This week I went to Core (the distributors of Apple in SA) for a demo of their new iPhone covers, Tech21. I wondered why I couldn’t get a press release and product to try, and why I needed a demo. After all, isn’t a cellphone case that offers impact protection when your phone falls much like the next one? But it would only hit me later – quite literally – why we needed the dem.
So, what is it? The Tech21 Impact Mesh case has D3O material, which provides a barrier between your iPhone and knocks and falls. If you drop your iPhone, the molecules in the D3O lock together upon impact, absorbing the energy and dispersing the energy away from it. Have a look at the videos at the end of the post to really get a sense of how the cover and its technology work.
We had some of the sample DSO to try, which is like a combo of putty, playdough and Prestik, to explain it best. It’s pliable when you play with it, but as soon as there’s impact, it goes hard. We tried the mallet test, and I know that if I hadn’t tried it on my own hand, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Basically, I took a bit of the DSO, put it on my finger, and gave it a few good whacks. I can say that my finger is fine, and I’m typing with it as we speak. The moral of the story and the premise of the test? If the substance can protect your finger from breaking, it can prevent your phone from breaking when it falls.
Core’s Mbali Zondo tries her hand at bashing her finger
See, finger’s intact
I was surprised by how lightweight the cover is, and how it actually makes my phone look good – many covers don’t. These iPhone Tech21 covers start from R299 from iStores, and there are iPad Mini and iPad covers too. They’re available in clear, orange, pink and black.
