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Theres certainly been to deluge of cases for the iPhone 6 this time around when compared to other iPhone realeases. One of the first to get a full iPhone 6 case out of the gates is NoReve Tradition iPhone 6 case.
Continue reading → Review: NoReve Apple iPhone 6 Plus leather case
Another iPhone case review this time featuring the Noreve Tradition B which comes with a handy kickstand on the back for propping up your iPhone when in landscape mode.
Continue reading → Review: Noreve Tradition B [2106TB] Leather iPhone Case
We’ve covered Noreve before at Essential Apple and we liked their range of cases to suite all tastes and sizes without that “made for mass market so it feels cheap” normality. Having covered the Noreve Exceptional case before we present for your indulgance the indigo version.
Continue reading → Noreve Exceptional Selection Indigo iPhone 5 Case
Noreve launched their line of Ambition selection iPhone 5 cases and we’ve been hands on with the Papaye iPhone 5 case over the holidays. It looks like they listened to our comments and sent us a case which is more suited to the rugged traveller.
Once again we go into this review like we did on our last Noreve iPhone case review by starting out that if you don’t like the color, don’t panic! There’s 11 colors to choose from and I’m kinda glad they sent me this color to add some brightness to a particularly dismal winters day.
As always it starts with the presentation along with the experience of opening the box. More and more companies put the effort into the protective surroundings as these days it’s not just enough to use a plain old corrugated box. Sure this box has a slight texture to it, name embossed along with the logo so you experience the branding yet it’s when you open it up.
Coming with a bag might seem pointless to some yet those with sunglasses keep them protected with a soft case or box so why shouldn’t phone cases. After all Noreve specialise in different ranges for different occasions, again this was covered (pardon the pun) in the last review. Small touches are what makes products stick out.
Onto the Papaye iPhone 5 Case. Of course I’m aware that it’s spelt Papaya not Papaye but that’s the way it’s on the website so I’m sticking to it. Just to re-iterate again 11 different colors are available. At least with a color case like this you won’t be getting phones mixed up or lossing it in a hurry.
The last Noreve case I felt was for use in a more fine dining situation, covered in suede it leant itself to belmishes after a few days of rucksack treatment. Pebble grained leather adorns the case in that typically well put together and finished off style which all of our review cases have exhibited. This type of leather lends itself nicely to weathering and the all important, slipping in and out of the jeans pocket with ease.
Clamshell in design your precious iPhone 5 is held in place securely with purpose by lips covering over the metal band on the iPhone case. Being leather a little give is expected after some usage but not so much that the firm grasp is lost, just that it’s easier to insert and pull out an iPhone.
Imprinted throughout the inside areas of the case is the Noreve wording so you’ll be wanting to avoid sandy or dusty places or indeed any area where something abrasive could slip into the indents. You don’t want another scratchgate on your hands. That being said it will take some effort to get anything scratch worthy with how snug it wraps around the phone.
After a few inserts and removals and just like a good pair of leather shoes, things bed in nicely. That camera hole is nicely chamfered and it’s nicely finished off. All too often cases can look like they’ve sped off a production line to get numbers out without any proper finishing.
Generous spacing along the bottom means all your cables and headphones are going to fit nicely. Double check with Noreve about lightning adapters. I don’t have one to test at the time of writing. The left speaker / microphone is covered and that does impact when making a call with the case closed. The flap extends nicely all around to the back of the case so the caller can hear your voice and doubling up as hiding any cards you may have inserted.
Tried and tested, the almost patented flap. Annoyingly you cant quite use your fingers to unlatch the flap yet the slightest tease with a fingernail helps things along. That holds on for dear life, I tried to pull the flag itself and it dodnt budge without quite a bit of effort.
On the backside you’ll find some handy credit card sized in. Kudos for that as it becomes my night out case in an instant. Sure i’ll feel a bit awkard just due to the color but one things for sure, no one will mistake my phone for theirs.
So the solution for NFC is to get a bank card with NFC enabled, stick it in the back slot and bingo, you’ve got NFC on your iPhone (and yes I tested this a few times)
Material and functionality wise there’s not much to fault here. Once again it’s down to personal preference but this is a case with a lot going for it. Leather which wont scuff, water resistant enough to deal with any spillages and certainly wont scratch. None of this comes at the cost of any weight
You can see this and more cases over on the NoReve Website
When this case arrived in the EssentialMac plaza (shack by the sea) initially it was met with a sigh by my co-workers. Yet another case lands on the doormat do we review it, write back with a thanks but no thanks but this one was different. It’s clear that Noreve are out to live up to haute couture stylings and deliver something a little bit special from the moment you open the box up.
Continue reading → Review : Noreve Exceptional Selection Leather iPhone Case
Apple has tighted up it’s guidelines for iPhone cases for those case manufacturers who want to be able to boast MFI (made for iphone) licensing. It’s good news for those of us who like to look after our prized possessions.
Continue reading → Apple iPhone Cases To Protect Phones From 1 Meter Drops In New Guidelines
There are many Apple blogs out there which churn out the “same old, same old” often just re writing press releases with their own spin on it. Making a PR release entertaining is a skill and a half and not to be knocked but at times sites just feel like they are reviewing for the sake of it. For the sake of page impressions, hits and ultimately revenue.
Here at Essential Apple we try to take a different spin on things. If we are reviewing something we look at those claims and actually try them out in the real world so see how things measure up. Granted you might see photo’s of items on a desk but that’s only due to trying to convey in the best possible light what it is we are describing.
To give some background the point of the iPod passed me by. Yup as mad it may seem I really didn’t “get it” until a few years later. My affair with Apple and the entire ecosystem that is Apple started at the same time that Vista came along and made my life a living hell.
After a monetary windfall and as a joke to my work colleagues I purchased an Intel white plastic macbook. Sure the spec was modest compared to those water-cooled pcs I worked with at the time yet strangely enough it was a captivating experience.
At first going from windows XP to Leopard felt like a backward step at the time, I was left wondering where was all the gloss and bouncy colors that Windows XP had? What about features like Aero and those revolutionary cough c0ugh features from Vista. In all my first impressions left me feeling that Leopards and Mac’s were antiquated and simple… and then I got to using, tinkering, seeing what could be done, discovering software, now apps which ended up making my workflows easier.
Simplicity was the saving feature of the Mac and how I ended up boring my colleagues to death with that all to familiar phrase “it just works” Programs feel more focused, not as cluttered as window counterparts, designed to do what they should and always seemingly removing unnecessary amount of clicks to get the job done. As always, that’s subjective to the user.
So this blog is about my experiences with Apple Hardware, Apps, (or in the old day… software), anything iOS, iPad and iPhone bits and bobs, a smattering of general apple stuff along with the odd bit of randomness that hopefully you’ll find interesting..
There are many Apple blogs out there but hopefully you’ll follow if only for the more personal nature of the blogs and please… feel free to comment.
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We’ve reviewed hardware from Macally, Tascam, Elgato, Equnix, Samson, iPevo, NoReve, Nuance (Dragon Dictate) plus more, all names recognisable in the Mac world and that’s not even counting the software vendor’s covered.