kirkaug.com

I would not say that I LOVE the bumper. After all, I am not a fan of cases. The iPhone 4 bumper is a case. However, I like the idea of protecting my phone. I like the idea of a minimal design that is easy to remove for docking. Hence, I purchased a bumper.

Yes, that is right. Before they gave them away for free, I purchased one. I am glad I did too, I really did not want a black one. Sure, I will be receiving a black one too, for free, because of some overblown reception issue. But this post is not about that.

I have forever hated putting my phone in a case. The cases that I bought for my last two phones did not get used. They made my phone feel bulky. They made it a huge hassle to dock. They made my phone harder to use because of the coverage so close to the touch screen and the way they covered the buttons.

The loud vocal users of the bumper have been reviewing it with not much but hate. I have felt the opposite. This case, at long last, is the case that feels, in the least possible way, like I am using a case. I even think it makes the iPhone 4 seem more finished. Without it, the product seems a little bit like the factory did not complete the assembly. With it's own buttons, it solves the usability issues that other cases I have used gave me and still gives me the benefit of reducing the accidental silence switching. It also does not reduce my usability of the touch screen. All said, I would still like to be able to feel comfortable using it without a case, but it is a small handheld device. It gets dropped. It falls out of my pocket. It needs a case. This one is the most comfortable for me.

I have personally not had much of the issues with the AT&T network, which I hear about from various blogs and fellow iPhone users, since I switched to AT&T almost 2 years ago. But since we moved into the Meadowlane area, the network has been very strange. I set my iPhone in one stationary location and watch it go from five bars of 3G service to “No Service” and back again within a couple minutes. It would seem that there is very definitely some RF signal issues in this neighborhood.

About a week ago, I was informed that the AT&T 3G MicroCell was in. I had been looking forward to this device since the move. What it does is connect to an existing internet connection, RoadRunner in our case, and turn it into a cellular signal that basically gives us five bars within 5,000 feet of the tower.

Since about an hour after installing the device, I have been able to receive calls, text messages and push notifications like I always had. The only downside is that it cost me $150 to get a device that is essentially making up for AT&T’s lack in coverage. I can understand some cost to prevent demand unnecessarily exceeding supply, but I would have liked to see it come at a little lower price. I suppose since my other choices are to move, or go to a network that doesn’t have the handset I like to use (and from what I have heard has similar coverage issues in this area), I took the least expensive option. I am sure that AT&T cleverly figured this out before setting the price.

I give the MicroCell a thumb up for letting me have coverage where there is otherwise none. A thumb down for the price. And now I’m out of thumbs, so I’ll probably need those back.

Kirk out.