The case of the perfect iPhone case

Okay, I know, you're sick of hearing about the iPhone, and I am too. But that doesn't mean I don't want one badly, so badly it hurts when I pee. However, I've decided I'm only going to drop half a grand on one if some other company comes out with the perfect case first. (You'd think Apple would come out with a good one, but look what they came up with for the iPod: a damn sock.)

Oh, there's a ton of third-party cases out there already. The iPod accessory-makers have churned out a slew of sleeves, holsters, and silicone prophylactics for the Jesus phone, even though they apparently haven't actually seen it in person yet. (Maybe they got non-functional iPhone shells to design around? I smell an eBay scam in the making.) But being the design freak that I am, I have some strict requirements:

1. It must fit in my pocket. I am a major dork, but wearing a cell phone on my belt is one facet of dorkiness I have never embraced. Nor am I such a vain prat that I want to display a gadget on my hip as a conversation piece. I keep my cell phone in my pocket, which has the added benefit of making the vibrate mode a cheap thrill. So my perfect case must have no belt clip (or at least a fully removable one), add very little bulk, and sport some structural rigidity to protect the phone's screen from flexing when sandwiched between tight denim and my rippling, bronzed quadricep.

2. It must have screen protection. An irony of the iPhone is that the most vulnerable part of it must remain uncovered. There are films and thin shields that protect its screen from scratches while you caress and fondle it, but I want something tougher, to protect it from impacts and cracking. (After all, you never know when someone's going to kick you in your rippling quadricep.) But this protection also has to get out of the way quickly when I need to use the phone. It occurs to me the flip-back cover of the Newton is close to my ideal. Or the cover on the original Star Trek's communicator. (Told you I was a major dork.)

3. It can't be ugly. Apple products are beautiful. Most cases are -- how shall I say this? -- not. It pains me to wrap my current iPod in a protective case that makes it look like a cheap pool toy or an old lady's eyeglass case. That's why it's scratched up worse than Roy after a few rounds with Montecore. Similarly, most of the cases I've seen for the iPhone are heinous, which is a terrible insult to the phone itself. Should the iPhone ever attain self-awareness (which I think is planned for revision 2), it will vomit with rage at the thought of being dressed in such tawdry dreck. I think it's too much to hope that a case actually be handsome in its own right, but it has to at least be inoffensive.

I have trolled through many cases to see if any lived up to my ideal. (If you want to troll too, check out ilounge and the google.) I've only found one that seems to satisfy my standards: the FLiP by iQase. Mind you, I haven't actually seen one in person, nor tried it out with an iPhone (they're not out yet, you know), but the FLiP seems pretty well-thought out. All the ports are accessible, although the camera lens is blocked. I'm not completely a fan of the stitched leather look, but it's not a dealbreaker. And at only 30 bucks, it would make my bank account feel slightly less like it was hemorrhaging.

Now, if it were made of rubberized aluminum, it might just be perfect...

If you still haven't had enough iPhone blather, check out blog-cousins Third Screen and Apple 2.0

UPDATE: I take it all back. PC World tried scratching, gouging, and dropping the iPhone, and nothing happened to it. Looks (so far) like a case is not necessary after all...

Comments

[zrb123]

I think the case you found violates rule #3

Check out these

http://www.case-mate.com/s.nl/it.A/id.255/.f
http://www.iskin.com/

The leather one on case mate is my choice

[Peter S Magnusson]

i would reconsider your set of rules given the design of the iPhone; after a few days of quiet intensive use, i would say that if your usage mode is to have it in your pocket then you don't need any case. it's very sturdy and scratch-resistant.

i like to have a case for when it's lying around etc, and yes to clip onto belt. i bought most of the models that are available now, and i've ended up preferring the slim model from Belkin.

[Roger J. Krauss]

I agree with you in all the rules but I do not like top flips. This one fits all of my criteria:

http://www.senacases.com/Brands/Apple-iPhone-Cases/SENA-MAGNETFLIPPER-CASE-FOR-iPHONE

Had one for my Treo. So easy to use.

[Don]

Any thoughts about the Strada iPhone case by Orbino?

http://www.orbino.com

This one seems to fit all the criteria. I guess the hand stitching is a matter of taste, but I'm told it has a functional purpose as it allows for a firmer fit. It also comes with a slide in screen protector.

[Suki]

Orbino makes the most beautiful and functional cases out there. I've had one on my iPod for over a year and I get compliments all the time. I ordered the Orbino Strada for the iPhone and its currently being handmade in Italy. Sooo looking forward to it. Totally sleek and super hot.

[Jay]

Well, PCWorld's torture DID scratch up the metal bezel, so at the very least protect that. Looks like the screen did pretty well though - Kudos to Apple!

[Doane]

I've been through 3 iphone cases in the last week and have settled on the Incase Black rubber protective cover. The cover clings nicely to the iPhone and the back of the case is stamped with a cool looking typographic like map pattern for added grip. No screen protection but the Incase completely covers your other two buying mandatories.

[diggdagoo]

The iQase.com cases are awesome. I got the SiDE with the screen protector and I love it. The surface of the screen protector matches the iPhone's surface almost identically.
Very satisfied.

[Jake]

Check out SFbags.com iPhone cases. I bought one of each and they rock! The craftsmanship is unbelievable as is the customer service.

Smart Case: http://www.sfbags.com/products/iphonesmartcase/iphonesmartcase.htm

Suede Jacket: http://www.sfbags.com/products/iphonesuedejacket/iphonesuedejacket.htm

Travel Case: http://www.sfbags.com/products/iphonetravelcase/iphonetravelcase.htm

[Daniel]

Lot of iphone cases. Please take a look.

[Warren Jones]

I dropped my new iphone and cracked the screen...so much for PCworlds test drive.

[James]

Yeah great cases, but you should buy a Vintage Case. This vintage case's leather is great and looks really wonderful. I bought one from Beyza Cases (www.beyzacases.com) and you should check it out.

Not only beyza cases of course .. you should check all the companies but i they are the first producer of this great leather.

[Mike]

I also cracked my screen, anyone know if it's replaceable?