Fommy Product Review:

Overview: When the Griffin AirCurve amplifier arrived on my desk, I was very negative. I thought that a powerless amplifier in this price range would almost certainly not work, or at best was just going to redirect the sound and make it seem louder, but I was proven very wrong.

Durability: Not a whole lot to say here, it’s two pieces of crystal clear molded plastic bolted tightly together on its four corners. At its thinnest it’s about 2mm thick, and at its thickest it is about 1 3/8th of an inch thick. So unless you plan on dropping it from several feet high or dropping something big and heavy on it a couple of times, this thing will last. And with new moving parts or anything important to corrode, it should basically last forever. In addition, the plastic is very durable and quite scratch resistant as well.

Design/Functionality: It surpassed all my expectations the first time I used it, I was expecting anything but what happened; it worked, and it worked well. The sound is audibly louder, crisper and cleaner. I don’t have any way to actually measure the dB difference, so I can’t say for certain that the advertised 10 dB is accurate, but it definitely made a clear difference.

For versatility it comes with adapters for either the first generation iPhone or the iPhone 3G; unfortunately due to the Touch’s lack of speakers it is omitted from the compatibility. In addition, you can feed the charging cable through the base of the unit; which not only lets you charge while playing but actually makes the phone much more secure in its cradle. Even this is well designed, the cable fits snugly into a groove at the bottom of the unit, making it flush with whatever surface it is sitting on. In addition the base of the screws holding the two pieces of plastic together are capped with white rubber, which now only looks good but helps the unit stay in place.

Conclusion: When I first looked at this hunk of molded clear plastic I was ready to be disappointed, but I have been proven oh so wrong. This is a great iPhone amplifier for a pretty cheap price, and electricity bills definitely arent included. It does not make the phone ear piercing loud, but it will make a difference in casual use at home or at the office.

Pros:

- Durable, Heavy Plastic.
- Adapters for both the iPhone and iPhone 3G.
- It actually works; sound is noticeably louder, crisper and cleaner.

Cons:

- For what it is supposed to do (amplify) and with what it has to work with (almost nothing), I cant think of any flaw for device.