don't go too far and it would work just fine.
Belkin Grip Vue:
So now that the bumper was a little screwy I decided to head down to Best Buy to see what choices they had. I'm going on vacation in a couple days so I needed something while traveling. I saw the mixed reviews on the Grip Vue but thought that it would do while on vacation and if I didn't like it I would return it when I got back. When buying it I made sure I bought a newer version that has the frosted edges so that the buttons work better and the flash is okay. I wanted Black Pearl but BB doesn't seem to stock this. After I put it on the first thing I noticed, and that others have mentioned, is the power button is SUPER sensitive. It literally takes a light touch to turn the phone on/off. This would be a problem for me while traveling for battery life if my phone is constantly turning on and off in my pocket.
No Name TPU case:
While in the mall I saw a Kiosk that was selling cases and they had a ton of cheapo imports for $20. I had seen these on eBay and know they can be had for $3-$8 so I asked if he would go lower. He said $18, I said $10, He said $15, I said no tax, he said sold. After having it on for a while it was kind of bugging me as the fit wasn't very good (the edges around the display are not very straight). Mind you it is plenty good enough for $3 but still it was bugging me that it made the phone look so cheap. Off it went.
Looking at the Belkin I thought maybe I can mod the inside of the case where the button is. I broke out the Dremel and very carefully took a layer off the button area. I did this a few times checking the fit on the iP4 between every round of grinding. The material comes off very easy and is predictable as you grind. The button now works perfectly. It no longer turns the iP4 on/off at the slightest touch. I actually really like this case now and will try to find a Black Pearl when I get back. That one will go through the exact same mod.
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