Sharkeye for Iphone 3gs Review
Background Info:
http://www.sharkeye.com/
Sharkeye Cases are rugged cases made up of a smooth hard outer shell and a soft elastomer lining. Unlike any other rugged cases on the market, the sharkeye has a patented retractable screen shield. The Sharkeye comes in 6 different colours (Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Purple, and Olive/Green. It comes in 2 versions- 3gs and 4. I opted for the black version.
Shipping:
I was actually supposed to do this review several weeks ago. However being my first review I really wanted to use it for a while and test it out thoroughly to give a fair review. I ordered the case and it was next day shipping. I don’t remember exactly but I do believe it came within 10 days which is pretty good considering I live in Canada. (10 days still seems like forever though when you are waiting for a package to come in the mail ☺)
Included:
1xSharkeye Case
2x Crystal Screenshields
First Impressions:
Right off the bat, the case feels great. It is the first thing that came to mind when I took it out of the packaging. It is very easy to take the bottom part off, all you do is push the button and pull. At first glance, the lock which holds the bottom part looks a tiny bit flimsy. This is a concern with the case I already have. Without taking out the retractable shield I slide the phone in and put the bottom piece in. The phone goes in very nicely, it slides in without a hitch and feels very snug in the elastamer. Once the phone is in the case the whole thing feels extremely solid. One of the things that I already really like about the case is how light it feels. Okay, on to the more juicy parts…
Protection:
After a few weeks of using this case, I must say I am extremely impressed. I have dropped it on several occasions onto hard surfaces including pavement and the case has held up perfectly (and so has the phone of course). There are no scratches except for a very minor scuff on the top part of the case where it landed in one of the falls. The difference between the sharkeye and other rugged cases like the Otterbox is that soft part of the case is inside and not outside. Not sure if this does anything to add protection but it definitely gives me the impression that it protects better that way. Someone spilt a bit of their drink on the screen of the case in the bar one night. I soaked it up and none of it made it onto the actual phone. This is not to say the case is waterproof or water resistant because it’s not. The earpiece, speaker, microphone vibrate switch and camera are all exposed so I would definitely not recommend using this case for whitewater kayaking.
Design and Quality
I love the design! It has a very minimalistic look to it which I like. The feel of it is smooth yet you get a good grip. There are also ridges in the sides for extra grip. The buttons are extremely responsive and feel great. The charger part is covered by the elastomer which fits in snuggly and never comes out by itself. It comes out easy enough that it’s never a hassle to take out. On the other hand, the headphone jack cover was very tight for a few days. Almost too tight. However all of a sudden one day it became loose. Eventually it stopped staying in completely. It still works and is doesn’t pop out completely but it sticks out which does bug me a tiny bit. Onto the most important part: the patented retractable screen…. It works great! It is very smooth and feels very satisfying to open and close (similar effect to a slider phone.) I haven’t come across a situation where my screen was in fatal danger yet, but I am quite confident the sharkeye will protect it if that time ever comes. (there are demo videos on sharkeye website and youtube of a steel ball being dropped onto the screen from a pretty high distance and the case absorbs all the damage.) This case also feels a lot better than the Otterbox, and I really do mean A LOT. This I believe is due to it being lighter, and smooth on the outside. The size dimensions are practically identical yet it doesn’t feel bulky and slides in and out of pockets completely fine.
Problems/Issues
Unfortunately, there are a few issues. The first one being the vibrate is extremely recessed. I don’t have particularly big hands and it is still quite difficult to switch the button. It requires a bit of finessing. I can see how anyone with big hands/fingers will have trouble reaching the switch. Another very small issue is the elastomer which surrounds the earpiece is loose on the bottom as you can see in one of the pictures. Nothing a bit of super glue won’t fix, but why couldn’t they glue that one piece? This seems to me like a quality control issue. The last thing is that my screenshield has actually become scratched as pictured. This is NOT from opening the sharkeye shield properly. It is from opening it by PRESSING on the screen part. This simply means do not open it by pressing on the screen and simply do it from the back. This can sometimes be a tiny bit tricky to do with one hand especially when you’re driving (BUT YOU SHOULD NOT BE TEXTING OR USING YOUR PHONE ANYWAYS WHEN YOUR DRIVING ☺).I CAN ASSURE YOU THE RETRACTABLE DOOR WILL NOT SCRATCH YOUR SCREEN. THE SCRATCHES ARE CAUSED BY THE FRICTION FROM PUSHING THE DOOR AGAINST THE SCREEN! Overall, it’s only really the vibrate button being too recessed which is an issue. Almost forgot, at first was a bit tricky to type quickly when the keyboard was sideways. However, once I got used to it, it was fine. Anyone with large fingers may have problems.
Conclusion
Overall, I love this case! I have to admit I thought the whole Sharkeye retractable door was a gimmick at first but being the case hoarder that I am I decided to buy it anyways and don’t regret it. Out of the 40+ cases I have used the Sharkeye has stayed on the longest. I switched to the incase one day and within a few minutes switched back due to missing opening and closing the screen. The case is great value for 40 bucks (comes with 2 screenshields) and I promise anyone that is looking for a rugged case especially if your in construction this is the case for you.
Pros:
Feels Great, Looks Great! (this is my personal opinion)
Love the retractable door, very satisfying to open and close.
Extremely rugged, can definitely handle tons of punishment.
Cons:
Minor issues with quality control
Recessed vibrate switch
Typing may be tricky for those with large fingers
The outer shell only comes in Black (if it came in white I would’ve copped it).
Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think of my review and also if you have any questions feel free to ask! (There is more I would say, but this is already an essay...
)
- GucciGucci ☺☺☺
Background Info:
http://www.sharkeye.com/
Sharkeye Cases are rugged cases made up of a smooth hard outer shell and a soft elastomer lining. Unlike any other rugged cases on the market, the sharkeye has a patented retractable screen shield. The Sharkeye comes in 6 different colours (Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Purple, and Olive/Green. It comes in 2 versions- 3gs and 4. I opted for the black version.
Shipping:
I was actually supposed to do this review several weeks ago. However being my first review I really wanted to use it for a while and test it out thoroughly to give a fair review. I ordered the case and it was next day shipping. I don’t remember exactly but I do believe it came within 10 days which is pretty good considering I live in Canada. (10 days still seems like forever though when you are waiting for a package to come in the mail ☺)
Included:
1xSharkeye Case
2x Crystal Screenshields
First Impressions:
Right off the bat, the case feels great. It is the first thing that came to mind when I took it out of the packaging. It is very easy to take the bottom part off, all you do is push the button and pull. At first glance, the lock which holds the bottom part looks a tiny bit flimsy. This is a concern with the case I already have. Without taking out the retractable shield I slide the phone in and put the bottom piece in. The phone goes in very nicely, it slides in without a hitch and feels very snug in the elastamer. Once the phone is in the case the whole thing feels extremely solid. One of the things that I already really like about the case is how light it feels. Okay, on to the more juicy parts…
Protection:
After a few weeks of using this case, I must say I am extremely impressed. I have dropped it on several occasions onto hard surfaces including pavement and the case has held up perfectly (and so has the phone of course). There are no scratches except for a very minor scuff on the top part of the case where it landed in one of the falls. The difference between the sharkeye and other rugged cases like the Otterbox is that soft part of the case is inside and not outside. Not sure if this does anything to add protection but it definitely gives me the impression that it protects better that way. Someone spilt a bit of their drink on the screen of the case in the bar one night. I soaked it up and none of it made it onto the actual phone. This is not to say the case is waterproof or water resistant because it’s not. The earpiece, speaker, microphone vibrate switch and camera are all exposed so I would definitely not recommend using this case for whitewater kayaking.
Design and Quality
I love the design! It has a very minimalistic look to it which I like. The feel of it is smooth yet you get a good grip. There are also ridges in the sides for extra grip. The buttons are extremely responsive and feel great. The charger part is covered by the elastomer which fits in snuggly and never comes out by itself. It comes out easy enough that it’s never a hassle to take out. On the other hand, the headphone jack cover was very tight for a few days. Almost too tight. However all of a sudden one day it became loose. Eventually it stopped staying in completely. It still works and is doesn’t pop out completely but it sticks out which does bug me a tiny bit. Onto the most important part: the patented retractable screen…. It works great! It is very smooth and feels very satisfying to open and close (similar effect to a slider phone.) I haven’t come across a situation where my screen was in fatal danger yet, but I am quite confident the sharkeye will protect it if that time ever comes. (there are demo videos on sharkeye website and youtube of a steel ball being dropped onto the screen from a pretty high distance and the case absorbs all the damage.) This case also feels a lot better than the Otterbox, and I really do mean A LOT. This I believe is due to it being lighter, and smooth on the outside. The size dimensions are practically identical yet it doesn’t feel bulky and slides in and out of pockets completely fine.
Problems/Issues
Unfortunately, there are a few issues. The first one being the vibrate is extremely recessed. I don’t have particularly big hands and it is still quite difficult to switch the button. It requires a bit of finessing. I can see how anyone with big hands/fingers will have trouble reaching the switch. Another very small issue is the elastomer which surrounds the earpiece is loose on the bottom as you can see in one of the pictures. Nothing a bit of super glue won’t fix, but why couldn’t they glue that one piece? This seems to me like a quality control issue. The last thing is that my screenshield has actually become scratched as pictured. This is NOT from opening the sharkeye shield properly. It is from opening it by PRESSING on the screen part. This simply means do not open it by pressing on the screen and simply do it from the back. This can sometimes be a tiny bit tricky to do with one hand especially when you’re driving (BUT YOU SHOULD NOT BE TEXTING OR USING YOUR PHONE ANYWAYS WHEN YOUR DRIVING ☺).I CAN ASSURE YOU THE RETRACTABLE DOOR WILL NOT SCRATCH YOUR SCREEN. THE SCRATCHES ARE CAUSED BY THE FRICTION FROM PUSHING THE DOOR AGAINST THE SCREEN! Overall, it’s only really the vibrate button being too recessed which is an issue. Almost forgot, at first was a bit tricky to type quickly when the keyboard was sideways. However, once I got used to it, it was fine. Anyone with large fingers may have problems.
Conclusion
Overall, I love this case! I have to admit I thought the whole Sharkeye retractable door was a gimmick at first but being the case hoarder that I am I decided to buy it anyways and don’t regret it. Out of the 40+ cases I have used the Sharkeye has stayed on the longest. I switched to the incase one day and within a few minutes switched back due to missing opening and closing the screen. The case is great value for 40 bucks (comes with 2 screenshields) and I promise anyone that is looking for a rugged case especially if your in construction this is the case for you.
Pros:
Feels Great, Looks Great! (this is my personal opinion)
Love the retractable door, very satisfying to open and close.
Extremely rugged, can definitely handle tons of punishment.
Cons:
Minor issues with quality control
Recessed vibrate switch
Typing may be tricky for those with large fingers
The outer shell only comes in Black (if it came in white I would’ve copped it).
Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think of my review and also if you have any questions feel free to ask! (There is more I would say, but this is already an essay...
)- GucciGucci ☺☺☺
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