Would you be willing to purchase the Epic 4G rugged combo if it does not allow keyboard accessibility?
No, that sounds stupid to me, just get a T-mobile Vibrant then and be done. It would be a thick ass heavy phone to carry around if that was done. Dont buy a phone with a keyboard, if you dont ever plan on using it.
I agree, they sent me the same question and I responded no. I bought this phone for the keyboard, why would I buy a product that deters from using it?
Sent it to me also.
I said i would not buy it.
Some people really want a case that will do this because they don't use the keyboard. But I do so I wouldn't buy it.
hell no id like a case like the incredible where it is two pieces that go together and come off easily
So for some of us, changing to another carrier just to get a non-keyboard version of the same phone is not an option (not to mention extremely stupid). Why would you get a phone with a keyboard when you aren't going to use it? Because this thing dominates the Evo in every way imaginable. Do I want a keyboard on my phone? No. Will I deal with it because of the ten million other things that are better than with the Evo? Absolutely. This case would be fantastic for the multitude of people that don't want to change carriers, but want an excellent phone while not needing or wanting a keyboard.
theres the evo for no keyboard
redandblack1287 said:
So for some of us, changing to another carrier just to get a non-keyboard version of the same phone is not an option (not to mention extremely stupid). Why would you get a phone with a keyboard when you aren't going to use it? Because this thing dominates the Evo in every way imaginable. Do I want a keyboard on my phone? No. Will I deal with it because of the ten million other things that are better than with the Evo? Absolutely. This case would be fantastic for the multitude of people that don't want to change carriers, but want an excellent phone while not needing or wanting a keyboard.
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Well said my friend, I agree with your point that if you don't use the keyboard, then why not get a case that disables it? And yes, this phone dominates the Evo ;-)
Not unless the device keyboard is accessible somehow with an very easy case removal process.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
guruleenyc said:
Not unless the device keyboard is accessible somehow with an very easy case removal process.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
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Well you guys have understand that there not making a regular case. There making a case that has the same and sometimes better protection then the Otterbox Defenders Case. I just told them i would only buy the case if there was some simple method of accessing the keyboard. I told them to add some quick locks that would protect the sliding mechanism gap. That when you want to use the keyboard just sliding the locks down which would also slide the protection cover that covers the keyboard and screen space. But i do agree that theres no point of a case that prevents one of the main features of the phone. But hey atleast there trying to make a tough case not like Otterbox that takes forever to make a simple case that the bezel tabs always breaks off.
The 2-piece design of the Epic is its greatest weakness. If you want a truly rugged case, it has to be able to keep the phone from breaking in half. No 2-piece case can do that.
"Switch carriers" is a very thoughtless answer. Some of us chose Sprint--get ready for this--because we want to use Sprint. The keyboard is NOT the only reason to buy an Epic over an Evo or other Galaxy S phone, as some have pointed out.
If you don't want a truly rugged case, don't buy one like this. Personally, I would buy one like this. The flimsy hinge/slider mechanism is my least favorite part of the Epic, and the keyboard has left me less than impressed after using 2 Blackberries anyways.
Okay, I don't think you guys realize exactly what they are talking about.
The Seidio Rugged Case is essentially two cases in one.
It comes with a standard Seidio Surface Case that fits over the phone and can be used any time. As you probably know the keyboard is fully accessible with just this.
However the rugged also comes with another two pieces. It has a silicone outer cover that goes around the surface case and then a hard plastic "exoskeleton" to hold that in place. It also comes with a locking holster for all of it
You probably wouldn't use the outer case all the time but when you needed extra protection you could put it on.
My situation is as follows: I use my Epic for geocaching and for tracking when I'm hiking. I really don't want to put my phone in my pants pocket because I sweat a lot and wouldn't want it to get wet. I also would like for the phone to have better protection when I'm in the woods so if I happen to drop it on a rock it'll have a better chance of surviving. Since I'm probably not going to be doing a lot of emailing and texting in those situations I really don't need the physical keyboard. I can still check my phone and reply if necessary using the on screen one.
The great thing about the seidio rugged case is that whenever I get back to civilization I can take off the outer case and just use the surface case on my phone. Quick and easy removal. I can also slide out the existing keyboard for email and text.
I just think that some of you are looking at this as an only option when it's really giving you better protection when you need it. It's really two cases in one.
Check it out for the Droid X
http://www.seidioonline.com/product-p/bd3-hkr4mtdx.htm
I sure hope they get some more folks willing to buy it or I'm screwed...
An ideal Epic compromise would be more or less like you described -- an Innocase that allows the keyboard to slide out, with an optional exoskeleton that locks the keyboard in place and provides extra protection when desired.
HOWEVER, I wouldn't buy one unless it met two further criteria:
1. Silicone (or similarly-pliable-yet-firm) pads to transmit button presses from outside the case directly to the volume, power, and camera buttons inside the case. Protection from dirt and rain is just a nice side-effect; really, I just want it to give the phone a nice, even, solid feel that all the currently-available Epic cases (including Innocase) lack.
I really hate the way the cutouts on the Innocase (and, in all fairness, every other case out right now for the Epic) leave voids that make my fingers fall into exactly the wrong places when I grab the phone and try turning it on with the same hand. One finger (or thumb) ends up groping blindly for the power button, the other side gets supported by the screen, and half the time the shear force ends up pushing the keyboard open by the time the power button itself gets pressed... and the rest of the time, it makes the phone feel disturbingly "jiggly" and makes the phone feel like it's going to get dropped (if it doesn't actually GET dropped occasionally).
2. For the love of god and everything holy, make sure the case can be used with an extended battery. It's bad enough that the Epic's (and Evo's) batteries are criminally undersized and can't make it through a day of normal use without crippling the phone into annoyance and malfunction. Making users spend 5-10 minutes taking apart the case and phone to swap batteries would be a deathblow. Making battery swaps unnecessary for most users would be an ENORMOUSLY compelling feature.
If 3200mAH is too unwieldy for most users, consider meeting halfway -- sell the case with a replacement back and styrofoam padding block that will work with a stock battery, but can also take a battery with ~2200 REAL mAH of power without adding more than ~50% of of the stock battery's thickness... and bundle that battery with the case. If you read the huge thread about cheap extended batteries for the Evo at androidforums.com, two things quickly become obvious:
* Most cheap batteries alleged to be 2700-3500mAH are really ~2200mAH
* 2200mAH is nowhere near as good as Seidio's 3500mAH (that tests out to 2800mAH via the same methods that determined most of the cheap batteries were really 2100-2200mAH), but it's big enough to satisfy just about everyone anyway. If you read that same thread, you can sense that nearly everyone likes the "Chinese" battery back cover better than Seidio's. I remember reading quite a few posts from users who said they'd happily buy a Seidio extended battery AND buy a cheap battery from eBay just to get the back cover and use it instead (with a few going so far as to try modding the Chinese cover to fit over Seidio's slightly-larger battery anyway).
Assuming ~2200-2400mAH batteries that are ~1.5 times as thick as the stock battery exist, that's a nice compromise between the (admittedly) huge double-sized batteries and the inadequately-sized stock batteries. Given the inherent bulk a case with exoskeleton is going to have *anyway*, I seriously doubt anyone is going to complain about an extra 1.5mm of thickness if it means they can leave the battery charger at home and start using their phone normally again.
Idea: if the battery dimensions are somewhat constrained by stock sizes made by someone in China, combine two different sizes of cells and wire them in parallel... one size that produces a bundle the size of the stock battery, and another size that's larger, but thinner, and overflows the stock battery's footprint to make better use of the phone's rear surface area and spread out the volume over a larger area. Personally, I'm perfectly cool with having to remove the battery to swap microSD cards (so the battery can rest above it), because I run with a swapfile anyway, and Android will go down in flames and crash if I try removing the microSD card while the phone is booted up *anyway*.
The foam block is still important, even if the extended battery is included, because it will enable someone who has the rugged case and extended battery to still use his stock battery to fall back on in a pinch if the extended battery dies before the day is over.
A case like this would give Seidio something compelling and unique that no competitor is likely to offer anytime soon -- a total solution that bumps up battery life enough to permit easy all-day usage by most real-world users, permits keyboard use under normal circumstances, and enables the keyboard to be secured in place with an exoskeleton by users who don't want to use it at all, or who temporarily need to sacrifice it for the sake of protection.
Seidio has competitors that sell high-end cases (like Otterbox), but they don't sell batteries, and none of their cases can accommodate an extended battery. We all know that for stuff like this, the shipping, handling, and packaging ends up being a huge chunk of the total cost. By bundling it all together as a total solution, users can solve multiple real-world problems (protection AND battery life) in a way that's cost-effective and convenient.
The only way it could be even better is if Seidio got in touch with the guy who makes the GameGrip, and bought a batch from him that were customized to fit an Epic with Innocase-underbody when the exoskeleton is removed and the keyboard is out (with extended battery in place).
Great responses and have been forwarding them!
Here is what I want: I want the rugged to disable to keyboard function. I want a case that's going to be able to be throw across the room without worrying if the slide out is going to open leaving the phone vunerable to being snapped in half. At work my phone could easy get tossed around and broken if it opened.
Here are my 2 cents: The rugged comes with the innocase. That's going to be 2 peice correct? You can always take off the exterior layers and have they keyboard. The rugged would only be used for rugged scenrios. If you want that case, however, and want the keyboard to open: get the active...
I really want this case and have been sticking it out. I was about to order the active (since they took the rugged off the site) until I saw this posts around. I want my phone to be as rugged as possible. I don't want to have to worry about taking my phone out of my pocket every time I go running; or, what will happen to it if I don't get the chance to take it out of my pocket. And the holster (from what I read before it was taken off the site) is supposed to fit a 2 inch duty belt. 8-D
id like a two piece that comes off easily
betatech said:
Would you be willing to purchase the Epic 4G rugged combo if it does not allow keyboard accessibility?
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I would buy a regular Innocase for the Epic that disabled the keyboard function.
For this to work in the masses, it would have to have an internal case (silicone/whatever) that allows for keyboard operation, and the exoskeleton (THAT IS EASILY DETACHABLE, like the iPhone4 innocase design) that would be a complete encasement (vice the touch screen and capacitive buttons) for the phone.
I would absolutely LOVE a regular case/belt clip combo that would completely encase the phone and disable the keyboard functionality. I would switch to the Evo in a heartbeat if I could, or another provider to get another Galaxy S variant, because I am really disappointed in the keyboard and slider mechanism of the Epic. Great phone overall, though.
scriz said:
I would buy a regular Innocase for the Epic that disabled the keyboard function.
For this to work in the masses, it would have to have an internal case (silicone/whatever) that allows for keyboard operation, and the exoskeleton (THAT IS EASILY DETACHABLE, like the iPhone4 innocase design) that would be a complete encasement (vice the touch screen and capacitive buttons) for the phone.
I would absolutely LOVE a regular case/belt clip combo that would completely encase the phone and disable the keyboard functionality. I would switch to the Evo in a heartbeat if I could, or another provider to get another Galaxy S variant, because I am really disappointed in the keyboard and slider mechanism of the Epic. Great phone overall, though.
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I stuck with the epic because of the screen. It made my decision. At first I got it for the keyboard but don't even use it except for playing games.
I just ordered the innocase. I dropped my phone today for the first time. Nothing major; but, I never drop my phone. I blame not having a holster. I was waiting for the rugged.
With that said I think they should deff make the add on kit like they do with other phones. I don't what to have to buy ANOTHER innocase when the rugged does come out.
So we would like to see more of a rugged sleeve/skeleton that could be attached to the standard Innocase Surface correct?
That would make sense! You would have keyboard function with the standard case and when you attach the Rugged sleeve/skeleton you would lose keyboard function but for sole purpose of protection during that time your using the rugged sleeve/skeleton. This would also allow the two piece design that is being requested.
Sending info.
No, it should be based on the ActiveX (which has a padded "undercase", and fills in the button gaps to level out the sides and provide extra protection).
Here's how I'd do it:
Sku #1: ActiveXR Case. Start with the ActiveX, but score a cutout in the padded underbody above the battery's footprint. Include two exoskeletons: one that allows the keyboard to slide out, one that firmly secures it in place.
Sku #2: ActiveXR PowerPack, consisting of an extended battery, two backs, and a GameGripper that's customized to fit an Epic with ActiveXR case with the keyboard-openable exoskeleton in place. This battery might have to be smaller than 3000mAH, but should have at least 50% more real capacity than the Epic's stock battery. If the battery ends up being a hair too thick, make the padded underbody of the ActiveXR case a little bit thicker too.
Use Case #1: Extended Battery
Carefully cut out the scored rectangular opening on the ActiveXR's underbody with an X-acto knife. Save it for future use.
Remove the phone's stock back and battery. Insert the extended battery and the back with a cutout. Attach the padded underbody. Verify that the squishy thin adhesive-backed silicone pad is attached to the extended battery, and stick it on if this is the first time it's being used. Attach your exoskeleton of choice. Enjoy added battery life and added protection, with optionally-secured keyboard using exoskeleton #2. In both cases, the exoskeleton is what ultimately holds the extended battery in place.
Use Case #2: Gameplay
Same as before, but use the exoskeleton that permits the keyboard to open. Slide open the phone, attach the ActiveX PowerPack GameGripper, and have fun. This is a crucial part of the whole system. A "normal" GameGripper for the Epic (presumably) won't fit an Epic with ActiveX(R) case attached, and the case can't be removed because its exoskeleton is the only thing actually holding the extended battery in place.
Without the ActiveX PowerPack's customized GameGripper, you'd have to remove the case, and carry BOTH the standard Epic GameGripper AND the extended-battery phone back that doesn't have a hole cut into it. Yuck. Have I made it clear yet just how important the availability of a GameGripper that can work with the ActiveX(R) case in place really is?
If the user has the openable exoskeleton attached, all he needs to carry in his other pocket is the GameGripper.
Compare that to the nasty alternative that pretty much kills the user's ability to whip it out for a couple of minutes of casual gameplay while waiting in line somewhere: Shut down the phone. Remove the exoskeleton. Remove the ActiveXR's back. Remove the battery back. Remove the extended battery. Put the stock battery into the phone. Attach the stock battery back. Power up the phone. Slide out the keyboard. Attach the standard Epic GameGripper. It's a well-worn cliche, but apt: "Epic Fail" -- too much work and hassle for too little reward.
Use Case #3: stock battery
Insert the stock battery, and attach the phone's stock battery back. Attach the ActiveX(R) underbody, and stick the rectangular cutout into the cavity. Attach either exoskeleton (securing the cutout into place, and hiding the fact that it was cut out to begin with).
Target Market for ActiveXR PowerPack: users who push their phones to the limit and would kill a stock battery in 4-6 hours, and probably play games (many as a prime activity, plus others who wouldn't really go out of their way to do it, but will take advantage of the bundled GameGripper if they had to buy it anyway to get the exteneded battery). These are users who don't really mind a thicker-than-normal phone and urgently need more battery life, but would balk and be unhappy if it made their already-thickened phone even thicker... and will happily trade padding for more battery.
Another argument for Seidio: competition for cheap batteries and cases from eBay is stiff... but none of them will work with an Epic GameGripper. The guy who makes the GameGripper sells it for $15, so it's probably pretty cheap to make. If Seidio offered to buy 10,000 from him that were customized to fit a phone with ActiveXR case for $1-2 more than he pays to have them made, and most were bought by users who couldn't easily have used a stock GameGripper with their ActiveXR-equipped Epic *anyway*, he'd be insane to say "no". Especially if, say, Seidio also became a dealer for them in general.
I just ordered a 2800mAh battery meant for an i9000 from dealextreme.com
Samsung Galaxy S i9000 2800mAh battery I'll report back once I get it.
Hopefully it works, it doesn't seem that much thicker than the stock one.
I plan on making my own custom back cover out of sugru, or it's cheaper substitute, oogoo.
If you haven't heard of Sugru, check out some projects made with it here. It's got some amazing properties, and is easy to work with. I really like the idea of putting 4 sugru bumpers on the corner of my phone to protect it in-case of a fall.
If that link doesn't work, just goto www.instructables.com and search for "sugru".
Please document an instructable to make the backcover if the battery works. This sounds like an interesting project!
Do you plan to buy a cheap hard case cover from ebay, then cutting a hole through the back for the battery and putting the sugru over it? That might be an easier than making your own cover from scratch.
It seems to me like the battery will work for the phone, but you might have to charge it in a standalone charger.
dever76 said:
Hopefully it works, it doesn't seem that much thicker than the stock one.
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Good luck. That picture makes it look about twice the thickness of a stock battery.
Most extended batteries are around 4mm extra thicker. but since this is only 2800, might be 1mm less thicker than those 3200mah ones. you might be able to pull it off by using a cheap hardcase and sugru
I'm in the middle of making a flipping mechanism with a mini Bluetooth keyboard attached to my phone. Its pretty much just a hinge joining the two, and will allow me to conveniently bring with me some physical keys for typing, and more importantly gaming.
At the moment, I've attatched the hinge to an old case for my N1 instead of the phone itself. Its really annoying, since the extra bulk shouldn't be necessary.
There's a video on YouTube of someone doing the same thing with a HD2, and he is using an old battery cover, which doesn't add any bulk.
I was wondering why there aren't any cheap battery cover replacements for the N1. I understand that it may be difficult because of the speaker muffler and camera cover, but surely for under 10 dollars I could get a crap one off eBay/DX.
I've seen the larger ones which can fit the extended batteries, but none that are similar to Tue original. I honestly would not care if I bought one made of crappy plastic, anything as long as I'm not paying $20/30/40 for the OEM ones
Because its a developer phone, only a few have it.
xyellx said:
Because its a developer phone, only a few have it.
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I'm taking about cheap ripoffs.
Look at the amount of all the ridiculously cheap cases and other accessories for the N1 on eBay.
I don't want an OEM battery cover, I want the most basic and cheap cover. I would have thought there would be some manufacturer out there who has taken the mould of the original and then mass produced them with cheaper materials, because they seem to have done so with the extended batteries.
I'm simply putting it out there to see if anyone has come across a product that fits my description.
Forge94 said:
I'm taking about cheap ripoffs.
Look at the amount of all the ridiculously cheap cases and other accessories for the N1 on eBay.
I don't want an OEM battery cover, I want the most basic and cheap cover. I would have thought there would be some manufacturer out there who has taken the mould of the original and then mass produced them with cheaper materials, because they seem to have done so with the extended batteries.
I'm simply putting it out there to see if anyone has come across a product that fits my description.
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most cheap stuff also fitts for desire.
Doesn't the Desire have one big plate cover, sorta unibody?