First off, we know the first and second generations left a little to be desired (some would rightly say they were crap.) Well being the trusting sap that I am, I decided to hold my annoyance due to the intense need to see a fledgling company succeed*
The original Gizmoskin case was an excellent idea and a way to achieve the american dream of enterprise and profit. Create a great design, make it attractive, manufacture it in a cost effective manner. On all 3 points the Gizmoskin case delivers, and would have been an unparalleled success except for the quality of workmanship in manufacturing and some minor design flaws that would prove to be it's undoing.
Glue is not necessarily glue
Not all adhesives are suitable for the different stresses applied to a flexible object attached to a human body: shear, tear and torsion all wreak havoc on the joining areas of the case. This new adhesive used in the gizmoskin case is stonger than the material it is holding together. Where as my original case fell apart on the third day, the new version is holding up quite nicely and even applying a goodly pull to the sides of the case (the leather was almost to the ripping point,)I see no signs of the adhesive letting go.
The Clip Cover redesign
The soft and supple lambskin works great on the case body, but the clip is subject to a lot of friction and pressure xxx8211; lambskin will not hold up under these conditions xxx8211; a new material is being used to cover the steel belt clip. The steel is the same, it attaches the case quite securely to a belt, but the clip cover is more durable and should hold up to plenty of use. The stitching pattern is such that there is no loose material to get in the way when you are affixing the clip to your belt.
What's all the flap?
The magnetic coverflap seems to close more xxx8220;naturallyxxx8221; as if the leather and magnet were redesigned from the original specs (not that the original's closure was defective, this new one's just seems to work better.)
The Sleeper has gone to sleep!
The Sleeper magnet placement in the new case is much better in this iteration of the Gizmoskin case xxx8211; no light escaping from the device in all my tests:
methodology = go to bed, turn off lights, pull out blackberry to check for new posts on BlackberryForums.com, put blackberry back in case, light extinguishes immediately watch blackberry intently until consciousness is lost xxx8211; approx 30 seconds)
Overall ***** top marks for the case that should have been and now is
This is not your father's Gizmoskin, ok that's a bit too clichxxx233; but after a week of intense use, and abuse I'm of the opinion that
ALL of the earlier design issues have been addressed and that this IS the case to beat. Now that the suitable manufacturing materials are found, I am sure that the whole Gizmo line of products will benefit and that Dan can get on with his job of making lots of money**. The new case, like the original is the epitome of simple elegance xxx8211; functional, and now the quality is seen throughout the product
*I have no financial ties to Gizmoskin or any other Blackberry accessory maker, I am not being paid for this review xxx8211; the only thing I've received is a replacement case for the one that kept falling apart.
** Dan is an upstanding person and fought to make sure that I was satisfied with my purchase xxx8211; even to the point of redesigning the case before sending me a replacement, and sent multiple emails expressing concern over the original cases quality assuring me that the case would be replaced. He stands behind all of the cases he has sold, and because of that and his quality product, it should merit your consideration.
Review of the 3rd iteration of the Gizmoskin 8700 case
