What I love about running is that it requires no equipment or setup, although on long runs especially I need to carry water, food electrolytes, sometimes a camel pak and jacket, and of course, my iPhone. When racing I use it to call my wife and update my progress, and of course to take photos, so I need easy access to it. The nice people at www.mobilefun.co.uk sent me an armband to test out. An entry level armband at around £10 it provides adequate support and some basic protection. Raising the phone from the waist where it's usually stored definitely helps maintain good form, and the touch screen still functioned through the plastic cover too which is useful. The armband was comfortable and easy to put on and take off, and it maintained position while running too. As an everyday fair weather armband it functioned perfectly, for poor weather I'd need more water protection where the phone slides in, at the bottom and around the earpiece. Many runners however don't venture out in the rain and this strap would be more than adequate, it's stable, comfortable and the touch screen can still be used. From a design perspective, the model i tested had a popper to secure the phone is on the inside of the armband which makes it trickier to close while wearing. The Velcro fastening to the arm is not continuous and so has 2 positions it can be secured in which seemed to suit my bicep size, a bigger or smaller arm may not have such a good fit.
At half the price of more well specified armbands, this entry model is worth considering, it certainly posed no concerns from a stability or comfort perspective, but for more inclement weather which a significant number of my runs are subject to i'd recommend spending the extra 5 to 10 pounds to get complete piece of mind and protection. www.mobilefun.co.uk have a full range of products from entry level up to products like the XtremeMac Sportwrap which although i haven't tested appear to have more complete protection.
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