If Batman owned an iPhone, he ‘d put it in a black SwitchEasy CapsuleRebel. The case already looks as though it was fashioned to be part of his armour, and the composite design is strong enough that it could probably function as a make-shift Batarang should his utility belt ever run out of gadgets to throw at people.
Composite Armour
The most interesting thing about the CapsuleRebel is its mixed material design. Installing the case is actually a lot like donning a piece of armour, and on the first couple of installations, you ‘ll probably feel a lot like your iPhone ‘s squire. The first thing on will be the silicone layer that covers every side of the device. This silicone varies in thickness: the sides are thick and solid, whereas other areas are quite flimsy. The thinner sections of silicone are what the plastic exo-skeleton fits over, and you ‘ll actually need to *click* it into place to complete the installation. I wasn ‘t exaggerating when I said this was like placing a coat of armour on your iPhone.
Removing the case can be quite difficult, and I always found it a bit of a nerve wracking experience, since I was always scared of snapping the plastic portion in half as I separated it from the silicone. The trick seems to be to remove it from the top and work your way down the case, slowly detaching the various plastic elements as you go.
Good fit, great extras
The case design definitely favours style over protection, but it feels secure enough to absorb a drop or two without spilling its precious contents onto the floor. The corners are covered by plastic, and everything else is padded by silicone. There ‘s only the slightest trace of the chrome bezel along the bottom of the device, but it ‘s definitely covered from scratches. The volume and sleep/wake buttons are also covered by silicone, but are still very easy to press.
As for the extras: there is a 30-pin connector plug to provide complete protection for the device, but I haven ‘t bothered using it. There are also a set of two thick matte screen protectors included with the puchase to serve as the visor for your CapsuleRebel armour, although I haven’t used these yet, since I’m currently testing another screen film from Screenguardz.
The last two little extras have nothing to do with protection, but are convenient little additions that I didn ‘t expect would come with the case. The first is a universal dock adapter to fit the CapsuleRebel, since its slightly larger form factor is too big for most docks. The second is a small plastic stand to hold the device in landscape mode ” great for movies, or simply displaying the case on your desk.
More badass than the sum of its parts
The case isn ‘t anything more than moulded silicone and plastic, and yet it makes the familiar iPhone design feel like something completely different. One of my ideals for an iPhone case was to find something that made the device look and feel more high tech — more like a micro machine, and less like a shiny plastic toy. The SwitchEasy CapsuleRebel really does this for me, and I think the name fits the design perfectly. Well, almost perfectly.
The CapsuleRebel is a fantastic composite design that defies the wholly uniform plastic or silicone looks of other cases, although it isn ‘t quite as easy to install or remove as the SwitchEasy name would imply. That ‘s alright, though, because once this case is on, you probably won’t want to take it off.
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The CapsuleRebel is available for about $32 on the Mobilefun iPhone Accessories page, and is also available for purchase directly from SwitchEasy’s website. The CapsuleRebel is also available in a variety of different colours and designs.
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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TAGS: iphone case, plastic
