I’ve never seen a leather case this inexpensive, but the company claims it’s genuine leather, and the leathery feel and smell of the case give me no reason to believe otherwise. Slide your iPhone in, close the magnet-bound clasp, clip it onto your belt and you’re good to go. The belt clip rotates to five positions through 180 degrees, meaning you can wear it upright or sideways, and the headphone port and speaker are exposed even when inside the case.

That’s the good news. Less ideal is the fact that the design leaves two of the iPhone’s corners exposed and prone to impact damage if dropped. And the way the sides are cut just low enough to expose the headphone port and speaker looks cheap; they could have instead employed cut-out holes and ran the leather higher up the sides, which would have minimized the corner exposure.

The bottom line is no one is going to mistake the Slim Glide for anything approaching a higher-end leather iPhone case, but if you’re working on a tight budget and really want a leather belt clip case, this gets the job done better than I was expecting. No star rating because there’s really nothing to compare it to on that front.

While every other battery cradle I’ve used has placed the indicator lights on the back, MiLi has made the long overdue move of putting them on the front. Humorously, I’ve grown so used to having to flip my iPhone upside down to see how much juice my cradle has left over the years that while testing the Power Pack I kept instinctively flipping it over only to remember that the lights are on the front where they should be. And while the black rubber of the Juice Pack has eventually blistered on every unit I’ve gone through, the Power Pack uses shiny acrylic plastic that matches the exterior of the iPhone 3GS. And although the choice of interior colors doesn’t much matter because the interior disappears as soon as you insert your iPhone, you do get a choice of black or white here. The Power Pack is also two-thirds the price and provided about the same battery life in my tests (the specs say that the Power Pack actually has about ten percent more power than the Juice Pack). And the Power Pack has an USB port for simultaneously charging another device.

To be fair, Mophie’s efforts seem to have instead gone into the Juice Pack Air battery case, which offers the same acrylic backing and choice of colors. And Fastmac’s bulky iV cradle offers more battery life than any of the above. But as far as ergonomic one-piece battery cradles go, MiLi’s Power Pack has pulled into the lead. Just one complaint: please lose the silly mini-USB port and replace it with a real iPhone docking port so we don’t have to travel with multiple charging cables.

review by Bill Palmer

While one piece hard plastic snap-on shields are all the rage when it comes to protecting your iPhone, there’s something to be said for a full-blown case that recesses the iPhone’s screen and covers its easily scratchable silver bezel. One of the more interesting candidates to come along in awhile is Contour Design’s $34 two-piece HardSkin Inked, essentially the same as the company’s $29 HardSkin but with a choice of white patterns etched into the material.



The Inked gets all the standard things right, like making the cut-outs the right size (not a given when too many casemakers are still making the cut-out for the silencer switch too small), and the hard plastic actually has a smooth rubbery feel, accentuated by the etched lines to create a unique-feeling texture. Assembly consists of setting your iPhone into the back piece, then snapping the front piece into place, which is effortless. Removing the case officially requires putting a coin into a slot on the case’s lower right side, which would be mildly unacceptable if it were true, But in my tests I was able to easily remove the front face with my fingernail each time I tried, no coin needed, and I suspect you’ll be able to do the same.



This is a well-done case. It even comes with the bonus of a pair of small grooves on the left and right side, presumably for your thumb and middle finger, which aid in gripping the case in your hand. Unlike its standard HardSkin counterpart, the Inked is only available in Apple Stores (online and retail), which is fine, but I’m less thrilled by its price tag. I’d be more okay with it at $34 if it came with screen film, or maybe priced at $29 without film, but as it is the Inked feels a bit more expensive than it should be. That having been said, it’s a major upgrade over one-piece plastic shields. And though not quite the best in its class, the Inked is one of the better plastic iPhone cases I’ve tested.

Learn more about the HardSkin Inked at ContourDesign.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Dual layer cases consisting of an impact-resistant outer hard plastic shell and a shock-absorbent soft rubber interior are some of the most protective cases on the market and, when done right, can be among the most stylish as well. But it’s a tricky task, as the combination can be a real pain to assemble if not smartly designed – which is perhaps why relatively few vendors have tried. A handful of names come to mind in this realm, but OtterBox isn’t one of them. The company has instead long been known as the maker of waterproof and element-resistant cases, and the Commuter and Commuter TL represent its first foray into mainstream cases that you don’t need a special reason (swimming, working in the mud, etc.) to consider buying.



Both cases offer a rubber skin (black on the Commuter, choice of colors on the TL) with play-through coverage of the iPhone’s top and side buttons, and peel-back coverage of its headphone and docking ports. The hard plastic shell then snaps over top of the rubber, leaving almost every millimeter of the iPhone covered, save for its front face (film is included) and small holes for the silencer switch and speakers.



Where these cases diverge is that the less expensive model surprisingly turns out to be the more desirable product, at least based on my tests. The plastic on the Commuter wraps around to the iPhone’s sides, which is laudable, but makes it a pain to attach the plastic piece without the rubber repeatedly sliding out of alignment. But the plastic piece on the TL doesn’t extend to the sides, making it almost effortless to attach and remove – a more than worthwhile tradeoff, as the iPhone’s sides are still covered with ribbed rubber with the TL. Also, where the Commuter oddly exposes the iPhone’s rear Apple logo to the elements, the TL smartly covers it with see-through plastic. And that’s before you even get to the fact that the TL comes with color options. The Commuter is solid, worth the hassle if you really want maximum side impact protection. But the Commuter TL is one of the best iPhone cases ever made.

Learn more about the Commuter and Commuter TL at OtterBox.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Most open-face iPhone protection these days comes in the form of a shield that protects its back and sides but not its top and bottom nor the frontmost edge of its easily scratchable chrome bezel, so in that sense XtremeMac’s Tuffwrap is something of a breath of fresh air. A full blown case, the one-piece soft rubber Tuffwrap fully covers the bezel all around, along with the entirety of the iPhone’s top, bottom and sides, save for small cut-outs for the ports and controls.



But understandably, you’re probably more interested in hearing about the dizzying array of colors and color combinations that the Tuffwrap series is offered in. You can opt for anything from straight-up yellow to a blue center outlined in orange, or an all-pink design with white swirls on it. Take your pick, according to your own tastes. I’m not sure how many of the “yellow-lined pink” models XtremeMac expects to sell, but the option is there nonetheless.



Back on the practical side of things, the Tuffwrap comes with not only screen film but also a clear hard plastic stand, similar to the one Apple included with the iPod touch – but this is much larger, nearly three inches in length. In addition to being larger than it probably should be, the stand slants the iPhone back a little too far when stood up horizontally (though still stable), but works nicely when the iPhone is stood sideways for watching video. I’ve seen a few other cases come with better stands, but cases most don’t include one at all, so it’s tough to complain about the inclusion of one here.



My one complaint about the case itself is that the cut-out for the silencer switch is too small to be easily accessed, which should or shouldn’t play into your buying decision depending on how often you typically access it. The Tuffwrap is so new that it’s not yet available for order on XtremeMac’s website, and it’s unclear where each model falls within the $19-$29 suggested MSRP, so our star rating will have to wait until then.

Learn more about the Tuffwrap at XtremeMac.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Another day, another major vendor enters the “iPhone plastic shield” fray. While these one piece snap-on pieces of hardshell protection for the iPhone’s back, sides, and corners may not be much to write home about in general, at least XtremeMac was courteous enough to release theirs in a number of varieties. In addition to the clear plastic Microshield itself, the Microshield Tatu line offers a choice of three different etched patterns on clear plastic, and the Microshield Accent offers a choice of four colors rimming the edges of a smoky translucent plastic center.



These shields are, in a word, fun. They’re all see-through to varying degrees, which allows your iPhone to retain some of its identity while simultaneously being personalized. Ranging in price from $24-29, the Microshield series is significantly thicker, sturdier, and better looking than the generic $9 iPhone shields that have generally preceded it. It’s also easy to attach and remove from your iPhone, and it comes with screen film. However, my tests showed the cut-out for the silencer switch to be too small, making it tricky to access it with your fingernail – so iPhone users who frequently access that switch should probably look elsewhere.

Learn more about the Microshield at XtremeMac.com.

review by Bill Palmer

One of the relatively few closed-face iPhone cases to come to market this year, Marware’s Accent reminds me of the flip-open cases for the traditional full-size iPod that were so popular back when the traditional iPod was still popular itself. In contrast, iPhone users seem to be leaning toward open-face cases or shields in order to keep the touch screen easily accessible. But there are always going to be users who want to keep their iPhone’s front face hidden, either or protection or discretion, and for those users the Accent does a pretty nice job overall.



That is, of course, if you like the shiny leather material and the flower design featured on the front face of all eight available colors, which comes down to a matter of personal taste. From a functional standpoint, the Accent provides easy enough access to all the ports and controls (including the screen, once you lift up the flap). Just as importantly, you can easily remove the iPhone from the case (not a given for this type of case) by pushing up through the bottom dock connecter cutout, which is a good thing since it’s unlikely that you’d want to spend any real amount of time talking on your iPhone while it’s inside the case, with the front flap hitting you in the back of the head – so you’ll likely be wanting to quickly remove it from the case any time the phone rings.



Why not a higher rating? Something about the Accent feels a bit less sturdy than it could be, as evidenced by the fact that the front flap’s velcro pieces have to be aligned each time you close it; allowing it to close naturally can result in it lining up a bit too high or low. Perhaps it’s a trade-off for being able to get the iPhone out of the case so easily. I really don’t know how many people are still looking for this kind of case in 2009 – but if you’re one of them, this’ll get the job done.

Learn more about the Accent at Marware.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Vendors wouldn’t keep offering more and more iPhone shields if they weren’t so popular with users, and now that the industry’s biggest names are joining the fray, shields are seemingly here to stay. And with good reason, as they’re generally easier to attach and remove than a full-blown case, and don’t interfere with the iPhone’s touch screen functionality. I’ve tested iPhone shields ranging in price from $9 to $60, and so Marware’s $29 MicroShell falls somewhere in the middle.



And wow is it ever pretty. The metallic red model in particular is shiny all around and manages to catch any light in the room. A single piece of plastic, the MicroShell gets its biggest functional props for including a left-side cutout that’s large enough for the iPhone’s silencer switch to be easily accessed, which can’t be said for far too many other iPhone shields I’ve tested. On the other hand, like most other shields, the MicroShell stops just a millimeter or two short of covering all of the left and right sides of the iPhone’s chrome bezel, something I’d love to see someone finally get right.



The essential question with the MicroShell is whether this single piece of plastic is really worth its $29 price tag. It’s thicker, a lot sturdier, and much better-looking than the generic $9 competitors out there, so as is often the case with products of this type, it’ll largely come down to your budget. The MicroShell does come with bundled screen film, which helps in the justification of its price tag.

Learn more about the MicroShell at Marware.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Somewhere along the line at one of the industry trade shows our staff came up with the internal terminology of “JAIC” – short for “Just Another iPhone Case” – which meant that the iPhone case we were looking at was just like the last ten we’d looked at and it was time to move on in search of iPhone cases that actually offered something that the last ten didn’t. At this point, with the iPhone’s body having not changed shape in more than a year, any new iPhone case has qualify as not being a “JAIC” just to get covered by us at all, as we don’t want to bore you to death. Which brings us to the Voi Lorem case which, if not emphatically so, manages to avoid being a JAIC with a few tricks up its sleeve.



Consisting of a two piece hard-body plastic design, the Voi Lorem allows you to set your iPhone into the back piece before snapping a small trim piece onto the front which holds the iPhone inside and protects its metal bezel. And that’s mostly it. The colors are pretty blatant (red, pink, black, grey), with those first two in particular ensuring that your iPhone will stand out. The tricks? One is a tiny metal bar over the iPhone’s Apple logo that allows for the attachment of an included handstrap, which leads to the obvious question: does anyone really carry their iPhone hanging from their wrist? But in my testing I did find that it was a useful way to hold your iPhone, knowing that the handstrap would ensure it doesn’t go splat on the ground if it falls out of your hand (and some of you will be pleased to know that the handstrap can be left off entirely with minimal impact). The other trick, this one more widely usable, is that the little square on the back is actually a push-through that allows you to easily nudge the iPhone out of the case in a way that isn’t always automatic with hard plastic cases. But that’s only after you snap off the front plastic piece.



So does the Voi Lorem offer something you can’t already get from ten other vendors? Yes and no. The soft padding inside is a nice touch, and the $24 price sounds favorable until you realize they’re charging $5.95 extra for screen film. The Voi Lorem may not add much to the existing iPhone lexicon, but it’s a well done product overall. You can decide whether it’s right for you.

Learn more about the Voi Lorem at 4voi.com.

review by Bill Palmer

iPhone shields are all the rage here in 2009, as the represent a nice compromise between carrying your iPhone in a full-on case which can feel like overkill considering how sturdy the iPhone is, and carrying it without a case it all which leaves the iPhone’s most scratchable (the rear surface) and dentable (the four corners) wide open. Shields essentially cover just the iPhone’s rear and corners, along with parts of the left and right sides, and typically offer some kind of stylistic flair along the way. In the past year I’ve seen everything from $9 thin plastic shields to fancy-looking $60 shields made from exotic materials and everything in between.
with screen film.


More-Thing’s $32 Metallic Series Engraved Edition splits the difference, both in terms of price and material. It isn’t actually made of metal (and I’m not sure I’d want it to be, considering the sharp edges involved), but the hard plastic is painted up to look like silver metal with a choice of interspersed red patterns ranging from a criss-cross to a lattice stripe.
with screen film.


This shield looks nice. In fact you might even initially think that it actually is a thin slide of metal when you first start using it (although the ability to faintly see right through the red on the back does eventually give away the fact that it’s not metal, unless you’re talking Scotty’s “transparent aluminum” from Star Trek IV). So essentially you’re paying thirty-plus dollars for a really pretty-looking plastic iPhone shield. Granted, it’s a thicker and sturdier than the typical nine dollar cheap-o plastic shield. But buying the Metallic Series over a more generic competing product still comes down to more of a fashion decision more than anything else. Is it worth it? I’ll let each of you decide. The patterns really do look cool from the back, though, particularly where the red stripes cross your iPhone’s Apple logo and make the logo appear to be red. The Metallic Series comes bundled with screen film.

Learn more about the Metallic Series at More-Thing.com.

by Bill Palmer

Marware’s multi-function Convertible cases have taken on a number of incarnations over the years with various iPod and iPhone models, but they’ve generally centered around the idea of a case that comes with a belt clip and an armband, and can be used with either or neither, depending on the scenario.



The new SportShell Convertible comes in the form of a two (technically three) piece hard plastic dark grey shell that slides onto the iPhone which, while it would be “just another iPhone case” if not for the included attachments and functionality, is well done in its own right; for instance the cut-out for the volume buttons and silencer switch is done perfectly, which is still not always a given, even with the iPhone having had the same identical body style for more than a year now.



But you buy this case because of what it can be converted into. The third grey plastic piece on the back can be substituted with a frosted clear piece that has a vertical belt clip attached. And the belt clip can then be slid onto the included adjustable armband in a way that locks it into place and allows it to feel a lot more comfortable than you might expect for something that sounds potentially cumbersome until you see (and feel) for yourself that it does work well.



Using an iPhone on an armband presents two quandaries, of course. The first is whether you want something that bulky on your arm while you’re active (some iPhone users keep an iPod nano or shuffle around for just this reason), and the other is the fact that Apple has inexplicably still not included a setting that allows you to turn the auto-rotation off in the iPhone’s iPod app, causing the screen to keep rotating back and forth as you try to twist your arm to get the iPhone out of that useless Cover Flow mode. But I digress – and that’s Apple’s fault anyway, not Marware’s.



In all, the SportShell Convertible is a very impressive product. As long as you actually look at the directions first, assembling and removing the various components is easy. My only complaints center around the belt clip, which is oddly large to begin with. And while it can be turned upside down, it can’t be used horizontally, which many users find more comfortable. That aside, this is a great multi-function value.

Learn more about the SportShell Convertible at Marware.com.

by Bill Palmer

Seemingly every iPhone case maker who dabbles in leather has at least one product like Marware’s C.E.O. Premiere: a leather case that clips horizontally to your belt and closes around front via velcro. When I first tested the Premiere last year, I found it to be one of the more well-done cases of its kind, feeling sturdy, looking good, and offering a ribbon across its front face that divides the surface into perforated and non-perforated leather, giving the entire thing a touch of understated class.



Such cases have obvious advantages, as they allow you to carry your iPhone in plain sight without immediately giving away the fact that it’s an iPhone. This can come in equally handy an environment where carrying a visible iPhone attached to your hip might not be considered professional, or in one where carrying a visible iPhone might not be a safe idea. But the drawbacks have always been just as obvious: you have to remove your iPhone from the case in order to access any of its controls, and once you do, it’s no longer protected from drops or scratches beyond the bundled screen film.



This new version of of Marware’s case, the C.E.O. Premiere Plus, sets about improving that by including a tinted see-through hard plastic shield that snaps onto the back and sides of the iPhone, and the leather case is just large enough to fit the iPhone with the plastic attached. It’s a clever idea, as iPhone users continue to come to the consensus that their device’s back and corners, not its screen, are actually the most vulnerable to impact and scratching. And in my tests I found that it worked well – the plastic shield snaps on and off easily, and the whole thing slides easily in and out of the leather case.



A couple of issues to note. The belt clip doesn’t rotate, meaning you can’t wear it vertically (in fairness, neither do most similar competing products). And while the plastic covers most of the iPhone’s chrome bezel, it leaves a bit exposed, especially on top and bottom. But as prices go it’s a comparatively good deal, as the Premiere Plus is only $5 more expensive than the regular Premiere (without the plastic), whereas plastic shields generally cost $10-$20 on their own. Only currently available in black leather, even thought the regular Premiere also comes in white.

Learn more about the C.E.O. Premiere Plus at Marware.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Two years into the iPhone era, and the verdict is firmly in: iPhone users only want to use earbuds that have the same built-in microphone and play/pause button functionality that comes with the iPhone’s bundled earbuds – and no earbuds lacking these features are going to find a home in the iPhone universe. As iPhone-specific earbuds have found their way to market over the years, with prices that range from $20 to $200 and up, the sweet spot seems to be $99; if you’re going to bother replacing the bundled earbuds then you might as well do it right, and a hundred bucks allows you to improve your audio experience night-and-day without having to spend as much on the earbuds as you did on your new iPhone 3G S itself. The latest entry at the $99 price point is the new Sonix 3 from Lenntek, although if you shop around you’ll probably find them for as little as $69.



Sound quality matters the most of course, and the Sonix 3 holds its own against others in its price range. In fact the Sonix 3 ends up in a virtual tie with the competing $89 MetroFi 220, which up to this point has been the best-sounding iPhone-enabled sub-$100 option on the market. Based on listening tests, the Sonix sounds a bit clearer in the upper ranges but the 220 has slightly crisper bass; you can’t go wrong with either. One bit of differentiation is that while most iPhone earbuds (including the 220) place their play-pause button down around your chest so you can see what you’re reaching for, the Sonix 3 places it on the microphone itself up by your chin. You can’t see it, and that should be a bad thing, but I actually found it to be preferable due to the fact that nearly the entire thing is a button; you don’t have to aim at it to hit it. Yes it’s something of a copycat of Apple’s own implementation, but frankly, I wish more earbud makers would copycat it.



My advice for those looking to spend $99 on iPhone earbuds is still the same: scrounge up another $20 and get the $119 v-moda vibe ii, which are more than worth the extra $20 in terms of audio quality. But Lenntek’s Sonix 3 is yet another example of excellent $99 iPhone earbuds that are increasingly nipping at the vibe ii’s heels, and certainly worthy of consideration if you prefer the styling or the button implementation.

Learn more about the Sonix 3 at Sonix-3.com

review by Bill Palmer

That the new iPhone 3GS has a physically identical body to last year’s 3G model has given accessory makers the opportunity to take another swing at revamping their existing iPhone 3G products, often times in a creative way. In the case of the Scosche kickBACK, whose original claim to fame was the kick-out leg on the back which allowed the iPhone to be propped up horizontally for presumably watching video content, that means evolving from an all clear plastic body in the original version to a mixture of clear plastic and black, pink, or grey rubber on the new kickBACK S. Despite the nomenclature, this new version of the kickBACK works with both the 3G and 3GS.



The combination of soft rubber around the edges and clear plastic in the center means that your iPhone has impact protection where it counts, but can still be largely recognizable as an iPhone (even from the back) while inside the product. And generally it’s a very well done product. The top button and volume buttons have play-through rubber bumps over them, the cut-out for the vibrate switch is of the right size, and so on. The kick-out leg on the back is sturdy and can be adjusted for slightly different viewing angles. The iPhone itself is easily inserted and easily removed.



What keeps the kickBACK S from greatness is that it’s just barely technically a case. Thanks to the iPhone’s seemingly bulletproof screen and the fact that it needs to be touched frequently, iPhone users have largely decided that they’re okay with their screen being either completely exposed or covered by thin clear screen film. This means that most iPhone cases barely have any material on the iPhone’s front surface. But the kickBACK S has none at all, its rubber siding stopping about a millimeter short of even covering the entire silver bezel. That’s fine for the “shield” or “sled” products that cost $10-$15, but at $35 the kickBACK S is too expensive to lump into that group, even if it does beat the pants off of all of them. Based on my tests the iPhone isn’t going to accidentally fall out of the kickBACK S no matter what – not even if you shake it violently. But the lack of full bezel protection seems an odd choice for an otherwise excellent product. Is my gripe a big deal or just a minor concern? You can decide.

Learn more about the kickBACK S at Scosche.com