iPhone 4 Case Needed for carrying but not in my POCKET!

[AVService]

First off I hope this is the correct place for this?
Since we discuss packing and travel and day to day personal logistics here this seems like a natural extension to maybe the most used and carried device we all use.

I must be the only person around who needs a way to carry my phone on my Belt?

I can not stick the phone in my pocket for a number of reasons which seems to leave me with few options.

With the incredible popularity of the iPhone and really of all phones these days why are there so few carry options out there?!!?!?

I am going crazy just trying to find quality options and I speak with others every day about it and there just seems to be a vacant spot in the market where something like this should be.

It all started again for me when I moved to the iPhone 4 and left my 3 behind.
I had been using the Otterbox Defender for Blackberry and then iPhone 3 for years and all was well.
I work frequently in tough environments and on construction sites. I could simply not worry about my phone because the Otterbox was on the job!

Then the iPhone 4 Defender is completely different and provides weak protection where the older model shines. Not only will the new model not keep dirt out but it makes it tough to get out once it is in.
The plastic is weak and the belt clip too strong,so much that it breaks the rest of the case through normal use.

Anyway this is not about any particular brand or manufacturer but instead a desperate cry for help!

I need a Holster that clips on a belt. Hopefully part of a system with a case.

I know of a few but each offers some major flaw or quirk so far making them unusable as far as I can see.

Thanks for listening.

Ideas?

Ed

[Lani]

AVService -- I want you to have faith in what I am about to recomnmend to you. I think most people in the U.S. don't think it's possible to carry an iPhone dangling on a lanyard around your neck, but the young folks in Asia do it ALL THE TIME.

I got my iPhone this past June, and I wear my iPhone this way EVERY SINGLE DAY. Trust me on this.

Go get yourself a Danglet. You can buy it from Amazon (Amazon.com: Danglet Wrist and Neck Strap Adapter for iPod iPhone Touch: MP3 Players & Accessories)

Basically, it's a little plastic piece that snaps into the iPhone's charging port. It's got a couple of tiny prongs on the side that snap into place, and your iPhone will NOT fall off!!!

Just make sure never to yank the lanyard (always remove the Danglet by first squeezing the buttons together to pull the prongs in), and never twist that plastic piece (I don't know what will happen but I can see parts snapping off).

Like I said, I wear this EVERY SINGLE DAY. I've pasted a transparent business card holder on a clear plastic iPhone case, and I wear my work ID right on my phone, which I wear EVERY DAY.

If you absolutely cannot trust the Dangle to do its job, there are instructions out there for gluing laces onto iPhone cases so you can wear it around your neck that way. Up to you.

When I'm at work, I often wear clothes with no pockets or belts. And I don't want to carry my purse around with me everywhere. Using the Danglet ensures I have the phone with me at all times, and I love it!

PS: Since you're worried about tough environments; put whatever case on it that's relatively thin but that still leaves the port open. When you need to be outside where you're worried about your iPhone, you can buck it into your shirt like I do. Since it's dangling from your neck, you don't have to worry about not having a pocket!

[maverick]

AVService -- I want you to have faith in what I am about to recomnmend to you. I think most people in the U.S. don't think it's possible to carry an iPhone dangling on a lanyard around your neck, but the young folks in Asia do it ALL THE TIME.

I got my iPhone this past June, and I wear my iPhone this way EVERY SINGLE DAY. Trust me on this.

Go get yourself a Danglet. You can buy it from Amazon (Amazon.com: Danglet Wrist and Neck Strap Adapter for iPod iPhone Touch: MP3 Players & Accessories)

Basically, it's a little plastic piece that snaps into the iPhone's charging port. It's got a couple of tiny prongs on the side that snap into place, and your iPhone will NOT fall off!!!

Just make sure never to yank the lanyard (always remove the Danglet by first squeezing the buttons together to pull the prongs in), and never twist that plastic piece (I don't know what will happen but I can see parts snapping off).

Like I said, I wear this EVERY SINGLE DAY. I've pasted a transparent business card holder on a clear plastic iPhone case, and I wear my work ID right on my phone, which I wear EVERY DAY.

If you absolutely cannot trust the Dangle to do its job, there are instructions out there for gluing laces onto iPhone cases so you can wear it around your neck that way. Up to you.

When I'm at work, I often wear clothes with no pockets or belts. And I don't want to carry my purse around with me everywhere. Using the Danglet ensures I have the phone with me at all times, and I love it!

PS: Since you're worried about tough environments; put whatever case on it that's relatively thin but that still leaves the port open. When you need to be outside where you're worried about your iPhone, you can buck it into your shirt like I do. Since it's dangling from your neck, you don't have to worry about not having a pocket!

hi lani,

my concern with this approach is the proximity of the iphone to your body.

i've done tests with a radiation meter of my iphone actively using 3g data, and the readings were surprisingly high. having the iphone up against your body when it's using 3g data is as bad as standing in front of a microwave when it's running.

the radiation levels drop off significantly as you move away from the device. so whatever space you can create between yourself and the device you're carrying is a good thing.

[AVService]

Lani

Thanks for the reply.

I actually have no response to that though.

I will need to think about this one first.

Ed

[AVService]

Mav

I will say that the thought of radiation never entered my mind.
Didn't get that far!

Ed

[AVService]

OK I think I can commit now.....I will not be wearing a phone around my neck.

Interesting idea but not for me.

Thanks though.

Ed

[Lani]

having the iphone up against your body when it's using 3g data is as bad as standing in front of a microwave when it's running.

I'm curious what sort of 3G data my phone might be using while I have it hanging in front of me? The thing isn't turned on (I mean, it's "on" but not in use) and I don't have any push notifications turned on.

That's good to know, though. And it looks like there's at least one company that sells iPhone cases that reduce radiation (Pong Research - The leader in radiation reducing cell phone cases. Cell Phone Radiation Protection Cases, Apple iPhone 4/4S cases, Verizon iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 3G/3GS, BlackBerry).

OK I think I can commit now.....I will not be wearing a phone around my neck.

Interesting idea but not for me.

Fair enough. I know you have concerns about using it outside and such. Good luck finding a solution that fits your needs!

[maverick]

that's true - if you are pulling your mail manually and if you don't have any apps that use push notifications, that would reduce or altogether eliminate background data activity.

[AVService]

The iPhone at least does use some data even when you may not think so usually.
In order for the location services to work it is sending data and calculating it unless you go in and stop it from doing so.
I am not sure about Andriod models but I suspect they do also.

[AVService]

I guess I must be the only one here who wants a quality Holster after all?

So far I have been using Rip-Offs cases for years but they are getting tougher to find.
I am about to order a Nutshell case and try it,they sent me a discount code and this seems as good a time as any to try one.
They are reviewed very favorable but are made to order in New Zealand so I imagine it will take a while to see it.

[Lani]

On the other hand, AVService, do let us know when you finally come across one you're happy with.

[Walker]

I guess I must be the only one here who wants a quality Holster after all?

So far I have been using Rip-Offs cases for years but they are getting tougher to find.
I am about to order a Nutshell case and try it,they sent me a discount code and this seems as good a time as any to try one.
They are reviewed very favorable but are made to order in New Zealand so I imagine it will take a while to see it.

I once had a nutshell case during the handsping treo days. It was indestructible, made of crocodile leather. It had a belt clip and a ring that allowed it to be hung on a lanyard. I sometimes wore it on my company ID lanyard, hanging on my neck when I needed to have my phone on me but had no other way to carry it. When the treo line died, that case still looked as good as new on the outsude, but the suede lining did show wear.

Hope you find a case that work for you.

[Scattered]

Levenger makes a nice looking holster for the iPhone, called the Bomber Jacktet Smartphone Holster. Although, I don't know if it would be secure enough for you. Here's the link, if it works.

Bomber Jacket Smart Phone Holster - Leather Phone Case - Levenger

[Yonkdaddy]

I've been looking at an iPhone4/4s case from Lifeproof. These guys claim that the case is water/dirt/snow/shockproof. In fact the company says it has " been tested to Military Specifications MIL-STD-810F-516.5. This means that it has been dropped on all surfaces and edges onto concrete from a height of 2 meters (or 6.6ft). I looked at it at Best Buy and it adds some length to the phone but not much thickness. No belt clip, though. For that, I have used a Timbuk2 "3-Way Accessory Case". It will fit on a belt or velcro onto a shoulder strap (like your Absolute Shoulder Strap... gasp) and it's lightly padded for even more protection.

Not sure if a Lifeproof-encased iPhone would fit into something like the Levenger holster described above. But this seems to be the sleekest bulletproof case out there.

[AVService]

I bought the LifeProof case and took it back after 1 day.
I found the screen cover to be pretty bad and saw no real way to improve on it?
The nature of that one is to be waterproof and submersable so I understand there has to be something there in front of the screen.
They claim it is Schott Glass like I use on my Canon SLR to cover the LCD but it did not resemble that cover to me at all.
I may have kept it anyway if I could get the clip they talk about but do not have and talking to them was tough and I got no feeling they would get it soon.

For the same money I liked the Mophie Juice pack much better and that one has a huge battery built-in to increase you phone time.

Thanks for mentioning it.
Ed