After visiting some local big-box discount stores and feeling insulted at the idea of paying $20, $30 or $40 for a piece of neoprene rubber, I stumbled across this product on Amazon. I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was (although it was consistent with my idea of what these things actually cost to make) and figured it was worth a try.
And it's perfectly fine. No bling, nothing fancy, just exactly as advertised. An armband for your iPhone 4. It fits better if you take your case off of your iPhone, but I've used it both ways and it worked well. I use it with Runkeeper and have gone running and mountain biking and the armband did exactly what it was supposed to do -> Kept my phone on my arm while I listened to music and let the Runkeeper app do it's thing.
So get it, enjoy it, and every time you use it be proud of the fact you spent $30 less than the other person running or biking next to you. I'm quite positive the more expensive armbands won't make you a faster runner, but investing the $30 you saved in better running shoes just might. :) Gym Running Sport Armband Case for iPhone 4 4G OS4 IOS4
Since every other smartphone armband costs 10x as much, I thought this was probably a scam, product spam, or something I couldn't quite figure out but was somehow wrong. I probably wouldn't have purchased this armband if another Amazon reviewer hadn't provided a positive review, but I'm glad s/he did because this does exactly what it's supposed to do at 10% of the price of comparable items.
The good things about this product, as the other reviewer eloquently summarizes, are obvious: it keeps your smartphone on your arm. It has a clear screen protector that allows you to use the touchscreen without worrying about scratching it while you're running/cycling on trails, etc.
I'm taking one star off because it's not designed for any particular phone, so the cutouts to operate the power button & insert headphones aren't as well-placed as they could be. There are no cutouts for volume, speakers, etc. so you can't use those features easily either. I use this exclusively for Runkeeper and never listen to music or take calls while I'm running/cycling, so it doesn't bother me at all, but I'm sure it would be an issue for some people.
Another star comes off because the cheap plastic outgasses some truly heinous smells. I suspect this will go away after a while, but it's pretty gross and makes me feel sorry for the poor Chinese (or wherever) workers who are probably working with awful chemicals in some god-forsaken plant. In fact, while we're on the subject, let's remove another star for that as well.
However, I'm going to add one star back in because it's just so damned cheap. Two dollars and sixty freaking cents! And four bits for shipping instead of the standard $7 for shipping "and handling" that most online companies (aside from Amazon) ream you with. If you'd rather have a perfectly adequate armband for $3.10 than a really good one for $20-30, this is the one for you.
*** UPDATE 3/4/11 ***
I've had this product for a couple of weeks now and have good news and bad. The good news is that the gruesome smell has gone away, as expected. The bad news is that some of the stiching has already given away, so the part that holds the phone to the strap came loose. There was already black thread in my sewing machine, so it only took a couple of minutes to fix, but it was pretty feeble construction, and if I'd had another color thread in there, I probably would've just tossed it and sprung for the $20 version. Will do that if anything else breaks, but will give it one more chance.
I have to deduct 2 stars based on the item detail description. Online product details reflect that this armband should fit arms between 10 - 15 inches. I have 10 1/2 inch arms and this armband was about 1 1/2 inches to big. Here are the true length of the armband I received. Strip 12 1/2 Inches in length. NOTE! The sticky part of the Velcro was only 1 1/2 inches of the 12 1/2 inch strip. If the sticky part of the Velcro extended another 2 -3 inches it would of allowed for a nice fit for my arms. The total length of this product is 19 1/2 inches.
You would insert your phone from the back. Front has a clear protective cover. The material itself has some stretch to it.
Armband is a good value if it fits. But for me, it was money lost because the armband was to big, making it useless. Instead and requesting my money back I thought my time would be used better if I disclosed this information to other consumers, so they could make a better purchasing decision, based off their needs.
Solid design, durable, flexible and not too bulky. Very comfortable. Phone does not come out of sleeve without unplugging the headphones, but it does fit in without taking the phone's case off. I would buy this again. - Armband - Iphone 4 - Running - Iphone 4 Case'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
