The GiqueGEAR Smart Station is designed to act as a protective holster, a wallet replacement, and a workstation or stand for your smartphone. It claims to be “the ultimate home for your Android smartphone.”  As a local company, GiqueGear (pronounced ‘geek gear’, I think) already has a special place in my heart, but the claim of ‘ultimate home’ for my Samsung Epic? That will take a pretty special case.

The SmartStation’s main claim to fame is that it is a fully protective case that also works as a portrait or landscape stand for your phone.

SmartStation- front (also available with the Android logo)

SmartStation- back, showing the belt strap

As a case, it offers a lot of value. The materials and workmanship are very good. It is nicely padded and lined with a soft fabric. The full double zipper is backed up by a Velcro tab which also serves as a belt strap. Being a universal case, it is a bit over-sized and clunky, but not terribly so. It features two big pockets so it can serve as a wallet as well. The case offers excellent protection from drops, smacks, impacts, etc.

The main thing that bugged me as a case is the ‘belt and suspenders’ overkill of the zipper and the Velcro tab. It made it a bit more awkward to get to the phone when it is on your belt. The phone sits rather loosely in the case, so a moment of fumbling at the belt and it could end up on the ground without any protection.

I must also admit that as much as I like the flaming head logo, I would like to see a ‘professional edition’ with either no logo or a much reduced logo available. I cannot picture myself rocking this sort of image at work, and in all honesty, the alternative Android logo is not much better.

SmartStation- inside

Cases like this are thick on the ground in the cell phone world. What makes this case special is the work station element. Flip the belt strap and Velcro tab around and the case becomes an easel.

SmartStation as a work station

You place your phone in the front of the stand (held by a little mesh sling at the bottom) for a portrait stand, or on the back side against the ‘leg for landscape mode. Note the ‘speed bump’ on the bottom edge.

SmartStation- phone in portrait mode

SmartStation- phone in landscape mode

I found that in either position, it was usually a good angle, and did not interfere with my phone’s charger/sync cable (which comes out of the top). The phone stays in place well, even when you tap on the screen.

The few downsides I found, other than the case issues mentioned above, are that the Velcro tab that holds the case closed bugged me in this configuration as well- you can see it up there just sticking out. I also felt as though with a little modification, the phone could be positioned in either landscape or portrait mode on the leg.

Overall, the GiqueGear SmartStation case is a great value at $24.95. Well-made, good-looking, protective, and functional.

Filed in categories: Android related, Blackberry related, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Case, Generic PDA related, holster, Smartphone, Stand, workstation

GiqueGEAR Smart Station Holster/Stand Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 2, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Keeping your camera at the ready can be a pain in the neck – literally.  A camera that feels light in your hand can feel like it’s breaking your neck after wearing it on a neck strap for a while.  Spider Holster makes camera carrying systems, including the Black Widow Holster designed for entry to mid-level DSLRs, point-and-shoot cameras, and camcorders.  The Black Widow Holster slides onto a sturdy belt (your own or one from Black Widow) to hold your camera at your waist.  The system comes with a pin that screws into the tripod mount in the bottom of most cameras; once installed, this pin slides into the locking groove on the Black Widow.  Your camera is held securely until you release the lock.  You can buy extra pins if you have multiple cameras, and Spider Holster sells a plate that can be used with your camera’s quick-release tripod connector.  The Black Widow Holster is $49.99; accessories range from about $8 to $16.  There is a weight limit for the cameras that can be used with the Black Widow; you can check out the information at the Black Widow page.  If your cameras exceed the limit, you can use the SpiderPro Holster System.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: Camera gear, holster

Carry Your DSLR Hands-free with the Black Widow Holster originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 28, 2011 at 8:23 am.

AGF, today adds to its new retail line with the “Precision HSD” case/carry solution for iPhone 3G and 3G S. It’s a holster case for your belt, but it doesn’t attach to the iPhone. It just holds it. AGF offers similar cases for the Blackberry Storm and Javelin. Don’t ask me what the HSD stands for, I have no idea…

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related

Tagged: Blackberry, holster, iPhone, Spotlight Gadgets

A holster for your iPhone 3GS – AFG Precision HSD originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 31, 2009 at 6:15 pm.

Austrian design company Urban Tool hopes so. I’m definitely not brave enough to wear one myself. People already think I’m goofy… If I’d showed up at my day job wearing one of these, I can only imagine the looks that I would get. But then, I live in smalltown USA. I do think the idea is pretty interesting and I’m always looking for new bag ideas. Urban Tool sells several styles of these convertible holsters, as well as more traditional shoulder bags, that I’d really like to check out. I also love how they say that some of the bags are made of hydrophobic materials.

Filed in categories: Gear

Tagged: bags, gear bags, holster

Is the US ready for Urban Tool hipHolsters? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 25, 2009 at 7:52 am.