Sunday, June 21, 2009

Ray-Out's iPhone "Jacket" Case Review, DIY Fix for D-Ring Problem

iPhone Case FAIL, so I DIYI purchased Ray-Out's reasonably-priced leather "Jacket" case, model RT-P1LC4/B, perhaps three months ago from Yodobashi Camera. I was looking for a case that had a "strap loop" so that I could hang the iPhone around my neck for going to meetings or lunch, as I don't trust myself to put the iPhone in my pocket and have it survive even one day! The Ray-Out leather jacket was one option, and the other was so bling-bling it wasn't even a choice for me.

DIY Fix for the RT-P1LC4/B Loop Problem

Unfortunately, the D-ring that came attached to the case by a leather loop came off, sending the iPhone plummeting to the ground. At least the case's leather hit the ground instead of the actual phone, so my iPhone still works. Ray-Out should re-design that little loop for the D-Ring, because after even a couple month's of use, it became weak and ripped.

I thought of using a loop of cable in a rubber tube (Tokyu Hands has the parts) but in the end I just took one of those key identifier rings, which are made of strong rubber, and fed the snap-tab through it to make a loop to which my neck strap could be attached.

Ray-Out RT-P1LC4/B Pros and Cons

The pros of the Ray-Out RT-P1LC4/B case are, it looks relatively good (though I'd like an option other than orange for the accents), it's sturdy except for the leather D-ring holder, and it's got a card holder which is perfect for your Suica train pass or whatnot.

I'm afraid the cons stand out, though:

  • The D-ring for attaching wrist- or neck-straps to is held in by a very weak loop of leather. Sure enough, it rotted and came off in only three months since I started using the case. Hence the DIY fix.
  • The strap D-ring is on the "wrong" side of the case. When you attach a neck strap to this D-ring and try to use the phone, things get tangled. It would be much better if the D-ring were on the speaker-side of the iPhone, so you don't have to struggle with straps getting in the way when you're trying to use the phone while it's tethered to you.
  • The edges of the case sometimes get in the way of typing, especially in apps like Photogene, where the function icons are to the hard left of the screen. It's also kind of hard to move the icons around from page to page with this design.

Here are a few photos of the case, just in case.

Ray-Out iPhone Case DIYRay-Out iPhone Case DIYRay-Out iPhone Case DIYRay-Out iPhone Case DIYRay-Out iPhone Case DIYRay-Out iPhone Case DIYRay-Out Leather iPhone Case RT-P1LC4/B

1 comment:

alfred said...

Other than the ones mentioned above, there are holster, organizer, cast, and case folding iPhone 4 leather cases that you can get hold of, in the market. You can also get USB chargers and digital cameras at these stores.

E_Cell