TECH SPOTLIGHT

Retro cases not all fun and games - they protect well

Special to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette - 08-23-2013 - The Retro Game Cases from PureGear add old-fashioned maze games to protective cases for the Apple iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Special to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette - 08-23-2013 - The Retro Game Cases from PureGear add old-fashioned maze games to protective cases for the Apple iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy S4.

I don’t know why there has been such a burst of new phone cases lately, but I’ve been sent quite a few in the last couple of weeks.

After last week’s batch, I figured I was done. But two new cases came in that proved so interesting that I had to give them a good look.

The Retro Game Cases are from a company called PureGear, and they’re available for the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Only one of the three cases, the Amazing case, is available for the Samsung Galaxy S3. The other two, the Groovy and the Undecided, are available for the other phones. I tested the Amazing and the Undecided for the iPhone 5.

The names are unusual,but so are the cases. They contain retro-style games on the back panels - those old maze games with the little sterling silver balls. Remember those cheap, plastic maze games you used to get as favors at birthday parties when you were a child? Take those and put them into the back of an iPhone case, and you’ve got the Retro series.

The Amazing case is turquoise with red trim. The back contains a maze game. The object is to get the tiny silver ball from the start area at the bottom of the case through the maze to the finish in the top right corner. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

The Undecided case is so dubbed because it is divided into “yes” and “no” sides. A little launcher, like what you would see on a pinball machine, pushes the silver ball to the top of the case. The back of the case resembled a Plinko game, with the ball falling around round knobs covering the back of the case. The ball will fall either in the “yes” or the “no” at the bottom of the case. So you can ask a question and let the case decide the answer.

It’s sort of like a cross between Plinko and a Magic 8 Ball.

The third case, the Groovy, is a circular maze.

All the games are covered with a clear plastic sheet. The plastic held up better than I expected, taking my standard daily abuse. However, the plastic on the back of the Undecided case seemed to move a bit as I inserted or removed the phone. That makes me worry about how well the case will hold up over time.

The cases are more than just games. They’re also meant to offer protection for the phone.

The sides of the cases are made of a firm rubber that is molded in a loop around the back piece. Although the firmness makes it difficult to insert and remove the phone, it does a good job of protecting the sides of the phone.

The rubber has cutouts for the mute switch, the headphone jack and the speaker, microphone and Lightning jack at the bottom of the phone. The buttons on the phone are covered by rubber, so they are well protected. It also has a cutout on the back panel, lined in black, for the camera and flash. The black keeps the light from the flash from bouncing on the clear plastic around it and ruining photos.

The rubber is raised slightly around the front of the phone. This provides some protection for the screen, which is otherwise uncovered. The raised rubber absorbs impacts if the phone is dropped on its front. The thick rubber also absorbs impact if the phone is dropped on the corners, areas that often lead to cracked screens. The case handled moderate drops just fine. I must confess, though, that I was a bit leery to drop the phone from too far a height.But it did fine dropping from about 3 or 4 feet onto a hardwood floor.

These cases offer better protection than most, though there is room for improvement. But these aren’t cases you buy just for the protection. These are cases you buy for the fun. The games are nice little challenges to break the monotony of the day. If nothing else, the cases are conversation pieces.

The Retro series puts an unusual twist on the parade of phone cases that have hit the market in the last few weeks. Next week, I plan to switch gears. I have a very unusual item on tap. It will be interesting to see how well this unique item works.

Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at [email protected].

Where it’s @

The Retro Game Cases from PureGear require an iPhone 5 or a Samsung Galaxy S4, and each retails for $29.99. More information is available at puregear.com.

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Business, Pages 19 on 08/26/2013

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