Recommend me: iPhone cases?

FF

Tomorrow I shall (maybe) be braving the masses and (hopefully) obtaining an iPhone. Now, getting the iPhone should be fairly easy, since I plan on hurting people if need be...ok not really.

The only point of confusion for me is what do I do to protect my new little expensive and fragile toy.

The clear skins I think will be a no go since they don't provide any drop protection at all. As well as the PixelSkin, even though they look like they're great for drop protection...I think they're just godawful ugly.

So, who's got an iPhone case? What is it? Does it suck (or not)?

Delmain

The one I'm using is from case-mate. It's here. I really like it.

It's pretty heavy-duty, but still pretty easy to slip the phone in/out of when you need to. (To clean it off, etc) I've literally dropped it from waist level and it landed on an edge and just bounced a foot with no apparent damage to the phone or case.

Personally though, I prefer it over the other case I tried because it's not silicon/rubber/whatever, as in, it's not smooth. It's got a texture to the case that just feels nice.

Lewisham

The InCase slider is generally regarded as one of the best. However, it does scratch up the back, as do they all. Any particulate caught in a soft or hard case will result in the back getting scratched. You might want to consider an InvisibleShield + case combo, for ultimate safety. You're gonna have this puppy for two years.

Caramel Genocide

I've got an iskin revo for mine, and I really like it. The hard screen protection for when it's sliding around in my purse is nice, and it comes with the thin screen protector too.

ASimPerson

I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Incipio-iPhone-3GS-Feather-Case/dp/B001HDDMC2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245404203&sr=8-2

Worked out for me pretty well so far. Thin and comes with a decent screen protector.

RUNN1NGMAN

How clumsy are you? I've had my iPhone for about a year and have never used a case. The screen is still immaculate and the back only has a few faint scratches. I mostly keep it in my pocket. There's no need for a screen protector--the screen is solid glass and it's not going to scratch before it cracks. If your desire is to keep it looking as shiny and new as when it came out of the box, it's just not worth it in my opinion. I mean, what's the point of it being shiny and new if it's shiny and new inside of a big ugly case?

If you're afraid of dropping in and it smashing into a million pieces then by all means get a case, but if all you care about is keeping it scratch free it's not worth the bother. It's a phone, not a priceless heirloom.

Six

I've used a SwitchEasy Capsule Neo since getting my 3g and have been very happy with it.

http://www.switcheasy.com/products/Neo/Neo.php

EggyToast

I got an attractive GelaSkin for the back. I don't really care about scratches but it looks a little different and does do some protection. Easy to remove, too. I don't really understand the case for "scratch aesthetics," because then you have a nice iPhone inside a scratched-to-hell case.

I had a heavy duty screen protector but took it off a couple weeks ago because everyone's who's reported going w/o a screen protector has said it doesn't scratch, and while I'm not going to test it out with some keys, it appears to be true -- the screen doesn't get scratched.

A very thin screen protector will help it be a little less smudgy from your fingers/face, but it's not that big of a deal.

illig

i'd recommend a thick rubber case... for when you throw the phone against the floor b/c it dropped the 3rd important call in a row

FF

Thanks for all the recommendations so far. I hadn't thought of the skin + case idea.

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

How clumsy are you? I've had my iPhone for about a year and have never used a case. The screen is still immaculate and the back only has a few faint scratches. I mostly keep it in my pocket. There's no need for a screen protector--the screen is solid glass and it's not going to scratch before it cracks. If your desire is to keep it looking as shiny and new as when it came out of the box, it's just not worth it in my opinion. I mean, what's the point of it being shiny and new if it's shiny and new inside of a big ugly case?

If you're afraid of dropping in and it smashing into a million pieces then by all means get a case, but if all you care about is keeping it scratch free it's not worth the bother. It's a phone, not a priceless heirloom.

I'm somewhat worried about it dropping/pieces as I know I'll end up dropping it at some point (I'm lucky that way). But I think my biggest reason for a case is that I'm lazy and I know the phone's going to end up in my pocket with god knows what else.

After watching a couple of video reviews I think I'm leaning towards the InCase Slider.

Edit: If I were go to with one of the clear skins, which ones are the good ones? I've heard ZAGG can be good, but troublesome to install?