By Alan J. Pierce
pierceaj@techtoday.us
   
Providing Classroom Resources on New & Emerging Technologies
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A Hot Off the Press Product Review
Review - The Best Samsung Note 8 Cases
If Shakespeare had a smartphone he might have coined the phrase- the case is the thing that will protect my most precious machine. Let’s face it the first thing we purchase when we get a new cellphone is a protective case. The two brands that seem to me to give the most worthy amount of protection when placed on a Samsung Note 8 are made by Speck and Urban Armor Gear.

Urban Armor Gear - Monarch Case
(MSRP $ 59.95)

The UAG Monarch case has a beautiful design and gorgeous graphics which makes it definitely stand out from the crowd of available cases. With multiple layers of shock absorbing rubber and plastic that is beefed up in all four corners of the case it should deliver a good deal of protection if you accidentally drop your phone. To give you a non-slip grip of your phone they designed a raised hexagonal pattern into the edges of their case. The Monarch case uses the four beefed up rubber corners to prevent your screen from coming in contact with a table’s surface when you set it down with the back of the case facing up.

Best Feature - Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and I personally feel the red and black graphics of the Monarch will make your phone stand out to such a degree it is less likely you will accidently walk away leaving your phone on a table in a restaurant or other non secure place.
 
Worst Feature - The one negative that I found is the hexagonal pattern runs all around the phone’s edges without leaving a smooth surface around the edge of the phone. This makes it a little difficult to find a button you want to press without looking.

Speck Presidio Grip Case
(MSRP $49.95)

The Speck Presidio Grip case has a beautiful design and striking graphics which makes it definitely stand out from the crowd of available cases. With a layer of shock absorbing rubber ribbing fused into the case’s layer of plastic, this case should deliver a good deal of protection if you accidentally drop your phone. The ribbing provides a solid grip when you are holding your phone. This ribbing is also inside the case which I assume will give it extra shock absorbing qualities if your phone is dropped. The case has a raised bezel so when you place your phone face down on a table your screen is not in contact with the table’s surface.
Best Feature - They left openings in the ribbing so the case is smooth around the different Note 8 buttons which are located around the sides of the phone. This makes it easy to locate the buttons without looking.
Worst Feature - The cutaway that provides an opening for the Note smart pen looks like the designer added the opening out of necessity, creating a very odd looking corner when compared with aesthetics of the entire case.  This design decision doesn’t, however, affect the protection the case can deliver.
Speck USB-C to USB Charging Cable (MSRP $24.95)
I also tested Specks USB-C to USB charging cable. It works great and the advantage of buying it from Speck is you know they stand behind their products and are quick to replace their stuff if it doesn’t hold up.