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Aluminum locking case

Ran across this today searching for cases for the Epic. Anyone using one? Its interesting in that it locks the slider during normal use and hinges open if you want to use the keyboard.
http://www.pdair.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=10100000_10000000_11001061&products_id=31414

Now this looks like quite a nice case for functionality.
Now if they just took off the whole part in the back for the clip and form fit the corners a bit more and offered it in more colors that'd be nice.

This may be the best thing I can do for now, I have been scouring for a jelly case to slip over the epic, since I never use the keyboard

Now, if somebody has the ability to cleanly cut aluminum and wants to sell a matched set consisting of this case with a hole cut in the back for the hump on the extended battery the other guy is selling to poke through... (strokes credit card and sighs)
It's hard to tell from the pics... does the case snap onto the lower half, or does the phone just rest inside?
How firmly does it secure the phone when the case is closed? Does the power button still cause the two halves to separate a little, or are both held firmly in place from both sides?

bitbang3r said:
Now, if somebody has the ability to cleanly cut aluminum and wants to sell a matched set consisting of this case with a hole cut in the back for the hump on the extended battery the other guy is selling to poke through... (strokes credit card and sighs)
It's hard to tell from the pics... does the case snap onto the lower half, or does the phone just rest inside?
How firmly does it secure the phone when the case is closed? Does the power button still cause the two halves to separate a little, or are both held firmly in place from both sides?
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There are videos on you tube. The bottom looks like a very snug press fit. Top must be looser to allow for the hinge to work.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

...
I had a similar case for my old HTC Titan. I LOVED it. Being a pretty serious phone abuser, that case kept my phone together!
-Rob

I used to have a similar case for my Treo and they are extremely well made. I irregularly dropped my phone from about 5 feet in the air onto hard linoleum and it never suffered any indignities. These come in both black and silver so if you want a different color you would want the silver so you could send it out to be powder coated.
I just ordered one.

Mine came last night.
The good: locks the slider firmly closed. No wobble or "play" at all when pressing the power button. Phone easy to remove (for GameGripper purposes).
The bad: Feels terrifyingly slippery compared to the Seidio ActiveX. Obstructs "slide down" gesture for notifications.
The seemingly fatal (a big one): my "back" fake hardkey keeps randomly going berserk... but ONLY that specific one. The foam in the top half seems to be confusing the capacitive sensor.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Update: I've had the 'search' fake hardkey freak out a few times on me, too.
Another problem: it's definitely affecting reception. 4G and GPS barely work with the case in place.
Sigh. So close. So agonizingly close. It's awesome to not have the phone shear and jiggle apart every time I hit the power button, and the fact that it allows the phone to be easily removed for the Game Gripper without really compromising the slide-out keyboard's usability is very cool.
I'm really convinced that this case went straight from plastic prototype to mass production before anyone actually tried to use it in an area with 4G service, high humidity (presumably what's screwing up the foam and touchscreen), and who didn't just assume that the GPS was dysfunctional because Samsung sucks.
Sigh. Too expensive to throw away, and really nice in ways that ultimately don't matter because the touchscreen-button problem makes it totally unusable

The plot thickens: more touchscreen observations:
* Oddly, there's NO FOAM around the lower part of the screen where the phantom-pressed fake hardkeys are.
* Last night, it went completely berserk with phantom button presses on cue when I rubbed the latch a certain way.
This suggests that the problem's root cause might extend to the electrical conductivity of the case itself. It's strange, because I wasn't able to find reports of the same problem for users of Monaco cases for other phones (like the Droid). Lots of complaints about signal attenuation, but no reports of touchscreen problems.
I'm seriously tempted to buy some liquid electrical tape and coat the inside of the lid to see whether it helps. The problem DOES seem to go away when the lid is no longer in contact with the screen. However, if it's happening because the sensor is acting kind of like a Hall Effect sensor and the case is acting like a Faraday cage, nothing short of making the case (or at least the top lid) out of plastic is likely to fix the problem. Still, it's worth a try since I really like the case itself, and my alternative is to basically chuck it.

Update: as an experiment, I wrapped black electrical tape around the bottom lip of the top part. It helped a lot. I think I might have also found a contributing cause: cat fur. I think wisps of cat fur might be bridging the metal case & screen and carrying static electricity to the sensor. Oddly, though, some of its *worst* back-arrow spasams have occurred with the phone laying on the desk, untouched, 3 feet away.
I'm still trying to think of a good way to plastic-coat the case without making it look bad & get a nice, even black rubbery coating on it.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

How thin is it compared to the other plastic cases?

Very interested in getting the Monaco Aluminum Case, which is very similar to this one. My last concern, how thin is it compared to Seidio Innocase Surface?

Creaky battery door FIX!

Ok so I did some experimenting these past hours and I've found a terrific solution to the Vibrant/SGS4G creaking issue that many people have encountered!
Heres what you need:
*Papertowel
*Scissors
LOL not much of a list but trust me!
Step 1: Take your battery door off of your phone
Step 2:Cut a rectangular piece of papertowel enough to fit over the battery, sim and sdcard
Step 3: Place the rectangle cut over the back of the phone
Step 4: Now put on the battery door directly over the papertowel peice
IE: You should notice that the battery door now fits tighter and has no space to make contact with the plastic inside, the papertowel acts as a buffer between the plastics - eliminating the creaking noises.
[EDIT] - Don't cut too big of a piece and if its not snapping on as normal i'd suggest not forcing it and reducing the size of your cutout.

Kool ill have to try this if the creaking gets to bad. Thanks bro
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA Premium App

Kudos to you lol! Reply back with your findings if you decide to try my method

roadrunnerrd3 said:
Kudos to you lol! Reply back with your findings if you decide to try my method
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Will do when I try, creaking isn't that bad yet but it will most definetly get worse over time but atleast we can fix that now.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA Premium App

Haven't heard any creaking yet. I've owned a Vibrant and now this. Wouldn't the paper towel cause more heat? I dunno. I'm thinking it's like leaving your laptop on top of your bed effect. But then again it is thin. So I dunno. lol.

The battery door definitely fits a bit loose to the back of the device and makes loose contact with the bezel. What I did was just stick two pieces of scotch tape to the back of the cover side by side which seemed to work fairly well.
Not having to do with the battery door, but if your bezel creaks, some units have loose bezels out of the box. You could try to tighten the screws on the bezel on the back of the bezel (with the cover removed). Of course, I am not responsible if you break it.

Mine creaks around the volume rocker
Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk

XPLANE9 said:
The battery door definitely fits a bit loose to the back of the device and makes loose contact with the bezel. What I did was just stick two pieces of scotch tape to the back of the cover side by side which seemed to work fairly well.
Not having to do with the battery door, but if your bezel creaks, some units have loose bezels out of the box. You could try to tighten the screws on the bezel on the back of the bezel (with the cover removed). Of course, I am not responsible if you break it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bezel definitely creaks . So all I gotta do is tighten the screws behind the battery cover right?
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App

icy56 said:
My bezel definitely creaks . So all I gotta do is tighten the screws behind the battery cover right?
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App
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It helped a little on my unit. I don't think it is the bezel itself as it is the battery door contacting the bezel in a manner that causes the creaking. Does it creak if you take off the cover?

This worked great lol
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App

XPLANE9 said:
It helped a little on my unit. I don't think it is the bezel itself as it is the battery door contacting the bezel in a manner that causes the creaking. Does it creak if you take off the cover?
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mine only creaks with the conver on. a slight tightening of the screws did not help.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk

Somairotevoli said:
mine only creaks with the conver on. a slight tightening of the screws did not help.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk
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Sorry to hear that. If it creaks with the cover on, then you should try the trick from the OP. My bezel was loose and creaking a little with the cover off. Sucks to be OCD...

Thanks for trying my method guys hahahahaah OCD FTW! Everybody thinks i'm a freak because i get so off kilter with such little things but, glad to see i'm not the only one who had supersonic hearing!

is this the only way to fix it? I am getting pissed of that my SGS is creaking..****ing **** build quality

I don't think its a good idea to do this. The paper prevent heat from dispersing when your phone heats up. If too much heat is generating while you play game or use your phone it might cause the battery to explode.

qpqpqp said:
I don't think its a good idea to do this. The paper prevent heat from dispersing when your phone heats up. If too much heat is generating while you play game or use your phone it might cause the battery to explode.
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Ok i thought so also but there is no other solution to stop the darn creaking sound?!

Buy a case. Not being a smart ass. I bought a body glove case and have no creaky door issues. Plus it gives the phone a little more mass, makes it feel less cheap and not as slippery.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

Exodian said:
Buy a case. Not being a smart ass. I bought a body glove case and have no creaky door issues. Plus it gives the phone a little more mass, makes it feel less cheap and not as slippery.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium
Click to expand...
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already have a tyre case, do u recommend any other case?

Lol, do you guys Chuck Norris grip your phones? I only get that sound when I squeeze pretty hard on my phone.
Also, putting a piece of paper there seems dangerous. My battery gets pretty hot sometimes when I play with it for too long (games, YouTube, etc.). I'm sure that heat would make the paper catch fire. Then again, I'm no fire expert. XD

It might just be the case I have, but I've never heard the phone make any creaking sounds. This is a simple fix though if you have the problem haha.

Chrome battery cover

Hi guys. I recently saw this (http://blog.whitesites.com/HTC-Sensation-4G-Chrome-Polished-Frame__634471425817343750_blog.htm) and decided to try this on my phone's battery cover. it looks pretty cool now, with the battery door shiny and mirrorish. you can try this out too, but make sure you dont sand the metal too hard after the dark blue paint falls off, because thats going to give it scratches that are hard to remove. you can use about 100 grit to remove the paint, then 400 to make the surface smooth. with the new look, i feel like i have a new phone again. haha

Post pictures when you are done! I was considering it too, but i really like the feel of the blue material...

shungun said:
Post pictures when you are done! I was considering it too, but i really like the feel of the blue material...
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here, ive uploaded a picture, its in the first post. i like the new texture now, it feels just as smooth as the front glass! and it feels cooler in my hand too (maybe because im touching the metal directly, and not through the paint)

Wow! That looks really good! I'll do this when i have time

So here is a little trick to go along with that. Since the blue / purple backing on the battery cover was a rubber composite, it tended to hold heat more. Now that you got that barrier off, here is the next step. Wrap your battery in aluminum foil and then put the cover on. Since aluminum foil doesn't conduct heat it will transfer it to the backing (since it doesn't actually touch the battery without the foil bridge) and dissipate the heat during use. This will keep your temperature down and for what it is worth, extend lifeline of the battery. I actually did this a long time ago (only in didn't sand the back, I soaked the cover in acetate solution and the rubber peeled right off) and it works fairly well, especially when using CPU for a duration like online music.

Woodrube said:
So here is a little trick to go along with that. Since the blue / purple backing on the battery cover was a rubber composite, it tended to hold heat more. Now that you got that barrier off, here is the next step. Wrap your battery in aluminum foil and then put the cover on. Since aluminum foil doesn't conduct heat it will transfer it to the backing (since it doesn't actually touch the battery without the foil bridge) and dissipate the heat during use. This will keep your temperature down and for what it is worth, extend lifeline of the battery. I actually did this a long time ago (only in didn't sand the back, I soaked the cover in acetate solution and the rubber peeled right off) and it works fairly well, especially when using CPU for a duration like online music.
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cool, what made you put that cover into the solution? sounds much better cos it doesnt leave scratches. where do you get it?
if you allow heat to go into the cover, wont the phone feel much hotter in your hand? and wouldnt it affect the temperature of the lcd? my phone gets hot sometimes when charging, so i just remove the cover and leave the phone standing on the windowsill to prevent that.

Acetate is really nothing more than nail polish remover. I was getting my Google on a long time ago and came across it. Some kid with an XT did a YouTube video on it.
Since the heat is dissipating out the back, it doesn't effect the LCD on the front. The cover doesn't get too hot and actually the phone runs cooler bc the heat has somewhere to go.
Think of it like a wetsuit. You are totally dry and warm when fully covered, but open the neck a bit and your whole body gets cold. Phone is same way bc of the rubber coating. Remove that and the heat has somewhere to go and not stay trapped inside and cause possible damage to battery and CPU.

Ballistics SG Question

Got this case a few days ago and have a couple questions.
1) Do you guys find this case very hard to get off? I feel like I don't want to push hard because it will do damage to the phone. Any tips on removing?
2) Do you find you have to "pull up" on the ballistic corners once you install the case to get everything even? I find that the silicone lays flat in the plastic casing without the phone in it, but once installed I have to work the corners to get the case flat.

Yea I would suggest prying from the side that has no buttons and also yea it is a very snugg fit so u kind have to work it to get the plastic price set into the rubber
I have taken mine off many times with no damage so u should be ok and it all sounds normal to me
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Ok, sounds good. I love the case, just don't want to damage my phone lol. Can't imagine how the Commuter is to take off considering people say that's even harder to remove.

I kind of use my fingernails and pry off the plastic part first by sticking my fingernails in between one of the parts on the side and then using the top/bottom portion for leverage. At first I thought it was gonna damage the phone but nothing has happened yet

Nillkin Fresh: Review

Hey everybody, got a new case review. This one is the infamous Nillkin Fresh, which is Nillkin's second generation of flip covers. To be honest, I got this case because it works with the iloome ScreenMate tempered glass protector I got, which didn't work with any of my other cases.
I got the yellow color, and it looks very nice. The flip has a darker yellow than the snap on part, which looks perfectly fine to me. The flip doesn't stay down for the first few days, and it doesn't have a lock mechanism. But, with a few days use, the flap does stay down on itself. Now, at first it wasn't working with my tempered glass protector, so I just kept stretching the fake leather out, and eventually it stays. I just clamped it so it stayed stretched. This is a very simple case, and if you don't drop your phone a lot (like me) this is a really nice case, it has a soft lining on the inside of the flip, almost like micro-fiber, and it helps keep fingerprints away. I do like this case, but it's not perfect. You can also use it as a stand, just fold it back and slide it into the slot. I absolutely HATE this feature, as the slot sticks out from the back of the case, so I can't use it with the Orb Charger. I forgot to take pictures of it, but it is REALLY annoying. Overall, aside from that one thing, it's a really nice case. :laugh:

Just to add on to OP, mine's the light blue one, a really sweet colour.
Has a microfiber (or whatever you call that) lining, prevents the screen from getting scratched.
The thickness. When paired with apps like Proximity AutoLock. you simply flip the cover and BAM, the phone locks itself. (Disclaimer: The app takes up quite a lot of battery though.)
Thickness again.
Thickness compared to a bumper. (if you haven't realized yet, I like blue )
The back plastic has got this pearly, glittery effect, too subtle to notice unless you're staring at it.
The front is a leathery kind of texture. Not real leather, of course.
It does destroy the edge swiping experience, with the exception the left hand side center (shown in the pic). May cause full screen SPs to bubble up too, but I have no idea, I don't use full screen ones.
How it looks. Mine has yet to become seasoned, so it'll topple if I don't support it. It has a hook that'll hook the front cover.
The headphone jack.
Those with a dbrand skin might want to take note, it kinda leaves a mark on the skin, but if you don't use the case for long enough, the mark'll go away.
I'd recommend it 8/10 overall as it makes it hard to use the phone using your left hand with the front flap, also, it makes my phone feel like a tank. But the front protection is great if you're not using a screen protector. But be careful of oil stains, they're almost impossible to remove from the inner lining. Washed it once, dried it and it feels like new again.
Edit, does anybody know how the hell do I resize the pictures? They're HUGE.

jiayit said:
Just to add on to OP, mine's the light blue one, a really sweet colour.
Has a microfiber (or whatever you call that) lining, prevents the screen from getting scratched.
The thickness. When paired with apps like Proximity AutoLock. you simply flip the cover and BAM, the phone locks itself. (Disclaimer: The app takes up quite a lot of battery though.)
Thickness again.
Thickness compared to a bumper. (if you haven't realized yet, I like blue )
The back plastic has got this pearly, glittery effect, too subtle to notice unless you're staring at it.
The front is a leathery kind of texture. Not real leather, of course.
It does destroy the edge swiping experience, with the exception the left hand side center (shown in the pic). May cause full screen SPs to bubble up too, but I have no idea, I don't use full screen ones.
How it looks. Mine has yet to become seasoned, so it'll topple if I don't support it. It has a hook that'll hook the front cover.
The headphone jack.
Those with a dbrand skin might want to take note, it kinda leaves a mark on the skin, but if you don't use the case for long enough, the mark'll go away.
I'd recommend it 8/10 overall as it makes it hard to use the phone using your left hand with the front flap, also, it makes my phone feel like a tank. But the front protection is great if you're not using a screen protector. But be careful of oil stains, they're almost impossible to remove from the inner lining. Washed it once, dried it and it feels like new again.
Edit, does anybody know how the hell do I resize the pictures? They're HUGE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could just use a photo editor and re-crop?
Sent from my Nexus 4, the only phone approved by Patrick Star

N4ever said:
You could just use a photo editor and re-crop?
Sent by a giant douche
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While we're doling out advice, I recommend that you change the text you quote so everyone doesn't have a second column of gigantic images...

N4ever said:
You could just use a photo editor and re-crop?
Sent from my Nexus 4, the only phone approved by Patrick Star
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Click to collapse
You could have said that without quoting the images all over again....

I have this case too, just never got around to finish writing my review. Mine is mint green (though some product pictures may appear turquoise).
Having a front cover in addition to the case is definitely nice, as I can drop it into my bag without worrying about what is going to hit against the front screen. Also very handy when talking on the phone with the flap covering the screen.
It's not slim as a ringke slim but not thick either, and the phone looks nice in it. I liked that it didn't have an actual lock to keep the cover on because it was easier to flip open.

It's so annoying when your holding it open. No comfortable way to do it.
Sent from my Nexus 4, the only phone approved by Patrick Star

Are the buttons easy to press?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Tbh it's quite hard. And trying to take a screenshot with both buttons is a nightmare. But I don't take that many screenshots anyway and the power button is not really that hard to press, it's just that their opening hole for the power button is a tad too small.

jiayit said:
Tbh it's quite hard. And trying to take a screenshot with both buttons is a nightmare. But I don't take that many screenshots anyway and the power button is not really that hard to press, it's just that their opening hole for the power button is a tad too small.
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I can see the volume rocker is exposed when you open the case. The power button looks a bit hard. In my current case(looks like the ringke slim) i had to cut off the bar at the top to gain easy access to power button.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

The way everything folds is just uncomfortable.
Sent from my Nexus 4, the only phone approved by Patrick Star

I got this case last week, black one. The plastic base is super cheap, there are at least two defects and the frame around the power button is simply bent. Although my flip cover actually rests perfectly on the screen, the plastic part makes noises everytime a little pressure is applied to the sides.
Went straight to the litter bin, I'd rather use my phone naked than inside this thing.
Just my two cents.

Fabriciohss said:
I got this case last week, black one. The plastic base is super cheap, there are at least two defects and the frame around the power button is simply bent. Although my flip cover actually rests perfectly on the screen, the plastic part makes noises everytime a little pressure is applied to the sides.
Went straight to the litter bin, I'd rather use my phone naked than inside this thing.
Just my two cents.
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Seems like you got a manufacturing defect.. Why didn't you ask for a refund?

Hung0702 said:
While we're doling out advice, I recommend that you change the text you quote so everyone doesn't have a second column of gigantic images...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent by a bigger douche who calls people out
Sent by an even bigger douche
Sent from my Nexus 4, the only phone approved by Patrick Star