Speck Products Tough Skin Case for iPhone 3G, 3GS (Black)

I looked for quite a while for a really cool-looking and also very protective case to house my brand new super expensive ultraphone. I came across this, and liked it the first time I saw it. I saved it in my mind, and kept looking for another good case. After looking at about a half dozen other cases, my mind kept jumping back to this one.

First of all, the design is really great for anyone to have wrapped around their iPhone. When I first saw it, the design reminded me of those large black armored crates in The Matrix movie that contained massive guns. I thought that was pretty cool. Then, after looking at it, the pattern of a tortoise shell sort of popped into mind. But then the image of oversized tire treads popped up, and that fits it extremely well. The Matrix armor pattern is the one I still prefer to describe it, though.

If you have an iPhone, then you know it is bulky. This case adds just a little bit of extra size to it, and there are some cons, but the pros far outweigh the cons. I'll give you the cons first:

* The rubberized texture gives it extra grip. Now, I know you're saying - hey, extra grip on a sleek, slippery, and sensitive iPhone is a great thing. Well, not when you're putting the iPhone + this case into your pocket. It will grab and snag at the cloth material on the insides of your pockets and makes getting it in a little bit of a hassle. Then, whenever you have to fish it out, you're very apt to end up pulling out the entire contents of your pocket, because the case will grip the sides of the cloth, and pull the pocket inside-out if you're not careful.

* There is no protection provided for the actual touchscreen of the phone. The front of this iPhone Armor is a large hole. There's no plastic or anything there. This isn't really a big problem, if you purchase some plastic screen protectors. Add the screen protectors and this case, and you're doing a pretty great job of protecting your expensive phone.

* Because the material is that rubbery stuff, it grips stuff excellently - like I said before. This means that it will also grab onto things like small fibers of lint, dust, etc, very easily. And if these fibers or particles get on the screen, the edges of the case that come around the screen will do a great job of keeping said dust on the screen!

It's so easy to clean though - just lick your fingertip and swipe over the dusty areas, and it'll be dust/lint-free in no time! It's a bit of an annoyance, but not a huge annoyance. Like I said - the pros far outweigh the cons!

* I don't care for the belt clip, except to prop it up on my table-top from time to time. I don't use it as a belt clip, because I've not used a belt clip in a long, long time, and don't plan on doing so for even longer. =)

Always remember to keep sharp objects out of the same pocket as your iPhone - including keys. You'll just be asking to damage that non-insurable multi-hundred dollar technological marvel!!!

And the pros:

* The rubberized texture gives it extra grip. This is a good thing, by far. It allows you to hold onto your precious iPhone better than slick plastic or carbonite or whatever material the phone itself is made of. =)

* The rubber case is pretty good at absorbing shocks due to dropping the phone. Drop the phone on its back from a considerable distance, and the case will do its job to cushion the blow to a pretty great degree. The considerable distance I'm talking about is the distance between the top of an office desk, and a hard tile floor.

The cushion covers the back, sides, bottom, and top of the phone very well. There is an open slot on the bottom of the case to allow you to charge/connect your iPhone via the cable without having to take it out of its case! I would absolutely hate having to take my phone out of its case every time I wanted to manage stuff on it via iTunes, and/or charge it via wall plug.

The buttons on the case cover over the three buttons that are on the iphone - volume on the side, Home button on the front bottom, and the sleep button on the top right of the phone. I have never had any problem getting these buttons to activate while the case has been on - in fact, I haven't removed it from its case since I first got it! I ordered it on December 10, 2008, and it was in my hands on December 11, thanks to one-day shipping for $3.99 via my Amazon Prime membership!!!!! It is the best purchase I've made for my iPhone yet, hands-down!

The case has a really cool texture - it feels fun! It is fun! And it looks great! Buy one for your iPhone NOW - from Amazon.com, and you won't regret it one bit! I give it a billion gold stars and my personal recommendation!

I researched for 2 weeks on what type of cover to get for my iPhone 3G and finally settled on this one after reading a review on iLounge. With this cover installed I don't fear dropping it. I use the phone and a small app from the iTunes store called Bread & Milk to do grocery shopping. I always feared dropping the phone but with this cover installed it's just easier to hold onto. The clip holster is also great. I ride a motorcycle and use the iPod on the phone. Short of a total accident I can't get the phone to fall out even with shaking it. All in all it's well worth the price and to sum it up in one word.....QUALITY.

I purchased the Tough Skin case for my husband's iPhone 3G, per his request that this was the case he desired. He wanted to give it 4 stars. Says protection is great, but two things need improvement - the opening where the mute button is (on top left side of phone) should be cut out more so it's easier to get to the button. Other comment was the protection cover that is across the front bottom of phone (the part covering the "home" button) is too wide and it sometimes interfers with the buttons he needs to tap on for Phone, Safari, etc. He doesn't use the belt clip which it comes with, so I cannot comment on the pros or cons of it.

As for myself, I think he would have been happier with the PixelSkin by Speck in black (I have that case in Spearmint Green) as it's thinner and just as good protection for the 3G phone. Also, I have also noticed lint from his pockets get stuck on the Tough Skin and show up since it's black. But, on the plus side, the Tough Skin is good overall protection.

So 4 out of 5 is a good case. Just needs some tweeking is all.