iSkin revo for iPhone

I don’t use cases for my mobile devices very often these days. I prefer to just put them in a pocket in my gear bag, or jeans. Same goes for my iPhone. I typically just put it in my right cargo pants pocket or back pocket when I’m walking around, and on my desk when I’m not. Even though I don’t use a case very often with my iPhone, I’m always up for testing one. As a result, my first iPhone case review is of iSkin’s revo.

The revo is available in six different colors including: Rah, Zahra, Mojave, Nighthawk, Blade and Diablo. Ummmmm, I don’t know why they didn’t just say: Light Blue, Yellow, Pink, Black, Dark Blue, and Red… I was sent the Dark Blue version of this case.

Each revo comes with a silicone case, Visor screen protector, a protective privacy film, and a port protector.

The port protector is a little silicone plug that you press into the universal dock connector on the bottom of the iPhone. It has cutouts so that the ends do not cover the built in speakers. Of course, you have to remove this plug when you want to charge or sync the iPhone. As a result, this would be the first part of this package that I would toss or lose. I’ve had iPods for years and so far haven’t had an issue with dust in the connector causing problems.

Next up is the privacy film. This stick on protector is similar to the full sized notebook 3M privacy filter that was reviewed here on The Gadgeteer. It is a stiff piece of plastic with a thin cover on each side. You peel the cover off of side A and then press the protector on to the iPhone’s screen. Like most screen protectors, you end up with bubbles that require that you reseat the protector to remove them. I had a lot of trouble trying to get my protector to be bubble free. In the end I just gave up and left it as is.

After the protector is installed, you will notice that it is very hard to see the display when you are looking at it from a side angle. When you are looking at it straight on, it doesn’t appear to be any different than without the protector installed. This is supposed to keep prying eyes from looking at your information. It also protects the display from scratches and gives it a slight texture that may make the touch screen easier to use for some people.

The silicone case is relatively thin and pliable. It has embedded anti-microbial protection. This means it helps to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi. Hmmmmmmm… Am I the only person that gets a bit tired of seeing products that are anti-bacterial this and anti-bacterial that? Is it really THAT important that a case for an iPhone be resistant to bacteria?

The edges of the revo are knurled for better gripping. The iPhone is installed by inserting the bottom into the case and pulling the top part up and over. It’s easy and not difficult to do.

Here is my iPhone installed in the revo. You will also notice the bubbles under the protective privacy film. Grrrrr. There is a cutout for the earphone and a button molded over the home button on the front of the phone.

A tiny cut out over the camera lens allows you to take pictures.

The revo also comes with a plastic screen cover called the Visor. This cover snaps over the front of the phone when you don’t need to access the touch screen, and can snap on the back of the phone when you do. The fit of the Visor isn’t very tight, so it would be easy for it to fall off. I also wanted to mention that the Visor edges that curl around the sides of the phone have sticky tape residue from the way the revo was packaged. Eck. This is another item that I would toss away pretty quickly.

If you look at the bottom of the phone, you’ll see the dock plug and cutouts for the speaker.

Along the top, you can just make out the screen on/off button molded into the revo. Pressing the button thru this case is not a problem. You might be wondering about the earphone jack as it appears to be covered over by the case. Actually, it isn’t…

There is a flap that you can fold out so that you can plug in the earbuds. Another very small cutout is located over the mute button on the left side of the iPhone. This cutout is pretty small, so it’s a bit difficult to get your fingernail into it to flick the switch up and down.

The revo minus the dock plug and visor, makes an ok case for the iPhone. It gives it some protection from scratches and bumps, while also adding better grip to the sides. The $40 price tag seems a bit extreme to me though… I think I’ll stick using my iPhone case free.