You’d be hard pressed to find a more dramatic video for a case than the ones for Tech21’s iBand for the iPhone. The major selling point of the iBand is the d3o material that the case is made out of: it’s normally soft and supple like silicone, but it hardens instantly on impact and absorbs almost all the shock that would otherwise be directed to the iPhone.
There are two notable online videos from Recombu that show the amazing protective capabilities of d3o: one shows the case being hurled off the roof of a building and surviving the crash, and another shows (a little less successfully) an iPhone being hurled into a wall at full strength while strapped to a cardboard airplane. Both videos are brutal, and even though the touchscreen on the airplane iPhone was basically destroyed by the impact, it’s easy to see that the plastic shell and the glass screen were none the worse for wear.
I haven’t been even remotely as brutal in my testing because I need this device and have no money to buy another one — but I have used the case for a good week, and I can tell you how it fares in the day-to-day (hint: quite well).
Design
The version of the iBand that I received for review (courtesy of Mobilefun.co.uk) is just that: a band of shock-absorbing d3o material that has been moulded to fit the iPhone 3GS perfectly. There is another version of the case with a back, though, should you want to maximize scratch and impact protection.
It took me a while to get into the look if the iBand, but I really, really like the design. I’m usually not partial to designs like this, but the iBand is different because it actually frames the entire phone, instead of awkwardly showing only a portion of the back. I think the case makes the iPhone look bolder — drawing an interesting line between the shock protection of an Otterbox while keeping the size of a silicone case (similar to the iSkin Solo for 3GS). You can lay the iBand on most any surface without worrying about scratching your device, but you’ll still want to keep it in the same pocket as your keys and throwing knives.
Accessibility
The iBand does pretty well on the accessibility front: unlike the first version of the case, this iBand has cut-outs for all of the various buttons and switches on the iPhone, and I found the earphone plug opening was wide enough to accommodate some of my bigger earphone jacks.
The downside is that you can’t dock the iBand unless you have something similar to an Xtand, and you won’t be able to attach any mobile batteries to the bottom of the phone. The default iPhone cable fits just fine, though.
Durability
It’s hard to tell in pictures what d3o will feel like, but it’s a lot like a thick silicone case. The case hasn’t bent out of shape in my week of use, and although a week is far too soon to tell, I’m quite confident in the durability of the case thanks to the thickness of the d3o. The top and sides are so thick that you can hit your own hand with them and hurt yourself, and the thinnest part of the bottom is still at least 0.3 inches thick.
What the iBand really provides is peace of mind: I’m usually extremely careful and hold my iPhone in a vice grip, but knowing that the device can easily survive an unexpected trip from my pocket to the has made me ease my grip up a little.
The d30 isn’t indestructible, though, so even though it offers some of the best protection available, it can still get scratched up. I’ve already got a few knicks on mine, and I’m not rightly sure where they came from.
Fit
The iBand is a very tight fit, which is the way I like it with iPhone cases. You have to insert the device from the front and make sure the top goes in first, since the bottom of the case is where all the slack is. The bottom corners took me quite a while to correct at first, but I learned from Larry Greenberg’s review that you’ve got to wrestle some of these flexible cases into place. Now that I’m used to it I can put on or remove the case in about 10 seconds.
The other great feature of the iBand aside from the magical d3o construction is the way it frames the iPhone. It does make it a little wider in the hand, but the entire device is so much easier to grip now that there’s a groove that I can hang onto. I’ve also found it a little easier to type, since my thumbs start out just a little farther from the keyboard.
Conclusion
Aside from an Otterbox, I can’t think of a case that protects your iPhone from more bang than an iBand does. So if you’re looking for a way to maximize impact protection on your iPhone without sacrificing on style or function, then I’d highly recommend you take a look at Tech21’s iBand. Just make sure you get Version Two, since V1 didn’t include any side or power button cut-outs.
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The iBand is available for about $32 from the Mobilefun iPhone Accessories page. You can also purchase the tech21 iBand in certain Apple Stores, although the availability will vary.
The case was provided by Mobilefun for review on Just Another iPhone Blog. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
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