Picking my iPhone 5 Case

One thing that strikes you when you pick up an iPhone 5 is how well put together and balanced it is. You also notice that it's all aluminum and glass, and that means it can be slick. As beautiful as it is, if you want to keep your new phone looking nice it's dangerous to carry it around naked. I needed a case.

Less than a month after the release of a new product it was surprising how many case manufactures had  iPhone 5 cases. Lots of research later I decided that I didn't want a bumper or a hard case. I knew I wanted to keep my phone safe but I also wanted show off it's great looks and keep it from becoming a clunky brick. That led me to a sleeve case. One of the best out there is the DODOcase durables iPhone wallet. At $50 it's not cheap but when you plan on spending the next 2 years with your phone I wanted a nice case that  I won't have to replace in the next 6 months. 

The exterior of the DODOcase is waxed canvas with a real leather base that acts as both a great grip and extra pockets. It's made in the U.S. and the quality shows in both the materials and the workmanship.

The inside is cotton linen that won't scratch your device.

When the case arrived I ripped open the package and immediately slipped in the iPhone. It was a great fit. Unfortunately it wasn't a perfect fit. Like all hand made items I'm sure there is a small amount of variation in any product but I think that the DODOcase is made just a touch large to facility easy access to your phone. That's great, but after a couple of days of use my phone came out of the case a little too easily. That's when I found a nice solution. 

While I was waiting for my case to arrive I had been carrying around my phone in an old glasses pouch that came with a pair of sunglasses. I realized that I it was a perfect match for the fabric inside my new DODOcase. Viola! Problem solved.  Put the phone in the glasses pouch and put the pouch inside the DODOcase. 

It was kind of like getting your groceries double bagged at the supermarket. Just that little bit of extra fabric gives you a sense that your phone won't accidentally slip out but it still is easy to grab when you want it. The draw string makes it even more secure when you want to make sure it the phone stays put. 

So there you have it. A great product with a DIY addition that makes it even better. I'm loving my new iPhone 5 and now that I have a great case to protect it I know that it will be in great shape when the iPhone 7 comes out and it's time to replace it. 

  

iPhone Setup - Opting out of Ads

Getting my first iPhone has been an awesome experience but also a learning experience. Making sure your phone is set up the way you want, with all the right data it is only part of the fun. You also need to make sure some of the more obscure settings are configured the way YOU want not the way Apple wants.  One of the first I changed was Ad tracking.

There has been a lot of news about Apple tracking the iPhones and what it means to you. You can read a couple of great articles about it here and here. With all that public focus, Apple changed a few things in iOS 6 and made it a bit easier to opt out of Ad tracking. Here's how to do that.

From your iPhone open up Settings and Navigate the following setting:

           Settings > General > About > Advertising

Toggle the "Limit Ad Tracking" switch to "On." Notice how easy that was to find? No? Well, just because Apple put the ability to limit Ad tracking in iOS doesn't mean they make it easy to find.

There is also one more thing you need to do. You also need to opt out of Apples iAd tracking from their web site.

On the iPhone open the following URL

    http://oo.apple.com

You will be greeted with the following web page.

As Apple states in the body of the text, "You may still see the same number of ads as before but they may be less relevant because they will not be based on your interests."  This isn't about the number of Ads it's about tracking your interests and keeping that information about you. Do you really want Apple to know you're interested in prostate treatment or menopause cures? I don't think so.

The iPhone is a great phone with a wonderful UI. Just make sure it's not used by someone else to gather information about you and your family you don't want to give out.