New iskin fuze case for iphone

[smr]

My iSkin fuze case arrived this morning (ordered directly from the iSkin website).

As a UK customer I was a bit worried about import duties, but it arrived very quickly with UPS without any duty, so has cost about £30 in all.

Forum reviews of the fuze have not been that glowing, but the iLounge review was very positive. My inclination at the moment is to go with iLounge.

The photos of the case I have seen so far do not really do it justice - it looks quite cheap in the photos whereas in real-life it looks (IMHO) good, keeping some of the design aspects of the iPhone itself. The smooth black back looks similar to photos of the 3G iPhone (minus the Apple logo), so helps make the old first gen phone look a bit more up-to-date! (and helps me refrain from upgrading until the 32GB model comes out!)

The case also feels good. I find a naked iPhone too slippy, whereas silicone skins can be a bit too grippy. However, like Goldilocks' porridge, the fuze feels to have just the right amout of grip.

However it is not perfect. I'm suffering with a bit of a 'gap' between the two halves of the case at the top (as reported earlier). Hopefully after some use and/or a few fittings this will go away. The buttons operate fine but have lost nearly all their tactile feedback (which they still had with my old iSkin revo case). I'm hoping I will get used to this.

Note that I haven't used the screen protector - I don't usually bother with them on glass screens.

So my first impressions are generally good. I will report back after a couple of weeks use.

UPDATE

I have been using the fuze for nearly a week now.

On the positive side, the case now fits perfectly - the small gap reported earlier just disappeared over the first day, so isn't a problem. Another nice feature (not sure if it was intended) is that the dock protector is very 'grippy' rubber. This allows the iPhone to be propped up (e.g. against my work PC) at the same sort of angle it is in the dock without slipping down. This makes it easier to see/use the controls etc when playing music whilst working.

But on the negative side, the case makes the iPhones buttons far too unresponsive for me. They do work - they just don't give enough feedback. Also, as reported by others, you need the fingers of an eight year old girl to operate the silence ringer button. And the hard case comes right to the edge of the screen - this makes it very difficult to touch buttons near to the edge of the screen. Silicone skins tend to have enough give to overcome all these problems.

Whilst I like the looks and overall feel of the fuze, these usability issues are too much of a problem for me. So I have ditched the fuze and gone back to my old iSkin revo (a great case in my opinion - I should just have been happy with it rather than being tempted by the green grass of the fuze).

 

[AMach]

Does anyone have problems with the rubber layer of the outside of the case peeling? It's getting pretty bad, and it makes the phone look really crappy. Can I get a refund because of this? If so, would I be refunded for the shipping too, or would I have to lose out on the cost of shipping it back too?

 

[Kristianatiskin]

Does anyone have problems with the rubber layer of the outside of the case peeling? It's getting pretty bad, and it makes the phone look really crappy. Can I get a refund because of this? If so, would I be refunded for the shipping too, or would I have to lose out on the cost of shipping it back too?

Hi There,

I'm Sorry to hear that you are havign much trouble with your iSkin Fuze. Id be happy to exchange your product for a new one. If you'd like to please email me directly @ kristian@iskin.com we can take it from there.

I hope this helps

Kristian

 

[seenett]

Kristian -

Any news on the Fuze for 3G? I'm trying to hold out for it, but I need to do something soon...

 

[Kristianatiskin]

Kristian -

Any news on the Fuze for 3G? I'm trying to hold out for it, but I need to do something soon...

Hey There,

We are busily putting the final touches on the the new fuze. We will be looking to start dropping new cases in the next coming weeks....

thanks

kw

 

[Eliovale]

new fuze iPhone 3g

kristian, thanks again for your great feedbacks, I really think the fuze is great and was wondering if you have a specific time for this great case for iPhone 3g. Thanks

 

[dccorona]

kristian, thanks again for your great feedbacks, I really think the fuze is great and was wondering if you have a specific time for this great case for iPhone 3g. Thanks

He defiantly just answered that

 

[seenett]

He defiantly just answered that

No, he didn't. The "next coming weeks" is corporate speak for 2-8 weeks. But that is specific as it is going to get. We were lucky to get that much info. The rule in sales is "sell what you have now - not what you may have later". Rarely do companies promote products that aren't available yet.

 

[rkg81]

You didn't put it together properly.

I got my iSkin Fuze yesterday and was a little disappointed. I love iSkin products, have a Revo and clip that I use quite often, and I was looking forward to this case. I'm giving it another 24 hours before I decide if I'm going to keep it.
Pros:
-Rubberized finish is smooth and doesn't attract particles
-Doesn't add bulk to phone and edges have a nice feel
-So far seems like it will offer solid protect from drops

Cons:
-Top part of the front piece has a tiny gap and it's just enough to irritate me. A bit of a poor fit compared to the bottom portion of that piece.
-Screen protector took me about 30 mins to get placed and I still have bubbles in the corner
-Silver paint application is really poor; look at the silver along the screen recess
-That screen recess feels too deep to me and makes texting awkward, but it may take getting used to since my last case had a completely flat top surface over the screen.

I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon to photograph product beauty shots. That said, here are my pics:

Snap it together and the gap will disappear. I had the gap at first too, but a gentle squeeze will snap it firmly together.

 

[rkg81]

I love it!

I've had my iskin Fuze for about a week.

Observations:

I think this is a great cover for those who are tired of the iphone's boring and snobby design and want the look and feel of a whole new device, and not the look of a skin or cover.

The soft rubberized finish makes it easier to grip without slipping and the black and silver matches my HP laptop. The bottons look nice and feel rubbery, but are kind of hard to push and lack that tactile button click sensation. I do not use the silent switch so that does not apply to me, although it is hard to switch. The ipod connector port cover at the bottom is attached so you can't lose it and it integrates seamlessly into the rest of the design. But I just hate that diamond-shaped clear plastic sensor window on the earpiece, really takes away from the design.

Installation was simple, but it is worth noting to read the instructions.
At first, I noticed the notorious gap that everyone is talking about, but it appears that if you snap it on just like the instructions say, it snaps tightly and permanently with NO gap at all. When properly applied it is NOT easy to take apart.

The screen protector is high quality and fingerprint resistant. Though others complained of bubbles under the screen protector, mine applied perfectly smooth with no bubbles and remains this way.

There are defects from the molding process that are all too apparent in acouple places, taking away from the otherwise quality look and feel of this case. Apparently they made an improvement with the finish by making the underlying plastic black instead of white like previously. This helps hide blemishes on the back cover a bit more.

The frame around the screen is deep but in my case does not hinder my typing like others observe because I learned how to type letters by mashing my fingers around and not by picking or pecking which causes typos.

The black rubbery plastic does scratch up very easily. They really need to work on this. But I am rough with my things and I only have one scratch after a week's use which is really not that bad.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this case, mainly to those who want the look of a new device rather than the look of a skin or cover on an iphone. The iskin fuze will turn heads, guaranteed.

Richard Graham

 

[rkg81]

No Good

UPDATE

When my iskin arrived, it seemed like a good case at first... until i tried to get it off and it cracked near the power button and is now useless. I notified our dear corporate friend Kristian, who seems to be ignoring my email and iskin aswell has not responded in well over a week. Don't be fooled by Kristian's corporate hogwash and

DO NOT BUY THIS.

TOTAL WASTE OF 60 bucks.

 

[fares.f]

Did anybody try the fuze for iPhone 3G?

I'm thinking of getting one, it looks pretty good on the website... did anyone actually buy it for their iPhone 3G?

All the reviews here are for the 2G iPhone...

Thx...

 

[Kristianatiskin]

UPDATE

When my iskin arrived, it seemed like a good case at first... until i tried to get it off and it cracked near the power button and is now useless. I notified our dear corporate friend Kristian, who seems to be ignoring my email and iskin aswell has not responded in well over a week. Don't be fooled by Kristian's corporate hogwash and

DO NOT BUY THIS.

TOTAL WASTE OF 60 bucks.

Hello - I'm sorry but I do not recall receiving an email from you directly - but in the case I have missed your email due to the fact I'm now receiving hundreds of emails a day it may have just been missed. I do my very best to handle the individual support requirements but as iSkin's Marketing Manager I would hope you can imagine the load that a position as such places on an individual but furthermore I do not feel that i have ever given anyone here your so called "Hogwash"...

So with that said if you do have an issue, we do have customer service reps available to help Monday to Friday during regular business hours. And I suggest that if you are not happy with your purchase you contact myself and be patient for a response and or sending another email or contacting my CSR's.

But i reassure everyone here that iSkin Support is very important to us and that we are not in the practice of anything close to putting out Corporate Hogwash.

Small Update on connectivity:

We launched our blog so you can connect with us on there and you can see it @ http://blog.myiskin.com

We are on Twitter www.twitter.com/iskininc - here you can connect with us and send us direct messages for help and our whatever you want to talk with us about.

I am on Twitter www.twitter.com/iskinkristian and you can send me whatever - im very active on my twitter account.

and if you want you can message me on AIM @ iskinkristian im normally online with my computer and my mobile phone so there now there is relaly no way you cant get a hold of me if you need a resolution to a problem or maybe just to say to hello - im good with that aswell.

Thanks Everyone
K