SwitchEasy CapsuleNeo: Two months in

[Aichon]

I know it's lengthy, so I've included a summary at the bottom, for you folks who don't want to read it all.

First time poster here, and I just thought I would share my experience with a CapsuleNeo since I've dealt with the case for two months now, and that's something that an initial review or impression wouldn't cover.

BACKGROUND AND INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
As background, I received my Neo on the 22nd of September (ordered on 17th, shipped on 19th, delivered on 22nd). Before I say anything else, let me say that I really felt like I was getting my money's worth, what with all of the accessories and spare items included in the package. Right off the bat though, I realized that I shouldn't have blown off the reviews that said the Neo was difficult to install. They understated how difficult it was to apply the screen protector and put on the thin silicone layer, but even so, I was VERY satisfied with the results. Honestly, I still consider the difficulty installing a non-issue, but I thought I would mention it for any prospective Neo buyers out there.

My initial impression was exceedingly favorable. I loved the way that the Neo fit the iPhone 3G, and I loved the fact that it was easy to get it into and out of my jeans' side pocket. I never had a single problem with sliding it in and out, which was one of my biggest gripes about the cheapo silicone case I had before. I also loved the look, though I did notice that the I-beam part of the case seemed to bow out a bit around the logo by about 1mm. It gave the case a little play, but it still fit snugly on the ends, so I didn't mind.

One of the key selling points for me was the fact that it would work with a Universal Dock, so I also went ahead and bought a Universal Dock to go with the adapter that came with the case. The finish of the case was great too. Not shiny smooth like the iPhone 3G itself, but not tacky like silicone either. It was just the right texture along the I-beam, if you ask me, and I loved the fact that the I-beam and H-beam components of the case held the silicone layer in snugly, since my previous silicone case had really sagged after awhile.

PROBLEMS:
It wasn't until about a week in that I noticed the first problem. If you look at the design, you'll see that the I-beam wraps vertically down the back and then around to the front side and covers the chrome on the top and bottom of the phone, and unfortunately for me, somehow, a small piece from the top right corner chipped off. Thankfully, the problem appeared to merely be cosmetic and isolated, so I thought little of it, though I was a little discouraged that it had happened. A week later, the top left corner chipped off. Again, a cosmetic problem only, since the silicon underlayer provided cover for the chrome, and the I-beam still fit snugly. At that point, I began to worry a bit, since I found it odd that both those corners had chipped away in such a short time, but no other damage could be seen, and I couldn't think of anything that might have done it..

Unfortunately, the problems didn't end there. A week after that, the bottom right corner chipped off, and when it came off, it tore a vertical stripe down the side of the I-beam, with the missing section wrapping down to the side of about where the dock connector is. I should pause at this point lest you think me a careless oaf, and mention that I don't keep anything else in my pocket, save my phone, and I'm exceedingly gentle with my phone. I mostly wanted the case for dust/lint protection, screen protection, and the appealing design, not because I'm the type of person that drops or bumps his phone. Anyway, the damage was not merely cosmetic this time. Though nothing had actually snapped in two or split yet (aside from the pieces that had chipped off), the structural integrity of the area around the dock connector had obviously been compromised.

A day later, an identical piece disappeared from the bottom left corner. To say the least, I wasn't exactly surprised by then, but I was disappointed.

At that point, I knew that even the mild friction of sliding my phone into my pocket would be enough to wear away at what little was left of the I-beam near the dock connector. I tried super-gluing that area of the case as soon as I saw thin cracks begin to develop, but to little avail. I had merely postponed the inevitable. By early November, everything in front of the dock connection on the I-beam had snapped off. I super-glued it back on, and managed to get another few weeks out of it, but it's snapped yet again.

TODAY:
Had the chipping stopped after the first or second corner, I probably would have excused it as something I had done inadvertently. But the fact that, seemingly coincidentally, all four corners of the front of the I-beam managed to chip off, and the fact that the bottom two tore away in the same way seems to indicate to me a potential manufacturing problem, since I would have otherwise expected to see some other damage if I was really being that clumsy unknowingly.

So where does that leave me? Shopping around, it would seem. I don't want to go without a case, but my Neo is pretty much worthless at this point, since the I-beam can't lock on any longer on account of missing everything that wraps around the bottom of the phone. I'm not against the idea of giving the Neo another try, since I haven't heard anyone else complaining about the issues and I suspect that I may have just received a dud, but I'm sure you will all understand me when I say that I have a bad taste in my mouth after this incident.

Any suggestions on hard-case phones that can be used with my Universal Dock?

SUMMARY:
Pieces of a main component (the I-beam) of the case chipped away, one after another, until the integrity of the case was compromised near the dock connector and the I-beam snapped. The way that the chipping occurred and the fact that it occurred so readily seems a little too coincidental to be the result of misuse, and I believe that I am a gentle and careful iPhone user. Now I'm stuck with the Universal Dock I bought to go with the case and its dock adaptor, but no working case. Ideas?

The moment I bought my iPhone 3G I 2 SwitchEasy Rebels, one for my father. I loved the case alot but I got sick of not remembering who's phone was who's since we both got black (stupid idea, but there was a reason I got a black iPhone). The moment the Neo was released I returned the Rebel and picked up the Neo and I've loved it since. I've had no problems with it, none of this chipping you've said, and I use it pretty ruggedly. Sadly because my father bought me an AirCurve since he thought the removable piece was universal, I found it to be a rather big pain to take off the frame so I bought me a Clarifi.
Point is if you really don't want another Neo, try giving the Rebel a shot. It'll also h ave a universal dock adapter, it's alot easier to isntall since the rubber inside is thinker and durable. The plastic frame is more imbedded with the silocone so it shouldn't snap and break off. PLEASE NOTE that the piece of silocone near the dock connector is "flimsy" and seems to turn alot of people off. It doesn't seem like such a big deal, and they could have even fixed it in their later batches.
If you really don't want another SwitchEasy product, look around for a case that supplies a universal adapter or has an easy dock like the Clarifi. I'll do a quick search and edit this page
-Rebel http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...for-iphone-3g/
-Clarifi http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...for-iphone-3g/
-Nu Form http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...for-iphone-3g/ (Same as Clarifi minus the lens, almost half the price too)
-Quattro T4 http://www.ivyskin.com/iphone-3g/iph...hru-armor.html (Little expensive, but it has a nice glass touch-through screen cover. It says it's dockable without removing the case but I havn't seen pictures showing just that yet)
-SeeThru http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/rev...for-iphone-3g/ (Almost purchased this, the bottom half removes to form a video stand, kind of cool)

[Aichon]

I'm certainly not against getting another SwitchEasy product, and the Rebel was actually one that I researched for awhile; it came in as a close second when I finally settled on getting the Neo before. I'm rather torn, since I really enjoyed my Neo while it was intact, but also don't want to risk having the same thing happen again. If I write another "Two months in" post, I'd like it to be one that has nothing significant to say against the case or its manufacture.

The Nu Form was another one that I researched before and was highly interested in. I might have to give it another look. The Quattro and SeeThru are new for me. I'll check them out as soon as I get a chance. Thanks.

One thing to keep in mind that I miss about my Neo. You know how it covers the home and volume buttons, makes it nice an easy to access while in the plastic case, well my Clarifi doesn't have that, and it's kind of annoying but not impossible to hit, the volume buttons more then the sleep. Not saying it's a problem, but I just miss the feature from my SwitchEasy products
No problem, and good luck finding your perfect case (Of course until something new comes out just as you buy the one you want. It always happens)

[jiserrab]

I had my Capsule Neo for about one month before the corners started chipping away one by one. Then the bottom of the I frame cracked and rendered the case useless. I contacted Switcheasy and they told me to return it and they would send me a new one "ASAP". Well three weeks after sending it in (to SF from LA) I hadn't received the replacement. I sent an email and the respose was "keep the case you have and we'll send a replacement." I received the replacement yesterday.

I'll give it a second chance but if it fails again I will ask for refund and find anoher case. I like the design and protection the case affords but so far I cannot give it a strong reccomendation.

[jiserrab]

Originally Posted by jiserrab

I had my Capsule Neo for about one month before the corners started chipping away one by one. Then the bottom of the I frame cracked and rendered the case useless. I contacted Switcheasy and they told me to return it and they would send me a new one "ASAP". Well three weeks after sending it in (to SF from LA) I hadn't received the replacement. I sent an email and the respose was "keep the case you have and we'll send a replacement." I received the replacement yesterday.

I'll give it a second chance but if it fails again I will ask for refund and find another case. I like the design and protection the case affords but so far I cannot give it a strong recommendation.

Well my second Capsule Neo case is beginning to chip away again. I'm going to move on to another case as soon as it completely fails, as I expect it to eventually. I feel the review by the staff here at ilounge is more of a first impresion since they do not seem to report how well the cases stand up to every day use. Form, fit and finish a case may get a good "grade" but under usual every day conditions it may fail miserably as the Neo seems to do.

[Aichon]

I'm very sorry to hear that that's the case with your new Neo. I've actually been holding off on purchasing a new case for the last few weeks now. I found that the locking mechanism on the back offers enough traction or friction to keep the case from completely falling apart, so I've managed with my broken Neo for awhile.

As for the review, yeah, that's the impression I got as well, and since that's at least three cases that it's happened to, I'm definitely thinking it's some sort of a manufacturing defect and not just some random coincidence.

Let us know what you end up settling on for a new case. I'll do the same if I end up buying a new one as well, but it sounds like I might be staying away from another Neo after all.

[WPeterson]

what can i say about this? switcheasy capsuleneo is the most tough case for iphone 3g as i know. but not everyone like the hardcase. lots of my friends prefer the slim skin for iphone, becoz iphone is a little fat already....

[Aichon]

At least in my case, I was fine with a hard case, and preferred it significantly over the silicone case that I had before. If the Capsule Neo just worked as advertised, I'd be an incredibly satisfied customer, but the fact that the corners chipped off as they did, not only on mine, but on someone else's as well, has convinced me that there's some inherent flaw in the design of this particular product.

[bc8240]

I also have the disappointing missing corner. Three of them are gone.

[doctorb]

Yes, the Neo is a defective design. It doesn't stop switcheasy from selling them anyway though. Then they give you the run around, hoping you'll just go away.
AVOID SWITCHEASY!!!

[V4705]

Originally Posted by doctorb

Yes, the Neo is a defective design. It doesn't stop switcheasy from selling them anyway though. Then they give you the run around, hoping you'll just go away.
AVOID SWITCHEASY!!!

this is exactly the problem, i love switheasy, the rebel is great (there is the "saggy bottom" problem but nothing perfect), the colors is a very quality silicon case, they release now the visionclip2, another great design.

the neo is a failure, why its still on the shelf? they should EOL it after 50-100 complaints.



Edit: btw, the reviewers no less guilty of switcheasy with the stupid policy of "no editing after the original review".
they dont update for this type of problems and new viewers still reading the good first impression and stay in the dark.
its really good for the manufacture who send them the free product, but who cares about the users?

I own a Rebel, and a Neo
I much enjoy my Neo more, except I snapped my i-clip at the glued together part.
SwitchEasy customer support has been great to me, maybe people just don't know how to write an e-mail that doesn't instantly flag "DELETE ME"
I stopped worrying though, only using the Boa slip case for pocket lint protection.

[A.Mac]

Chalk me up as another person with a broken Capsule Neo case. I haven't had the corners chip off though. Mine broke on the I-beam just beside the mic/speaker right along a seam.

I'm not not entirely impressed with Switcheasy's customer service either. I bought mine online right after it came out, from their authorized Canadian distributor because nobody in town had even heard of the case yet. When it broke and I tried to contact the distributor I found out that they had closed. I contacted Switcheasy and they basically said "We don't service Canada, so too bad for you." Fortunately, by that time a retailer in town carried them and were nice enough to replace it even though I didn't buy it from them originally.

Now my second one has broken as well, in the same spot as the first, so now the hunt begins for a new case and it definitely won't be a Switcheasy even though I really loved the neo until it broke.

That's where mine snapped, the fact that you have to flex the case on a glued spot is bad