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Tag: iRing

March 20, 2016

Is Your Smartphone Safer with the iRing or Bunker Ring?

Do you worry about dropping your smartphone in the toilet? You should if you often practice a one-handed grip. If you’re also using a stick-on ring for total security, you may want to rethink your plan…

Do you worry about dropping your smartphone in the toilet? You should if you often practice a one-handed grip. If you’re also using a stick-on ring for total security, you may want to rethink your plan…

Ten months ago, I experienced a watershed moment… I attached an ‘iRing’ to the back of my iPhone 6 Plus. (Actually, my Tech 21 case.) And I immediately felt invincible. Of course, this tiny plastic square absolutely ruined the perfect sleek profile of my Apple device.

Sacrilege.

But let’s face it, these plus-sized iPhones are huge, and I must admit they’re a little difficult to handle one handed.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my little phablet.

But I’m the first to admit that I’m a multitasker throughout my day. I often find myself balancing my iPhone in one hand while my other hand is doing something else. Dropping my digital companion while trying to ‘one hand it’ would be something of a game-over moment.

So the ideas of attaching a ‘non-destructive’ stick-on plastic square with a ring to the back of my iPhone and then sliding my finger through the ring for extra support seemed simultaneously strange and brilliant.

So, I gave it a go…
And quite honestly, it was a game changer.
To be able to hang your iPhone from your finger…. Whoa!

Plus, you can use it as a kickstand to watch videos on a table with others.
Like…. “Hey, look at this.”
(Plop.)
(Play…)

So Weird, It’s Cool
I simply loved my iRing. Not to mention I discovered this $20 add-on became something of an unexpected fashion statement.

More than a few folks asked me,

“Hey, what’s that on the back of your phone?”

“Oh this little thing…? It’s an iRing.”

“Ooh…”

Suddenly, I’m the cutting-edge, ‘early adopter’ guy.
(When I often choose not to be)

And all I’m actually trying to do is not drop the darned thing in the toilet!

These were halcyon days.
Until….

My iRing Lost Its iPhone Connection
A couple of week’s back I was holding my iPhone using my fabulous iRing…
In no particular strange way or stressful positioning…
And my magical power circle… It… just… popped off.

What?!
(I was sitting at a table. So, my iPhone only had an inch or so to drop. I was insanely fortunate.)

It had been ten months since I first stuck the iRing to my life.
I would have thought the heralded ‘restickable’ adhesive would have lasted longer than that…

But have no fear… The iRing’s makers say you can reuse the iRing ‘hundreds’ of times.

Really?
Okay then…

So I ran the adhesive section under running water to ‘recharge’ it as per the instructions.
(No I don’t understand how that works either.)

And I pressed it back on.

Two days later, the iRing came off again.

A third attempt lasted for only 24 hours.
(By this time, I was mostly palming my iPhone to protect it from what seemed like the inevitable.)

No doubt about it – My iRing had reached the end of its useful life.
‘Cause really… If you can’t trust the ‘stick’… it’s simply a liability.

So now what?

Plenty of Other Choices
I could buy another iRing and hope to get a year out of the next one. But just the knowledge that it is doomed to fail, suggested I should try my luck elsewhere…

Actually, there are plenty of other competing smartphone ‘rings’ on the market.
Here’s a bunch I quickly found on Amazon:

Hello, Bunker Ring
As I did my research, all of these stick-on rings all started to look the same…
And maybe some of them actually were!
(Plus, you’ve got to wonder if the adhesive technology they’re all using comes from the same ‘sticky-goo’ lab.)

My brain started to feel fuzzy, and I began to loose focus on my quest to regain my grip.

Then, I happened upon another choice –

Bunker Ring in Box

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hmmm…

  • It had a solid name.
    (Not unimportant)
  • The product was supported by a professional-looking main website.
  • And it’s received better overall user reviews than the competition on Amazon.

Bunker Ring Essentials

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bunker Ring seemed like the real deal… as opposed to some reseller popping their own name on a generic unit.

That said, the Bunker Ring is more expensive than the other choices above.
(I certainly hope that means it’s got more going for it.)

A couple other details:

  • The ‘Essentials’ model is a fifth generation design.
    (Maybe the fifth time is the charm?)
  • The flat ‘super pad’ is a little larger than the iRing’s.
    (Hopefully that will give it more sticking power.)
  • The outside of the ring part is circular as opposed to having one flat edge like the iRing.

Bunker Ring Vs iRing

 

 

 

 

 

 

On that last point… the iRing had won out in my first search last year, partly because that one section on the outside of the ring was flat, theoretically making its ‘stand’ functionality more stable.

Meh.

Ironically the Bunker Ring is marketed on Amazon as a “kickstand,” and while I’ve used that trick a bunch of times, the one-handed ring maneuver is really what I need to perform flawlessly multiple times every day.

Déjà Vu?
After going through all of this mishegoss, I realized I had actually considered the Bunker Ring Essentials my first time around, but the iRing’s flat edge was more appealing and took the prize.
(Hey, it was ten months ago. Sometimes, I can barely remember yesterday.)

Bunker Ring Vs iRing angle shot

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe it was time to give the runner-up a shot…

Click.

Never Dismiss the Strength of Five Fingers
So I’m happy to report I’m again one-handing my iPhone with confidence. My Bunker Ring Essentials is firmly attached, and my hand is back in control of my huge smartphone.
(For now)

But really… who am I fooling? Do I really expect any super-stick voodoo to last forever?

Before, the iRing made me feel totally secure. I didn’t need a net…
My iRing’s failure says more about me than its chemical engineers. That I would totally entrust the safety of my iPhone to some marketing promise was silly.

Perhaps I should actually thank the iRing for its sticky failure. That experience will now force my hand to pay a little more attention when relying on the support of my Bunker Ring Essentials.

Yes, tech is there to make our lives better… but it’s rarely perfect. You should never give up total control…

Or else one day… you could find your life in the toilet.

11 Comments
May 10, 2015

How to Stop Dropping Your iPhone

Have you ever felt your smartphone was a little wobbly while texting? You’re not alone. To stabilize your situation, you might want to consider getting an iRing.

Have you ever felt your smartphone was a little wobbly while texting? You’re not alone. To stabilize your situation, you might want to consider getting an iRing.

Let’s face it. The iPhone 6 Plus is huge. I love mine, because it is so big. But I must admit I have some concern for its safety, because of the size. Simply put, this large and expensive device can easily find its way out of the protection of my right hand onto the unforgiving floor…
(And I’ve got big hands.)

I’d really prefer my iPhone not meet its doom this way, simply because I can’t hold onto the darn thing!  It’s already survived a couple of low-impact drops, but I worry it’s just a matter of time until a more damaging event occurs.

Part of the problem is I find myself walking around holding my iPhone a lot more these days,
(Like it’s some kind of on-board attachment for a robotic arm)

Statistically, there’s a greater chance it can either get knocked away or simply slip out in a careless moment…

So you’d think there’s got to be a few entrepreneurial folks out there who’ve thought about this problem and come up with a clever solution.

And in fact someone has…

Inspiration at 70 MPH
Recently, I was commuting to New York City on the train, wearing
my Road Warrior hat. On this particular day, both the travel and tech gods were smiling on me….

  • I magically found an aisle seat on a very crowded train.
  • Moments later, I ran into a friend of mine, who eventually nabbed a seat right next to mine.
  • And then he had something new attached to his iPhone he wanted to show me…

My friend enjoys fusing ‘helpful’ technology into his daily life as much as I do. And we both get a kick showing off our latest ‘upgrades’ to each other.

And what was this newest invention he had to show me?

The iRing.

My iPhone 6 Plus Needs a Leash
It’s simply a little ring attached to a plastic square that mounts onto the back of your smartphone. Then, you slip your index or middle finger through the iRing and voilà… “Look Ma! No hands!”

More importantly, your precious device stays attached to your hand no matter what your other four fingers are doing…

Sure, if you want, you can carry your phone around without gripping it anymore. But for me, that’s just showing off. It’s more like a belt for your pants. You just want to keep everything where it is…

If you use this mini leash correctly, you’ll eventually forget it’s even there.

Another way to use this useful invention is as a simple kickstand on a flat surface.
(Horizontal use seems most logical.)

And how much does this revolution in smartphone safety cost?

$19.95
For me, twenty bucks is the perfect price point for any kind of tech accessory. Especially if it’s on ‘sale.’ Or appears to be…
In fact, dropping a few fins on a good tech deal feels like getting something for free!
It’s a no brainer…

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the iRing goes for $19.95.
(It comes in a variety of colors.)

So I went to the Amazon app on my iPhone… and tap.
(I bought the black one to match my iPhone’s case.)

Instructions Not Included
The big question now was where exactly to mount my iRing?

This wasn’t as stressful a choice as it could have been, because the makers of the iRing claim you can pull it off and reapply it multiple times… as long as you don’t ‘touch’ its ‘special’ adhesive. You can also ‘re-energize’ the adhesive by placing it under running water, and then allowing it to ‘air dry.’
(You’ve got to wonder what this super-sticky stuff is made out of… but that’s another conversation…)

The other piece of good news here is my iPhone is protected by a ‘Tech 21’ case.
So there’s no chance I’d gum up the actual back of ‘my precious’ with this iRing.
(The makers of the mystery adhesive technology say the iRing’s ‘sticky’ back leaves no ‘excess’ residue. But I still don’t want to see what ‘normal’ residue looks like.)

Logic Doesn’t Apply
All this said, I really didn’t want to embark on a lengthy trial and error process to determine where to position my new iRing. There had to be a simple rule of thumb to follow…

My first impulse was to pop the iRing smack onto the center of my Tech21 case’s back.

But then I decided to take a close look at where all my fingers typically sit while my thumb is typing away. And I immediately realized my entire hand sits noticeably lower on the back of my iPhone than I thought.

So how would I figure out how to get it exactly right?

Scotch Tape to the Rescue
As I pondered this challenge, I took a look at Amazon and landed on one of the iRing’s competitors… the Bunker Ring Essentials.
(This accessory appears to mirror the iRing, except for one little detail. The Bunker is round. The iRing’s structure is flat on the part facing away from the phone.  I prefer the iRing’s flat-edge design, because it creates more stability when used as a kickstand.)

Then, I noticed a video review and decided to observe where this user positioned his ring mount. Yes, he had it placed noticeably lower on the back of his iPhone Plus. But the big “Ah-ha” for me was he first used scotch tape to hold it in place to test it out.

Of course.

So that’s what I did…

iRing Prep with Scotch Tape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a little scotch-taped experimentation, I found the perfect spot…

I discovered that I not only had to lower my iRing off the case’s vertical center, I also had to pull it in towards the edge closest to my thumb. This asymmetrical positioning would allow my fingers to sit exactly where they otherwise would be while my thumb does its hunting and pecking.

Problem solved…

Happy Fingers
Holding onto a massive smartphone shouldn’t be an ongoing concern as you move about your day. And now, it doesn’t have to!

iRing in Action

 

 

 

 

 

 

And all this peace of mind for $19.95…

Think of the iRing as a twenty-dollar insurance policy to ensure your smartphone’s safety…

…Against all danger?
Not quite… but it’s a useful step in the right direction!

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