Much Needed Update

My faithful reader and good colleague Yann emailed me today asking me why I haven't posted an update for quite some time, its due to the fact that I have recently moved my family into the Garden State, just across the Hudson river from Manhattan. I'll need to update my PR folks to ensure product review samples are going to be shipped to the new address. As far as some technology and mobile experience goes, here are some updates, I''ll post some pictures later tonight.

1. Downfall of the Griffin Nu Form: the beautiful Griffin Nu Form for the iPhone 3G case I've been sporting did not survive my usage. After a month of usage, I noticed the base of the case (removable portion intended for easy docking) starting to wear down its thin rubber surface revealing the black pastic beneath. Aside from the aesthetics, it also reduces my grip. The unthinkable happened when I dropped my iPhone 3G onto a carpeted surface. To be clear it was at work so the phone hit those commercial grade thin office carpeting which probably has concrete underneath. My iPhone 3G was well-protected however, the trauma proved to be too strong for this case, hence it cracked the top/back panel of the Nu Form. One of the benefits of the Nu Form is it being extrememly thin thus not adding excessive thickness to the iPhone 3G's gorgeous design. However, being so thin took its toll on its ability to withstand impact, I have since moved onto the tried and true WAVE case for the iPhone 3G, I've used the WAVE for 1st generateion iPhone in the past, so I will provide a quick update for the 3G version shortly.

2. More product reviews to come: I am arranging for more products to be reviewed shortly, some of the things to come: Griffin Clarifi, Power Jolt, Air Curve, Simplifi as well as some iPod Touch 2G and Nano 4G accessories. I am also a little behind on some mobile application reviews, hope to get to those soon.

3. My new TV: yup, yours truly finally decided to step up to the world of 1080P high definition goodness. I've been eye'ing on a 46-52" LCD for quite some time, with my move into a place with bigger livingroom, I jumped on a Best Buy clearance deal on a 52" Sharp LC52d64U. At first glance, watching a 52" television felt like it was too big; after a couple of minutes, I slapped myself upside the head and said "one can never have a TV that is too big" and I've been smirking ever since. I've retired my 37" Aquos into my bedroom, and I find myself thinking the 37" looks small now that I am used to the 52" screensize. BTW, I am famous for not wanting to spend a fortune on a TV stand, so for anyone who's looking for a decent looking TV stand capable of handling a big TV set with some room to spare, checkout this Ikea Lack TV stand, get it with the black-brown finish, it looks pretty good (I'll post a couple of pictures later).

4. Mobile Madness: In a whim, handset makers are going nuts to throw out some interesting devices, with BlackBerry Storm, Tombile/Google G1 around the corner, they are throwing up emulators left and right to give us the most interactive previews possible. Meanwhile, HTC Touch HD has been named iPhone killer,this market is getting hot.

Review: Nu Form Sleeve for iPhone 3G Protection

Product Update (10/07/2008): Nu Form case got damaged after light usage. First I noticed the base of the case (removable portion intended for easy docking) starting to wear down its thin rubber surface revealing the black pastic beneath. Aside from the aesthetics, it also reduces the grip. Second, I dropped my iPhone 3G onto a carpeted surface. To be clear it was at work so the phone hit those commercial grade thin office carpeting which probably has concrete underneath. My iPhone 3G was well-protected however, the trauma proved to be too strong for this case, hence it cracked the top/back panel of the Nu Form. One of the benefits of the Nu Form is it being extrememly thin thus not adding excessive thickness to the iPhone 3G's gorgeous design.

Ever since I got my new iPhone 3G, I've been very careful with it. Since I stood in line for 7 hours and knowing that the new plastic backing is not as strong as the 1st generation's aluminum design, I had to protect it with my best intent. For the 1st generation iPhone, I've enjoyed Griffin's ClearBoost case; it offered a nice range of protection and functionality. So when I received a review sample of the Griffin Nu Form for the new iPhone 3G, I couldn't wait to test it out.

Packaging: The Nu Form comes with the protection sleeve which comes in two pieces (top and bottom), a ploycarbonate screen protector and a cleaning cloth. An instruction booklet is included on the back of the cardboard packaging.

Installation was pretty easy, however it did take me several tries to get the screen protector slide in properly. Unlike the previous cases I've reviewed (ClearBoost and WAVE), the Nu Form comes with a screen protector that doesn't stick to the screen; its merely sits above the screen. If the protector sits in the proper slit in between the two halves of the casing, it will work as promised. After about three tries, I managed to get it in properly. Warning: if this step is not applied properly, the screen protector will feel warpped; and you will experience poor touchscreen interaction. Be patience with this step, because I personally almost gave up and was going to cut up a piece of Fellow's standard touchscreen protector to replace the one it came with. Although after proper installation, the product works as promised, I do prefer the older Griffin cases' fixed or sticky screen protectors.

Design: The design of Nu Form is pretty cool looking. It has a dual color scheme between the top and bottom pieces; from the front of the phone, the dual color design flows with iPhone's UI making it look like a seemless transition of color between software and hardware (see first pic). A design feature is called "easy dock" can be found which allows the bottom portion to come off easily to fit into OEM dock charger. Griffin must have been listening to the feedback from its first gen iPhone cases. They even made the lower portion out of rubber to provide an easier grip to remove. Removing the lower portion does take some pressure, I suspect it will come off easier over time, which might be a good or bad thing. I'd rather keep it hold on tighter to protect my phone incase a drop ever to take place and I'd like the two halves to remain intact. That said, given that installation took me three tries to get the LCD protector to fit properly, I'd stay away from removing it very often. On top of that, I don't have an OEM dock anyways so I'll either charge it with my regular cord or use Griffin's PowerDock2 which allows a generous opening with any case strapped.

Overall: I like this case; the design is kind of hip and it still keeps the iPhone 3G thin and light. I like the feel of it and know it will add the much needed protection my new iPhone. At $24.95, its a worthy price to pay to protect your new investment without losing its good looks.

Please find a slideshow of all the photos I took below: