Archive for category iPhone Cases

JOYCE Designer iPhone Cases

iPhones have been bricked, now they’re getting stoned. Hong Kong-based fashion company JOYCE has introduced a new limited-edition line of iPhone cases for the Spring 2010 fashion season. The cases are part of this year’s Truly Gifted III program and were created by designers from Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Marni, Etro, Bless and Anna Sui. The cases may be tough to get your hands on though—they are only available at JOYCE and affiliated boutique stores in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan.


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Case-Mate Launches Fuel Lite Battery Extender iPhone Case

Case-Mate has just announced a new battery-powered iPhone case, the Fuel Lite Battery Extender Case. The slim, black case can extend the iPhone’s battery life and can be turned on and off so the battery only kicks in when you need it.

The Fuel Lite Case is compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS, and weighs roughly two ounces. It has access to all ports and buttons, and the case includes an on/off switch and three LED lights so you can see battery life at a glance. We haven’t given this case a real-world test, but Case-Mate claims that the Fuel Lite can add two additional hours to the iPhone’s battery life for talk time and Internet playback. The manufacturer also claims an additional 100 hours of standby time.

The Case-Mate Fuel Lite Battery Extender Case retails for $49.99 at Case-Mate.com.

Review: Artwizz SeeJacket Crystal Case for iPhone 3G & 3GS

The Artwizz SeeJacket Crystal ($25) case is designed to be a full-protection solution for the iPhone, covering both front and back. While we liked the solid feel and 360-degree protection of the case, we’ve noticed a wear-and-tear problem with clear plastic cases in general, and with the SeeJacket specifically, we had problems with decreased touch sensitivity. That and a few other flaws prevent us giving the case a recommendation.

Right off the bat, we had problems with the ClearJacket. The case is composed of two pieces that snap together around the iPhone. It took us a good 15 minutes to get the tiny grooves that ultimately hold the case together to snap into place. It almost seemed as if the case was made too small. The good news is that once the grooves are snapped into place, the case holds together well—we had no fear of it accidentally coming apart during normal use.

Brand new, the case looks nice on the iPhone. At least from the back. The clear plastic allows for the Apple logo and lettering to show, and when looked at from afar, it may appear as if there’s no case at all. The front of the case is a combination of black plastic frame that covers the iPhone’s own black bezel and a clear plastic casing that covers the iPhone’s screen. Also on the front are two visually odd elements: an “L” shaped cutout for the iPhone’s light sensor as well as a thin disc of plastic that goes over the home button (a complaint about which we’ll get to later).

This is the second clear plastic case we’ve reviewed, and we’re noticing a bad trend. The cases show dirt and scratches too well. After using the ClearJacket for only two weeks, it looked like we had been using it for two years instead. The case was covered with scratches and gouges that were made highly visible thanks to the clear plastic. Likewise, dirt and grime was way too visible. One advantage of opaque rubber silicone cases have over hard plastic cases is that silicone doesn’t display such scratches and darker cases can hide dirt.

But the SeeJacket’s killer flaw is that we found it decreases the iPhone’s touch sensitivity. Right off the bat, the iPhone frequently did not recognize our finger touches. We had to be much more deliberate in our touches to get consistent recognition. Overtime, we got used to touching the iPhone in a certain way so that it recognized our fingers, however, we also found that the extreme corners of the screen became dead spots—a big problem when typing in landscape.


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Case-Mate Launches Turtle-Inspired iPhone Case

Case-Mate has just announced their latest iPhone case—the Case-Mate iPhone Turtle Case. The case is plastic and silicone, and it’s designed to look like a turtle’s shell. I think it looks cool in a rugged sort of way, but I had to laugh when I read that this new iPhone case represents “a fresh design approach inspired by one of nature’s most protected creations.”

The Turtle Case, which is priced at $29.99, provides access to all the iPhone’s ports and buttons. It comes in four colors, including green, black, orange, and white, all of which have gray accents. A screen protector kit is also included. From the product description:

The two-part plastic and silicone construction means you’ll have the best armor available for the more delicate iPhone technology inside. A stylish design and multiple colors nod to nature’s genius.

We tested another rugged iPhone case from Case-Mate last year, and we had a few issues. Hopefully this new case has resolved them. The Case-Mate iPhone Turtle Case is now available for $29.99 at Case-Mate.com.

Caze Launches Jade Polish iPhone Case

Caze announced today the release of the Jade Polish iPhone case, which it bills as the “world’s first metallic transparent case” for the iPhone. The slim case is 0.5mm thick and has a titanium-plated, mirror-like design that fits both the iPhone 3G and 3Gs. The Jade Polish case includes cut-outs for the iPhone’s camera and ports.

The Caze Jade Polish case comes in jade (green), rose gold, purple, and mercury (silver). It retails for $29.90 and includes a mirror screen protector, anti-fingerprint screen protector, a logo protection film (presumably for the Apple logo?), and one cleaning cloth.

The case is very similar to Caze’s Zero 5 case, except the Jade Polish is more metallic looking. Both cases are available at iPhoneCaze.com.

New Bandshell iPhone Case Offers Acoustic Amplification, Integrated Stand

The Bandshell is a new iPhone case with a unique sliding back that curves outward when deployed and acoustically amplifies sound from the iPhone’s speaker. As the rear slides out, it also works as a stand.

It’s available for $20, and comes in 12 colors: silver, black, white, copper, steel blue, purple, blue, green, yellow, red, pink, and orange. For extra customizability, the sliding sound door is interchangeable, so can be swapped with another case for two-tone colors.

[Bandshell via iLounge]

Full press release:

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Cool New Case-Mate Site Lets You Design Your Own iPhone Case

Today, Case-Mate unveiled a slick new website that allows you to customize the design of your own iPhone case. The site, IMakeMyCase.com, lets users “remix” art from designers like Joshua Davis, Thomas Hooper, Hannah Stouffer, Shadow Chen, and others, and also choose your own background colors and other design elements. Once created, the designs are printed using a 3D process that embeds ink on the case, which Case-Mate claims will keep the designs from scratching or fading.

The site features some impressive animations and is generally fun to play around with, although it’s a bit slow to load due to its size. There are some very cool designs, and the tools are easy enough to use. You can apply a whole pattern to the back of the case and arrange the elements until you are satisfied. In addition, there are individual elements you can apply with a spray can.

Customized iPhone cases will cost $39.99, and pre-designed cases will be available for $34.99. The site just launched today, so newly created cases won’t ship until the end of January, but otherwise everything appears up and running. I was able to design several cases, and you can save your designs for a short period.

My designs are nothing to write home about, but you get the idea:

You can design your own case at IMakeMyCase.com.

Review: Speck ToughSkin Case for iPhone 3G/3GS

Speck ToughSkin for iPhone 3G and 3GS

The Speck ToughSkin Case ($19) is a silicone rubber case for the iPhone 3G/3GS that offers some of the best protection we’ve seen in an iPhone case. It also provides superior grip thanks to its thick ridges. But it’s not without some tradeoffs. Where the case adds in the areas of protection and grip, it substracts in the areas of slimness and glossiness. Still, if you’re looking for a rugged protective iPhone case, the Speck ToughSkin is one of the better iPhone cases available.

Speck ToughSkin Case in Dock

The Tough Skin is made out of silicone rubber, our favorite material for protection, and is only available in black. Underneath the thick rubber outer casing is a thin, flat plastic frame that fits around the iPhone’s screen, serving as a kind of skeletal structure for the outer casing.
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Review: Marware Accent Case for the iPhone

marware2

The Marware Accent Case ($19) is a stylish, flip-top iPhone case compatible with the 3G and 3GS. The case is a good choice for those who need more protection than the typical plastic case provides, but a few annoyances keep it from being a great everyday case.

Marware1

The case is constructed from glossy patent leather, and it comes in eight colors including yellow, white, red, pink, orange, blue, black, and brown. I tested the yellow case, which has a soft, light green material on the inside. Other colors have different coordinating colors on the inside. The flip top is secured with two small pieces of velcro, and the case provides access to all ports and buttons.
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Incase Launches Chrome Slider Case for iPhone

incase chrome slider case

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Incase has launched the new Chrome Slider Case ($34.95) for the iPhone. Compatible with both the 3G and 3Gs, the Chrome Slider Case includes access to all ports and controls and comes with an included stand. While the name may suggest otherwise, the Chrome Slider Case is actually plastic with a shiny, mirrored look and a neon rubber interior.

chrome slider gold

The case comes in black, silver, gold or copper. The Chrome Slider Case is available at GoIncase.com or the Apple store.