Perfect Iphone case - found it!
 

Just got a 3GS. I wanted a case to give me some shock protection. Already have a Zagg full body Invisible Shield on there (which I don't like so much and might return, btw).

My criteria were numerous and I believe would be very common criteria for anyone with half a brain (no offense, those who disagree might still have half a brain). ;)

- offer at least decent drop protection which means it needs rubber on the corners or all around

- BUT it must not attract dust and slide easily into my pants pockets

- fit the Iphone even with a shield attached to it, otherwise the dust that will get between the hard case and the Iphone's case back will scratch the Iphone

- be slim, VERY IMPORTANT and rare in those cases that offer good protection

- good access to all buttons and connections, so flip and slider cases were out

- offer some lay on table protection while still being slim (rare, too)

- either look really good on in its own right or preserve the good looks of the phone

The solution: Griffin Reveal Case!

It fulfills all my criteria and that is really, really rare that a product hits a home run for all of my critical requirements. There are probably hundreds of cases out there and I did quite a rigorous search. This case really is ideal for me.

The reason I posted this is that the Reveal didn't reveal itself until after hours of searching and in the Apple store they had it placed at the very bottom of the rack. So in case you are looking, give this one a try.

Here is a link with more info and even a video and pictures:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=723848

Till

Nice case.

Unfortunately I'm stuck with an Otterbox Defender due to my work environment.

A buddy at work has krusell that also doubles as a stand.

Only half on topic, but I avoid any kind of "Gadget Case"...

Surely, after 12 Months of use, my iPhone carries several scratches...
But I couldn't be bothered to make it even bigger, heavier and putting it in and out of a case to connect it in my car.

I don't understand why people are being more and more moved to buy cases in order to make up for engineering flaws making a device less rigid than it should be.

A 10-minute video review of an iPhone case may have been a bit excessive. ;)

:confused::confused::confused:

the guy does ramble on a bit...

The Seidio PH3G case is better - felt lined on the inside so it doesn't scratch the finish when sliding in/out.

Raph, I do agree. I never had a case for a phone. Had one for my Ipod. It scratched the Ipod. As you can see from my selection criteria, I was concerned about the exact same things. The beauty of this case is that it really doesn't make the phone noticeably bigger or heavier. And it connects just fine to a cradle or cable without taking it out of the case.


Yeah! I thought so, too. Still he shoes it from all angles which is good.

I searched for that and came up only with an ebay hit of dozens of cases. Do you have a direct link?

The Griffin Reveal will not scratch the Iphone, either. That's because you don't slide it in and out like the Incase designs and many others but you pop it in sideways, button side first. The video shows this well. The sides of the phone are not scratched in the process.

The reason to get a case is really to give some shock protection when it is dropped. After all a phone with a big glass screen is more fragile than something where only half of the surface or less is glass. I never had a case for my Samsung 320i. It didn't need one. Still looks good after 3+ years of use. No screen protector, either and not a single scratch.

In terms of protection there are better cases than the Reveal but you pay a price in bulkiness and inconvenience that I wasn't willing to pay. This is the best balance of protection and the other factors listed above. Of course, if I had to work in an environment where only an Otterbox can save the phone from harm, I'd get that. But for most of us here this case should be just fine, that's why I posted it.

Till

http://www.amazon.com/Seidio-Innocas...2628990&sr=8-2

I paired it with a PowerSupport Crystal screen protector (installed by someone at the Apple Store) and the combo gives a very lean, slim, pocketable but well protected combination. I've dropped the phone twice and there are no marks or scratches. The Seidio case can get scratched of buffed if dropped, but most of the damage can be wiped off - the black color and material hides scuffs well.

Thanks that does look very good. I hadn't seen this in my searches or in the stores.

It does have a rubberized soft-touch coating, though. The review says it slides in and out of pockets well and doesn't attract lint but as a class I ruled out any case with such a surface. It seems it also doesn't have the actual rubber frame like the Reveal which is a real factor in an impact in terms of shock absorption, especially on the edges.

Does it have to be taken off to access the dock or to cradle it?

The price is a definite advantage; $20 as opposed to $30 for the Reveal. Most cases are around $30, though, which is clearly way too much for a piece of plastic.

Till

It has a rubberized finish, but it's soft and smooth - mine does not attract lint or dust and stays perfectly clean. The case wraps around the sides of the phone and provides good protection all around - but you should still have a screen protector.

It leaves a slot at the bottom of the phone for charging, docking, etc. I only removed the phone once since I got it to push a bubble out of the protector that showed up after my 'virgin drop'.

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Thanks for posting tfar, this looks like an excellent case. I'm on my 6th Griffin Wave case (a few cracked and the rest wore down or discolored with use) and I've been looking for a case that's a bit lighter and slimmer but still offers some protection to the screen edges.

It's worth noting though that scratches on the back of the iPhone come not necessarily from putting the case on, but rather from tiny pieces of dirt and grit getting trapped between the case and the phone. I'm not sure if the lined case suggested above completely eliminates the scratches, but they are inevitable with any kind of hard plastic case, particularly on the white model.

Precisely, the dust between two hard pieces of gear will scratch. That's what happened in my clear sleeve Ipod case and is one of the reasons why I don't like that type of case. The velvet should help to a certain extent.

And that is also one of the reasons why I wanted a case that can fit around a full body shield. I tried an Incase carbon fiber slider at the store. It didn't close completely. The Reveal fits VERY perfectly over the Invisible Shield.

Not to go OT but does anyone here use the Zagg IS? I am quite good at applying the stuff and can do it without bubbles. However I have what looks like water residue. I used the spray that came with it and followed the instructions to the T. The residue doesn't go away with a hair dryer or under a lamp. When I took it off an re-applied it (no problem at all!) the "stains" were still at the very same spots. The screen and film and work area were all meticulously cleaned before application.

I am thinking of bringing it to Best Buy and ask them if this is normal. If so, I will exchange it for a refund and try another screen protector. If not, I will tell them to give me a new IS and apply it for me.

Till

I agree with you in general Raph, but the iPhone/iTouch is a special case (pardon the pun!) due to it having such a large pane of glass on the front.

In the past few weeks I have seen several people (mainly teenagers) using iPhones with shattered screens, which have clearly been dropped whilst unprotected.

On the other hand, I can't understand why people would stress themselves about the back of the device being scratched by a piece of grit trapped between the case and the phone?