Glide: The Precision Aluminum iPhone Case

[boraxatude]

its hard to believe there's reception issues since the sides actually hover over and have no contact with the metal band. they do claim it does not interfere with reception......wonder if those with issues are at&t customers

I am on AT&T with the 4S (with a slickwrap bumper skin underneath) and tried the bumper out for a week (LA and Santa Barbara)... Again, no 'noticeable' reception issues when I was in an area with a good signal.

In my home office - With the bumper, I had 0-1 bar. Without the bumper: 2-3 bars. Same problem up in SB inside a house I was staying in. Note that my wife's iphone 4 had zero reception issues with 3 bars with a standard silicone bumper, there. I struggled to get even 1 bar.

I tried it without the slickwrap as well. No go.

It's a beautiful bumper and as other posters have noted -- Feels like you have no bumper at all. I know the company claims that it hovers over the side, but it's so thin and so tight on the case, I don't see how that's possible.

I guess at the end of the day, mileage will vary.

 

[white4s]

i have the $5 bumper off ebay. im getting the glide soon

 

[robotphood]

I am on AT&T with the 4S (with a slickwrap bumper skin underneath) and tried the bumper out for a week (LA and Santa Barbara)... Again, no 'noticeable' reception issues when I was in an area with a good signal.

In my home office - With the bumper, I had 0-1 bar. Without the bumper: 2-3 bars. Same problem up in SB inside a house I was staying in. Note that my wife's iphone 4 had zero reception issues with 3 bars with a standard silicone bumper, there. I struggled to get even 1 bar.

I tried it without the slickwrap as well. No go.

It's a beautiful bumper and as other posters have noted -- Feels like you have no bumper at all. I know the company claims that it hovers over the side, but it's so thin and so tight on the case, I don't see how that's possible.

I guess at the end of the day, mileage will vary.

Ugh, that's a shame. This seems like the bumper I've been waiting for. But I frequent fringe signal areas and can't imagine having to remove the case just to use my phone. I also live in a 100 year old building (downtown LA) that shields a lot of signal (full strength outside, lose a 1-2 bars once inside).

 

[chunker]

One thing to mention I'm sure others may agree with.

Low bars, doesn't mean no signal. There's been times in which I've had 1 bar or even no bars, yet I was able to receive and make calls without any issue. This of course did hurt my data speeds. I was out and about yesterday, and I had full bars as we drove around. Had full bars while driving and full bars while inside a restaurant as well.

Again... I'm sure results will vary for other users, but so far so good in my case.

 

[Kid Red]

I just came across this case an hour ago and was so excited about. Now I'm a little bummed. I wonder if the contact point is the top/outside edges of the iPhones metal antenna case? My lucky labs wrap only covers the face of the metal not the outside edges which seems to be what these 'rails' rest against? So maybe a wrap that covers the face and outer edges of Apple's atenna case.

 

[HellaFilthy]

Does anybody know if this case will fit around a full body skin like invisible shield?

 

[IXDoubleDXI]

Looks nice and clean.

 

[Rocko1]

My point exactly. How can someone say with such authority that the design will affect reception if no one has been able to use it yet

Well, the same way the people wanting to make the cases has said 'Unhindered Reception'. Even with one prototype, a conclusion can not be definite. Based on history and hundreds of tests done on aluminum cases on the 4 and 4s it's a safe assumption it will impact the signal somewhat.

 

[scyip]

Best case out there

Registered just to support Caseless, this might be a long post because I feel quite strongly about this product.

I did a ton of research before I picked this, and this is the ONLY case that matched all of my criteria (feel free to let me know if anyone knows of others, always looking out for more good iPhone accessories):
1) Open back (bumper style)
2) Lay flat protection
3) Extremely thin

I was actually reluctant at first because I heard aluminum would hurt reception, but I thought I would give it a shot. Actually bought two (black and blue) so that I can mix and match any way I felt like it.

When I received them, there were some quality issues on the black set of sides, with some scuff marks / scratches, but Paul from Caseless promptly responded to my email with replacement sides, shipped to me (in Hong Kong) for free.

So far I love the case, and have noticed minimal reception impact (less than one bar difference). A coworker was holding it and actually thought I had modded my phone with custom sides because it was so thin he didn't realize it was actually a case! Plus I've dropped it twice on tile at home from waist high and have some nicks on the case, but the phone was totally fine (one of those times, the sides came off, but was easily snapped back into place).

I'm glad to hear that they're putting more QA in their manufacturing process, as my girlfriend wants it in silver and red for her white 4S because her phone with the SGP Neo Hybrid case feels bulky compared to mine, so I may buy another two sets soon. We're just looking around for pictures of a white iPhone with this case to see how it looks (anyone have one they can post?).

It would be great if they can come up with more colours, especially pink or white which my girlfriend would love. Besides that, I think this product is perfect!

 

[MsBeauty]

My point exactly. How can someone say with such authority that the design will affect reception if no one has been able to use it yet

anyway

Please go back and restudy your physics!! Just common sense

 

[white4s]

reception has varied with mine so far, some areas it stays at 5 bars while other areas, like my job, continously bounce from 4-1. hasnt affected any performance though

 

[boraxatude]

Just wanted to chime in again that I love the bumper design but really wish that someone, if not Caseless, would offer it in a non-metal material. The reception issues in my home office proved to be too great for regular use.

 

[white4s]

Just wanted to chime in again that I love the bumper design but really wish that someone, if not Caseless, would offer it in a non-metal material. The reception issues in my home office proved to be too great for regular use.

well they do have plastic and silicone bumpers. like the apple one

 

[HellaFilthy]

We're just looking around for pictures of a white iPhone with this case to see how it looks (anyone have one they can post?)

Mine just arrived the other day. I have a Matte back/side Ghost Armor skin underneath it. I did notice a decrease in reception (without the Ghost Armor), but when I put the Ghost Armor on, the reception went back to normal... But here are pics of my 4s.

 

[acwyau]

Just received my case today, and while I love the look and feel of the case...my reception went to almost zero as soon as I installed it. My phone is more or less unusable in my house, as I even have difficulty maintaining a wifi connection when I go to the second floor of my house.

It most definitely is the top and bottom pieces affecting the reception, as they touch the sides of the antenna. I put my phone into field test mode before installing the case, and before the side pieces even made it onto the phone, my signal strength dropped about -20dBm. So it's true the side pieces don't touch the antenna, but the top and bottom kill the reception on it's own. I'm considering trying the Ghost Armor sides to see if it helps, but I'm not sure I want to spend the money on a "maybe" and just might send it back.

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well they do have plastic and silicone bumpers. like the apple one

Yes, but I believe they were referring to having a case with an identical design as the Glide, but not made of aluminum to reduce the chance of affecting reception.

 

[FaulconD]

Still have hope for the Glide

I received my Glide yesterday, but unfortunately experienced a 33% reduction in both 3G and Wifi reception after I installed it.
After a couple of hours of testing, comparing the Glide, with the Apple bumper and naked; while using my wife's 3GS as a control group, I concluded that the Glide was making contact with the 4S antenna.
I will be returning it to Caseless, but still feel that the design is elegant and the overall fit and finish truly amazing and hope that the issue is limited only the bumper that I received.
This is an American company, making an innovative product in the United States and I want to support them in producing a product that we can all be proud of.

 

[jdecosta]

Just received mine and noticed a slight decrease in signal strength. I typically get -81db and now I am at about -89db. I have Ghost Armor installed on the sides and back, the back is starting to peel a little with the back frame of the bumper. Also the hole cut outs for the volume and mute don't line up well. I might email Paul to see if he can address the cutout issue.

 

[white4s]

the reception lost is starting to be an annoying issue with me. too random, goes up and down

 

[matrix808]

This case looks really awesome and i really want to try it out to test the reception issue since their website states "100% satisfaction". For those who have returned this case did you have any problems with the company?

 

[jdecosta]

This case looks really awesome and i really want to try it out to test the reception issue since their website states "100% satisfaction". For those who have returned this case did you have any problems with the company?

No issues with the return. Paul was great and issued the credit before he received the product. It took 2 weeks to get the return label and I sent it on its way yesterday.

 

[white4s]

i wonder with all this negative feedback on reception if he will make a change

 

[jdecosta]

i wonder with all this negative feedback on reception if he will make a change

In our correspondence he mentioned they are working on some ways to help with reception and he will update current owners. I really like the bumper but the reception change was causing me to have call issues.

 

[white4s]

In our correspondence he mentioned they are working on some ways to help with reception and he will update current owners. I really like the bumper but the reception change was causing me to have call issues.

oh really thats good to know. i do have reception issues but thankfully it hasnt affected any performance, only a decrease in battery life. and im noticing it only affects reception in certain areas. i still get 4-5 bars here and there

 

[sittinginthesun]

HORRIBLE case. NOT WORTH THE MONEY.

I registered for an account here simply to be able to add my two cents regarding this case. I read all I could about the Glide Caseless, and really was looking forward to getting a very thin bumper case to show off my white 4s. It took about 3 weeks to arrive, which I expected from the website's warnings, but which seemed a bit long to wait.

Once it arrived, I followed the instructions to a T and found that the case did not snap perfectly together as it should have. I tried removing it (carefully, because the aluminum is slightly malleable) and re-installing many times, but could never get a perfect fit. I really liked how lightweight it was, and the look, but was worried that it wouldn't hold up, since it didn't seem to fit perfectly.

Less than 2 weeks into ownership, I dropped my phone from a height of about 12 inches. Here is the description I sent to Caseless of what happened, with my refund request:

"I would really like to return this case. It does not fit properly, and is not, in my opinion, worth the price, because of that. I dropped it once, today, from less than 12 inches (I was sitting on the ground) and the case now gaps and fits even less properly than before. Please advise on how to return. Although I understand that your policy indicates that you cannot replace or refund damaged or dropped cases, I believe that an exception should be made. This case did not even last 2 weeks and does not protect my phone. Thank you."

Guess what? I never got a response. I followed the protocol of requesting a refund through Google Checkout, but nothing. I spent $59.82 on this piece of crap, including shipping, and I finally gave up after 2 months of owning it. It would barely stay together after that length of time. I gave up and went back to an Incipio case, which was $15, and which I expect to last MUCH longer.

Please think twice before you order this case. Unless you never put the phone in your pocket or bag, this case will not last. I only wish the company had responded to my emails. I am out $60 for a few flimsy pieces of aluminum. So disappointing.

 

[Rocko1]

I registered for an account here simply to be able to add my two cents regarding this case. I read all I could about the Glide Caseless, and really was looking forward to getting a very thin bumper case to show off my white 4s. It took about 3 weeks to arrive, which I expected from the website's warnings, but which seemed a bit long to wait.

Once it arrived, I followed the instructions to a T and found that the case did not snap perfectly together as it should have. I tried removing it (carefully, because the aluminum is slightly malleable) and re-installing many times, but could never get a perfect fit. I really liked how lightweight it was, and the look, but was worried that it wouldn't hold up, since it didn't seem to fit perfectly.

Less than 2 weeks into ownership, I dropped my phone from a height of about 12 inches. Here is the description I sent to Caseless of what happened, with my refund request:

"I would really like to return this case. It does not fit properly, and is not, in my opinion, worth the price, because of that. I dropped it once, today, from less than 12 inches (I was sitting on the ground) and the case now gaps and fits even less properly than before. Please advise on how to return. Although I understand that your policy indicates that you cannot replace or refund damaged or dropped cases, I believe that an exception should be made. This case did not even last 2 weeks and does not protect my phone. Thank you."

Guess what? I never got a response. I followed the protocol of requesting a refund through Google Checkout, but nothing. I spent $59.82 on this piece of crap, including shipping, and I finally gave up after 2 months of owning it. It would barely stay together after that length of time. I gave up and went back to an Incipio case, which was $15, and which I expect to last MUCH longer.

Please think twice before you order this case. Unless you never put the phone in your pocket or bag, this case will not last. I only wish the company had responded to my emails. I am out $60 for a few flimsy pieces of aluminum. So disappointing.

Is your google account attached to a credit card? Call the credit card and have them reverse the charges. Tell them what happened.99% of the time they side with the buyer.