Cases for KIN Two ?

[Limestone]

fisharefriends, does the skinomi body wrap feel like it offers any impact protection? Or is it just for scratch resistance?

[fisharefriends]

I don't think it does add any impact resistance. It is a thin film, and a 'flexible' one at that, so the most you are getting is the elasticity of the thin material. Think of a screen protector, and that put on the entire body..doesn't really help much with drops. I will say though, if the phone does happen to crack (i'm talking about the battery cover, since physically that is the only part that even feels like it can crack from accidental dropping), the film will hold it together and it should be somewhat functional. I am 100% satisfied with my skinomi skin, it does exactly what i expected it to. The best part, is its 'self-healing' claim really is true, the material itself (i personally would like to know what material it is..but i guess thats a company secret or i just haven't done any research to find out) does have that elastic property to it, which more or less doesn't even let it scratch, it more 'dents' when it is scratched, which is why it can just retain its original 'non-scratched' form over time.

One thing to mention though: don't take any chemicals to the surface..like rubbing/denatured alcohol. I use that stuff at work for cleaning and such, and decided one day that i should degrease the phone with it. What that actually did was strip the surface of the skin, leaving permanent scratches and scrapes on the skin. Because i don't know what the skin material actually is, i can't say whether lighter cleaners like windex or such will compromise the skin, but its just safe to only use water..stick with soap and water.

To be honest though, the phone is very, very rigid on the front screen side. I can say, i've dropped my phone a few times, the hardest was on a hard carpet (the kind that really has no spring or thickness to it..like you would see in a store or business building) from arm's height, and not a single issue. It even sounded solid; my old phone, you could hear parts wiggling and such, but this phone gave it a hard 'thunk', which really gave me a sense of security that it was a solid phone. The only part i am worried about is the battery cover; however, while it does feel weak, theres a chance that microsoft chose a composite that is thin and light, but is stronger than it feels. I'm no materials expert (nor do i want to find out with my phone), but i don't have the insecurities of its physical quality that i did when i first bought the phone. Not to mention, if you're worried about dropping it, go ahead and add a camera wriststrap to it (read one of hte other threads on these forums on how to do so..i believe the title was as straightforward as 'Phone does have lanyard strap hold', or something like that).

I'd recommend the SKinomi skins..i have a full-body one, but if you do want the extra assurance from drops, go ahead and just buy the screen protector, and then cases still fit over it (a case won't fit over the phone with a full-body skin protector; the added thickness, although minute, is enough to make it so the clips don't snap on because they were designed for a tight fit in the beginning). Full-body are $19, and screen-only are $10. Also, they have lifetime replacement guarantees, and since i scratched my screen protector, as well as since applying it, i've gotten a warranty phone replacement, i went ahead and filed the replacement form. Their website has you do it by fax, and i didn't get a notification, reply, or any sort of confirmation of reception for a week or so, so i sent them an email last week. They replied and said that they were on top of it, apologizing for the delay, and that they were going to cover the shipping costs for the replacement, so hopefully by the end of next week, they will hold their word on that and i will be a very satisfied customer. Well worth the $10, or $19, especially with the lifetime replacements, if they hold their end of it. But even if they don't, this skin is very tough and unless you are dumb like me and applie heavy chemicals to it, there should be nothing in daily use that will damage the skin. And i've read about the Zagg invisibleShields, and while they don't make them for the Kin phones, they are essentially the same (same film material, application method, etc). The one difference is that I've read the Zagg's have an 'orange-peel' texture to them (which is bad), and i haven't noticed that at all on the Skinomi skins. So for me, Skinomi has my money, not Zagg. Zagg has the bigger name, Skinomi has the better product (and the only, for Kin phones..).

I did say i was going to post a full Skinomi review, but i haven't gotten around to it. Just a short review though, like stated above, i'd recommend it. It is a little 'tedious' to install, but i actually find it easier than the cheap, regular screen protectors because of hte ability to move and slide it once it is on the phone, due to it using a spray during application. Just quick advice, until i post the full review and installation guide/helpful tips, remember that the spray is not the adhesive itself, it is just something to keep the adhesive moist and not sticky during installation. Keep your fingers covered, but as for the actual skin, it only needs a light coat. Applie from the center, out, and let time dry the spray to press the edges down. All the micro-bubbles do disappear, so don't worry about those. What you do have to worry about are the larger bubbles, make sure you push all of those out, both the fluid bubbles and air bubbles. In theory, the fluid bubbles would disappear as it dries, but the problem is, if you seal in a large enough of a bubble, then it will never dry because it has no air flow to dry out. I hope to get around to a full review in a week or two (i know i said this last time..my apologies), but hopefully this will do for now.

[tweak42]

Fisharefriends are the Skinomi skins thin enough to still use with a belt clip holster?

My feedback on Body Glove case:

I bought a Body Glove case cheap off Amazon and used it for a few days as belt clip since all my previous phones have used belt clips.  It was an oem with a standard clip and not the kickstand clip, which was not a big deal for me.  Mine may have quality and tolerance issues as you'll later see.  The case does add to the bulk to the phone and makes it really grippy on the front and back surfaces.  The trade off is the front cover has been knocked off twice caught on clothing when wearing on the belt clip.  Also the keyboard slider has been brushed opened a few times wearing on the belt since it does not lock.  The backplate holds onto the phone via 6 lip points, 2 of which I'm constantly clicking back into place because slight any flexing pops them off. The front cover fit is loose, both at the lip points and the plastic diameter ringing the screen has some play/flex.  Another problem I found with the front cover is it makes it much more difficult to drag down the browser URL when in landscape mode due to it being so adjacent to the screen edge.  I find when browsing I will either take the front cover off or close the keyboard, turn the phone to portrait drag down the URL and then open the keyboard back to landscape.  

I'm apprehensive of the weight stressing on lip points may give and let the phone fall out so for now I'm carrying it in my pocket.  However the bulk and grippyness isn't pocket friendly, so I'm going to try a plain belt clip holster next (possibly with a skin), and after that a snap on hardshell.

[fisharefriends]

The skinomi skin is just that, only a skin. It is as thin as you can get, just think of a thin piece of plastic. The only thing it will interfere with is a hard snap-on case, i'm guessing hte holster doesn't have any tight snap-on features to the phone. Snap-on cases are designed to fit snugly to the phone, hence the no clearance and the thickness of the skin being too much for them. But really, they are thin, they are very high-quality skins, and it is nearly unnoticeable once they are applied.

[tweak42]

Feedback on search for belt clip:

I purchased a Treque holster for the Kin Two and have been using it for the past week.   It differs from the cheaper plastic belt clips in that has a grippy rubberized coating and a spring catch to hold Kin into the holster.  It has openings on both top and bottom for sound and USB ports so it can be plugged in while in the holster, but no openings for the camera lens and button.  I was initially put off that the unit has the screen facing outwards and not inward to protect the screen from damage.  However the advantage is you can easily use the Kin while it is in the holster, and the keyboard stays firmly locked in place when holding in 1 fist clicking the side buttons.  The spring for the catch is medium tension but seems adequet so far as have not had the Kin dislodge itself yet.  The latch itself protrudes up and way out farther than needs and can easily hook on to passing clothing.  I remedied this using a electric grinding wheel to shave off the offending plastic.  After smoothing out the plastic using fine sandpaper and using a ink pen to color back in the plastic, it's very hard to tell that it wasn't originally made that way.

Overall I'm happy with this solution so I'm not going to buy the other plastic belt clip model.  I have purchased a Skinomi skin but haven't had time to apply it yet, (need to find a dust free place to apply it),  I'll report back when I had time to apply and use it.

[ahoyjmai]

How well does the full-face screen protector fit? I bought the smaller (fits only over the screen) because i was doubtful.

I imagine since its rounded on all edges that creating a thing sheet that fits is challenging.

[fisharefriends]

I don't know about the 'cheaper' versions of hte full-screen protector. But i do know that the skinomi screen protectors (which are the full screen) cover it nearly perfectly, and because of their more flexible material, as well as better adhesive, they stick very well and are very durable, and are pretty much a perfect fit on the screen. The corners are near impossible to turn up, and i would highly recommend spending the $10 to get a Skinomi skin rather than the cheaper, 'buy-n-replace' skins. Its application takes a bit longer (about an hour to apply, and 12-24 to cure), but it is well worth it after that, you can hardly notice it on the phone, it protects against scratches (and the 'self-healing' advertising really does work), and it prevents fingerprints.

[tweak42]

Update: Treque holster  w/ Skinomi protector

Finally figured out how to apply the Skinomi without dust getting in the way (mostly).  By applying the Skinomi in a closed bathroom with the showing steaming, dust becomes a non issue.  I did the application for the back cover then the front screen on separate days.  

The back plate was easy because it's removable so you don't need to worry about moisture getting in the phone and you can press really hard to get the bubbles out.  The cut outs for the curved sides took a little repositioning but they adhere really well once cured.  The front was trickier, because it was hard to line up the holes, keep the bubbles out and watch out moisture didn't get in any of the holes.  My alignment was a little off and I did get a few bubbles that I had to patiently work out to the sides by pressing with my fingernail.  Over the last few days the other visible imperfections have faded to tolerable level but are still visible.  Compared to the screen protector I bought from Verizon, the Skinomi doesn't have the mirror glossy finish of the bare screen or old screen protector.  

The finish on the back plate and screen looks like a oily, slightly ripply gloss.  It does resemble a orange peel texture if you look closely at an angle reflection but it's only weakly textured in that regard.  Touch screen response seems to be about the same as bare screen.  Holding the phone now has a warm squeaky traction friction feel instead of the slippery hollow plastic.

With the Skinomi on the Kin, it does fit into the Treque belt clip holster but not quite as instant press-snap as before.  I have to press the catch lock in place now because with the extra skin layer in size and the added friction from the screen skin the spring latch will no longer latch flush on it's own when pressing the Kin into the holster.  The holster does appear to leave some wear makes on the skin where it contacts, but the self healing nature of the skin seems to keep it to a minimum.

Overall I'm happy with this setup, as my phone is not bumping around in my pockets, it's quickly accessible, and the controls are not encumbered in anyway.  I do wish the screen protector visibility was crystal clear, but that is the trade off for the self healing skin property.  I'm very careful and rarely ever drop my phone so I'm satisfied with only the scratch resistance protection of the Skinomi, others might not be so inclined.

[fisharefriends]

Glad you like it.

As far as the orange-peel effect goes, it only appears on the back of mine, not hte front. I'm pretty sure they have 2 different products, 1 for the screen which is higher quality (and orange-peel free), and 1 for every other part for all phones. My screen-side is as clear as it was before i put the skin on. At least, every little 'spot' imperfection on it is of my own fault through installation.

As far as getting it to snap in tighter, i don't know how much manual customization you want to go through, but you could try filing the clip down slightly to make it bigger, for the added sliver of bulk that the skin adds.

[tweak42]

Yes, I did consider filing the latch, but it's not to much of a deal since the extra fit means even more securely held in place.