Holiday Ideas for Last Minute Gifts and Stocking Stuffers

How You Can Benefit the Most From Mobile Accessories in the Holiday Season  
By: Rocking Horse Staff

Season’s greetings! It’s almost Thanksgiving, which translates into: it’s almost Christmas. The Rocking Horse staff would like to wish you a happy Holiday Season, beginning with the Nation-wide day of poultry consumption and immediately after.

Time seems to fly by, and with time comes technology.  The iPhone 6 is here and with it, a flood of new merchandise. However, those of us looking to upgrade to the next, but not necessarily the latest and greatest, will soon be offered unbeatable deals for a greatly reduced iPhone 4S or 5.

Why would you pass on that offer?  They are fantastic time-tested devices capable of most of the functions the new device has, but let’s get to the point. Christmas is coming and saving money is the key. If most people are planning to get or already have a new device, they’re going to need protection for it. In this case: cost-effective protection. A good place to start: a new case, screen protector, or a hands-free headset.

According to our polls, mobile device accessories are one of the best stocking stuffer ideas for 2014. Indeed they are great last minute gifts, and these cases are the gifts that keep on giving.

Got Your Eye on Our Ming Vase Case?

Show-Case! Ming Vase, a Tribute to China’s Rich History

By: Galen Patterson

The Ming Dynasty was founded in 1368 by a man named Hongwu. He had just become emperor after leading a rebellion against the Mongols, who at the time were in control of China.

Emperor Hongwu’s goal was to steer his empire back into Chinese traditions, and expel any influence of the Mongols, right down to their clothing fashion and nomadic lifestyle.

During this time, Chinese porcelain became a worldwide treasure. Its vibrant blue and white designs are iconic of this dynasty. Oddly, this pottery served as an inspiration to Dutch companies, who tried to replicate them.

The surviving works of art are still highly treasured today, with the most recent piece selling for $1.3 million.

The word ‘Ming’ means “bright,” or “brilliant,” which continues to inspire us today, giving us the focus of this beautifully designed case. 

So the next time someone asks you about it, educate them!

What's a Bumper Case?

The Benefits of Bumper Cases

By: Galen Patterson

Bumper cases have a bad rap when it comes to protection. People on the internet will tell you that they don’t protect anything, and to some degree they don’t (obviously where they don’t cover), but bumper cases are the beginning of a legacy of iPhones that will most likely stick around.

Occasionally you’ll stumble upon the type of person who doesn’t want to put a case on their phone at all. This is without doubt, the most suitable option for them, allowing them enough protection from their mishaps, while keeping it’s natural factory beauty intact.

Bumper cases are inexpensive, and protect the most critical areas of your phone. They do this by slightly extending the profile around the edges, so that dropping on a flat surface won’t transfer momentum to the vulnerable parts, like the screen. They offer maximum protection where it counts: the edges. If dropped on its edge, the phone isn’t likely to smash wide open as we usually see with naked phones. Instead, it will remain intact.

There are also ways of increasing the protection. One method would be to apply tempered glass to the screen. Of course there may be a phone drop when not even that is enough, but no phone was designed to take a leap from the Grand Canyon.

Finally, bumper cases go with everything. They are simple accessories that drastically change the appeal of your phone. Sometimes it only takes a lime green border against a black or white background to go from normal to fashionable.

Why You Should Take Advantage of Our Sale

Why You Should Take Advantage of a Rocking Horse Clothing Sale?

By:  Rocking Horse

I’ll break it down for you is a few easy points.

1.       The timing.
These sales aren’t meant to last long, they’re meant to clear out inventory space for our next line. Simply put, the more you get, the more we replace with new styles.

2.       The inventory.
Rocking Horse selects their designs carefully through a hand-picked committee. The items are a limited-time-only offer, meaning: once they’re gone, they probably won’t be coming back.

3.       The fabric.

Clothing at Rocking Horse is designed and selected from world-wide markets. From Korean silk to South American cotton. If they don’t feel good, they don’t make it to our site.

4.       The price.

Finding cheaper clothing simply won’t happen. We believe in fairness and value your business above all else. Most companies adopt a “take the money and run” mentality early on, but we do not. Don’t believe us? Our actions speak louder than our words.

5.       The bonus.

All sale items come complete with a Rocking Horse sticker, free of charge. This offer will last only for sales, so make sure you don’t regret not buying that dress or shirt while you could find it and afford it. 

What Material is Best for You?

Knowing Your Material

By: Galen Patterson

Silicone / PC hybrid case

Have you ever wondered what your cell phone case is made out of? Knowing your material can make or break your phone sometimes, especially those of us with high-risk workplaces. Why not educate yourself?

Silicone 

Silicone is a well trusted branch of chemistry that is used in more applications than I can count. Its
rubbery makeup creates a seal which is water-resistant. However, the open areas around the charging port and speakers will obviously not be protected from submersion. With one of these skins attached, consider the phone ‘splash’ resistant. It’s soft, smooth and according to dowcorning.com, silicone combines the better qualities of glass and plastics. It is somewhat abrasion resistant and provides a well needed cushion for the device when it is dropped. For a practical application, consider the thought of falling over in a giant, stuffed sumo suit, versus falling over in full metal-plated armor.

Polycarbonate

This is a fantastic plastic shell for your phone, good for scratches and minor bumps. Polycarbonate, or PC, cases are made up of a very common and useful polymer. There’s also a brief step in the process of its production where bisphenol A is added to phosgene, an interesting chemical used as a weapon in World War I, or The Great War, for you European readers. Variations of this plastic are used to make ultra-light eyeglass lenses, in addition to so much more, according to the Polymer Science Learning Center. These are solid, well-fitted cases meant to take as much as they give.

Thermoplastic Polyurethane

These cases are great! Thermoplastic polyurethane, or TPU, appears to take the flexibility and shock-
resistance of silicone and add to the stiff protection of polycarbonate to give you a case you can count on. This unique plastic has also been made into side moldings for cars, medical tubing, swim fins, and goggles. Simply put, they’re trusty cases. They are also abrasion-resistant, according to the American Chemistry Council, meaning they won’t easily be scratched. Something I find quite valuable.

Hybrid

Hybrid cases can be diverse. For example, you can get TPU mixed with PC or Silicone, but the most common I've seen is the PC/Silicone hybrid. This concept has been adopted by Otter Box and Pelican. The idea is that you get the best of both without losing anything really. They come in various designs as well. The two most popular being a PC shell with a Silicone skin around it, and Silicone skin with a PC Shell around it. Personally I like the 2nd option. Don’t get me wrong, the silicone on the outside is a shock-absorber meant to soften the blow, but there’s something about the idea of having a soft cushion on the inside of plated armor that seems to make falling down a bit more graceful and less gut wrenching. Another major perk is that the PC exterior allows the phone to slip easily in and out of a pocket instead of grappling with friction the whole way.

So in conclusion, if skinny jeans are in, and half-dangling your phone out of your back pocket is in, then the choice is yours: slide out easy, or stay put until I really want to see you?

What is Tempered Glass and Why You Need it

  Tempered Glass

By: Galen Patterson

First impressions of tempered glass might be something along the lines of: “Why put another layer of glass on a layer of glass?” At least that was my initial thought. However, the reviews at the touch of Google’s all-knowing database gave me confidence that this product is worth it. So I rolled the dice and soon after received my tempered glass screen protector. A month later, here I am with a screen looking exactly how it did when it came out of the box.

Donna Lam, a tempered glass user says “I even forgot it was on my phone.”

This, coming from another user, is completely understandable. I never once forgot it was on my phone, but I couldn't tell it was. The perfect cutouts on the receiver and home button are the only telltale signs, but even that is aesthetically pleasing.

Another outstanding feature is the protection it offers. For those of us who absent mindedly drop our keys in the same pocket as the phone, historically, had a problem. After  my experiment, I noticed that I couldn't even tell it was in peril at all.

“We actually did a scratch test and it was very shiny afterwards. They’re very durable,” said Xiao Li, from Valor Communications.

I believe it, simply because I witnessed its durability with my own eyes.

The real strength here is what the screen protector does when dropped.

It’s almost an act of self sacrifice, the loyal bodyguard of the precious image that allows the device to be used. When dropped from a considerable height, it shatters.

Here’s the thing; it’s something like a ‘controlled shatter.’ The tempered glass will crack every-which-way you can imagine, but it doesn't splinter and cut you, it sticks together. The actual screen underneath? Flawless. This, Li ensures me, is by design and not divine intervention.

“It’s shatterproof, so it won’t break into pieces, it’ll crack but stick together, and the screen is fine,” said Li.

Mrs. Lam seems to agree. “When I dropped it, I didn’t even panic, knowing I had protection,” she said.

So here’s the situation: I’ve got a product that’s way easier to install than those pesky films that bubble, which I can barely notice, doesn’t scratch easily and protects the original integrity of the device from all but the most brutal attacks.

What’s the catch? Why, waiting for the mail to arrive of course.