Griffin Streamline Armband Case for the iPhone 3G

Reviews: Electronics

Digital Cameras | PDAs | Communications

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Anthony Fiti
Brian

Feb. 13, 2009

Specifications

Introduction

With more and more iPhones being sold every day, and the rumors that Walmart might be getting into selling the phone, the iPhone accessory market is a lucrative place to be these days.

Today I’ll be reviewing the Streamline Armband Case for the iPhone 3G. Griffin Technologies has sent us an armband for the iPhone 3G to use while working out. So I’ll dust off my elliptical trainer and stationary bike and start exercising with my iPhone!

First Impression

The Streamline fits snugly over my iPhone 3G. By snugly, I mean its a really tight fit to put it in and take it out. This presents a problem because, at least initially, the armband would put pressure on the volume up and down switches. This caused the iPhone to either go to maximum volume or to zero volume.

Once the iPhone is in its protective case, its not very usable. You can still get around the user interface and hit the home button, but you wouldn’t want to use it for an extended period of time (you should be exercising anyways, FOCUS!).

The armband functions well, its adjustable up to the very biggest guns. The Velcro did a good job of holding the phone there when I spent 20 minutes on the elliptical.

Protection & Features

The Streamline Armband will do an excellent job at securing your phone and making sure it won’t go anywhere. There is a plastic protective cover over the screen so you can still get around and use the phone if necessary (change a playlist for example).

The top and bottom of the phone are not covered, so you can hit the hold switch and have your headphones plugged in, and when you come home you can sync it by plugging in the phone to the USB cable. The microphone area on the right side of the bottom of the phone is also uncovered.

However, the functionality on the side of the phone — including the volume and silent switches — are covered by the armband. As I mentioned previously, I found that while the phone was in the armband, it was possible that the armband would put pressure on the volume switches, causing it to go either to 100% volume or 0%.

This presents a problem because I would expect that the most common use for this case would be during exercise, where you want to listen to music. Also, there were occasional random inputs on the touchscreen as well while in the case when my fingers were nowhere near the screen.

Conclusion

The Streamline could be a good way to hold your phone while you work out. You can listen to music and even receive calls using the earbuds that come with the phone, or an aftermarket pair of headphones with the same technology. Not that the people next to you on the treadmill are that interested in your half of the conversation, but it’s useful for those with at home exercise equipment (like the elliptical I have but never use).

The big issue is the volume buttons. I did some research at Amazon’s product reviews and didn’t find anyone else to have these issues, so it’s possible that after some initial use (maybe a week or so) the case will stretch out and won’t put pressure on the volume up and down buttons.

Pros:

Washable

Small reflector around the phone if out running at night

Cons:

Not good for answering calls without iPhone earbuds and microphone

Accidental Inputs from Armband — both on touch screen and on volume buttons

Subscribe to Communications [more info]

View All

Related Reviews

Griffin Wave Case for the iPhone 3G

Communications February 17, 2009

Griffin Reflect Case for iPhone 3G

Communications January 5, 2009

OtterBox iPhone 3G Defender Case

Communications November 13, 2008

HTC Touch Smartphone

Communications August 7, 2008

Add Comment

2 User Comments

1 - Posted by Guy on February 22, 2009 - 10:00 pm

I have the volume problem. I cant find any way to fix it either, very frustrating. Is there any way to deactivate the external volume controls?

2 - Posted by online_persona on June 12, 2009 - 4:47 pm

I have the same problem with the volume too (I posted a "user review" you can view in the tab above). I posted the review before reading this actual article. After reading the article I noticed the author, Anthony, mentioned that maybe once the case is used more the case would fit better, alleviating the problem. I've used my case probably 15 times now, for about 35 minutes each time and the issue still happens every time. The only positive to come of it is that I've gotten used to trying to pull the hard rubber portion away from the phone when I put it in, which I find helps as much as is possible--but still like I said, when you pull your arm up to press a button or see the screen the volume gets pressed. Oh and as far as deactivating the external volume controls--not that I know of, I thought the same thing but haven't found any way to do it:/

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.