Get A Grip With Martin Fields Silicone Jacket

[Mike Temporale]

Product Category: Case / Protection
Manufacturer: Martin Fields
Where to Buy: Martin Fields
Price: $29.99 USD

Pros:

• Perfect Molding - All Cut-outs Line Up;
  
• Silicone Offers Amazing No-Slip Grip.

Cons:

• Dust Magnet;
  
• Dust Magnet;
  
• Did I Mention The Dust?

Summary:
Late in 2004 Martin Fields release a sleek looking silicone jacket of the C500/Audiovox SMT5600 line of Smartphones offering protection from scratches, shock absorption, and providing a good solid grip. But, is it worth the $29.99 price tag? You'll have to read on to find out more.


First Impressions
The silicone jacket comes packed nicely into a little plastic box and stuffed into an envelope. In the short amount of time it took me to unpack and install the jacket, dust managed to grab hold of it. The problem isn't the dust, it's removing the dust. You can't just wipe it off, because it sticks too well. So, out comes the can of compressed air as I dust it off to take pictures, but it doesn't last long before I'm dusting it off again, and again. The jacket weights next to nothing, and doesn't interfere with the phones screen, buttons, camera, or other functions. I can't imagine this fitting the phone any better.

Silicone Eye Candy

Figure 1: Check out the indentations found on the inside of the jacket. These line up perfectly with the keypad and helps to prevent any added pressure on the keypad, reducing the chance of accidental dialling. Click on the image for the full size image. (1.5MB)


Figure 2: Each cut-out is clean, with no rough edges to be found.


Figure 3: The silicone jacket is a snug fit. All the cut-outs line up perfectly with phone ensuring that nothing is covered or blocked.


Figure 4: There's even a hole for the microphone. A very important feature that I would hate to see overlooked in the rush to get these to market.


Figure 5: This picture, along with Figure 4, show off just how thick the silicone jacket really is. If you look around the edges of the screen and the rocker switch you can get a good idea as to the height of the silicone jacket. The very tip of the rocker switch is actually below the silicone jacket. At first I found it a little awkward to access it like this, but I have grown accustom to it now. Click on the image for the full size image. (1.8MB)


Figure 6: Check out the grip action on this silicone jacket! Normally, the Audiovox is just to slippery to do this. I wouldn't dare rest my Audiovox on top of a water bottle without this silicone jacket. For that matter, I wouldn't even rest my Audiovox on top of a binder and try walking around the office. However, the silicone jacket provides more than enough gripping action that I have walked back to my desk from meetings, balancing the phone on top of a water bottle. The grip from the silicone jacket is that good, that you can walk around without worrying about the phone dropping.

Conclusions
If you're at all worries about keeping your phone in like new condition, or worried about your phone slipping out of your hand/pocket/dashboard/whatever, then you should really consider this sleeve. Even with the dust, it's a great accessory for your Windows Mobile device. The price may seem a little high, but given the protection that this offers, I think it's a small price to pay considering what kind of damage could happen without it.

[Mike Temporale]

Product Category: Case / Protection
Manufacturer: Martin Fields
Where to Buy: Martin Fields
Price: $29.99 USD

Pros:

• Perfect Molding - All Cut-outs Line Up;
  
• Silicone Offers Amazing No-Slip Grip.

Cons:

• Dust Magnet;
  
• Dust Magnet;
  
• Did I Mention The Dust?

Summary:
Late in 2004 Martin Fields release a sleek looking silicone jacket of the C500/Audiovox SMT5600 line of Smartphones offering protection from scratches, shock absorption, and providing a good solid grip. But, is it worth the $29.99 price tag? You'll have to read on to find out more.


First Impressions
The silicone jacket comes packed nicely into a little plastic box and stuffed into an envelope. In the short amount of time it took me to unpack and install the jacket, dust managed to grab hold of it. The problem isn't the dust, it's removing the dust. You can't just wipe it off, because it sticks too well. So, out comes the can of compressed air as I dust it off to take pictures, but it doesn't last long before I'm dusting it off again, and again. The jacket weights next to nothing, and doesn't interfere with the phones screen, buttons, camera, or other functions. I can't imagine this fitting the phone any better.

Silicone Eye Candy

Figure 1: Check out the indentations found on the inside of the jacket. These line up perfectly with the keypad and helps to prevent any added pressure on the keypad, reducing the chance of accidental dialling. Click on the image for the full size image. (1.5MB)


Figure 2: Each cut-out is clean, with no rough edges to be found.


Figure 3: The silicone jacket is a snug fit. All the cut-outs line up perfectly with phone ensuring that nothing is covered or blocked.


Figure 4: There's even a hole for the microphone. A very important feature that I would hate to see overlooked in the rush to get these to market.


Figure 5: This picture, along with Figure 4, show off just how thick the silicone jacket really is. If you look around the edges of the screen and the rocker switch you can get a good idea as to the height of the silicone jacket. The very tip of the rocker switch is actually below the silicone jacket. At first I found it a little awkward to access it like this, but I have grown accustom to it now. Click on the image for the full size image. (1.8MB)


Figure 6: Check out the grip action on this silicone jacket! Normally, the Audiovox is just to slippery to do this. I wouldn't dare rest my Audiovox on top of a water bottle without this silicone jacket. For that matter, I wouldn't even rest my Audiovox on top of a binder and try walking around the office. However, the silicone jacket provides more than enough gripping action that I have walked back to my desk from meetings, balancing the phone on top of a water bottle. The grip from the silicone jacket is that good, that you can walk around without worrying about the phone dropping.

Conclusions
If you're at all worries about keeping your phone in like new condition, or worried about your phone slipping out of your hand/pocket/dashboard/whatever, then you should really consider this sleeve. Even with the dust, it's a great accessory for your Windows Mobile device. The price may seem a little high, but given the protection that this offers, I think it's a small price to pay considering what kind of damage could happen without it.

[Jerry Raia]

I wonder how it handles dust though. 8)

[Kris Kumar]

Loved the bottle-cap grip test photo. 8)

Awesome review.

[Cattle-Dog]

Great too if your in the habit of letting strange women handle your device. 8O

[sheltem]

Too bad it attracts dust and it's a little pricey. I used to use the Krusell case but found that too bulky. Now I'm just using the Krusell pouch.

[Number 6]

Wow, 8O It's not so obvious from the smaller pictures but the full size pictures really show what your saying about it attracting dust! If those pics were taken right after you cleaned the dust off, at the rate it's collecting dust, it's going to be furry by the end of the day!

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by Number 6

Wow, 8O It's not so obvious from the smaller pictures but the full size pictures really show what your saying about it attracting dust! If those pics were taken right after you cleaned the dust off, at the rate it's collecting dust, it's going to be furry by the end of the day!

I was using a can of compressed air to dust it off. I don't know if this is the approved method for removing dust. So I can't honestly say if it was dust free after the blast of air. :wink:

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by Kris Kumar

Loved the bottle-cap grip test photo. 8)

The grip that this thing offers is really incredible. The dust factor is quickly forgotten about when you realize how well this jacket grips things.

[killah21]

Put some baby powder on it and it wont collect dust anymore....

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by killah21

Put some baby powder on it and it wont collect dust anymore....

8O I'm not sure I want to get baby powder that close to my phone. :wink:

Actually, the guys at Martin Fields have just emailed me with some feedback regarding the dust. Here's what they have to say:

Originally Posted by Martin Fields

you can actually wash the silicone case in water to get rid of the dust. We also have some customers feedback that after washing it for a few times, the silicone material is less sticky and hence attracts less dust.

I will be giving the sleeve a couple washes over the next day or so and report back on how it effects things. If this cuts down on the dust, I'll be super happy!