Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPhone, iDevice Accessories, Reviews
Provides: Scuff, scratch and drop protection for iPhone 4
Developer: Case-Mate
Minimum Requirements: iPhone 4
Compatibility: AT&T and International only
Price: $ 34.99
Availability: Now
For me, one of the most annoying aspects of being an iPhone owner is the lack of NFL licensed cases. They’ve got that deal with Sprint, you see, and as long as that’s in place, you’ll never get to fly your team’s colors on your iPhone…unless you put them there yourself. Case-Mate makes this quite easy with their iPhone 4 Hybrid Tough Mix & Match Custom Cases, and you get a stellar case out of it, too.
The funny thing is that Case-Mate seems to understand my motivation here (or maybe I understand theirs). Count the football metaphors in the description of the case at their website:
Play defense with the iPhone 4 Mix and Match Hybrid Tough case. Made from an interior silicone skin and an exterior hard shell, the strong case combines high quality protection with a custom color combination.
Dual layers form together to guard against any fumbles. A form-fitting silicone skin surrounds the device completely, while absorbing shocks and impacts. The ABS plastic hard shell wraps around the skin for extra protection, as well as an easy-to-hold grip. The Mix and Match tool shows off the color options for the skin and shell, making it easier than ever to create winning formations.
The fit of the two units is quite precise. Slip the iPhone into the silicone interior, then slip that into the plastic exterior. The first time I tried this, the volume button cover on the silicone got wedged behind the opening of the plastic. Each time after that, I used the volume cover to line up the two pieces, and then all was fine.
Along with the volume button, only the power button is covered. The headphone port, dock port, mute switch and camera are all exposed as you’d expect them to be. My only complaints here are 1.) the dock port opening isn’t wide enough for all devices, so I had to remove the iPhone from the case each night I docked it with my alarm clock, and 2.) although the solid bevel lifts the screen from the surface if you drop or set it face down (a screen protection kit is also included), its rigidity makes it difficult to swipe towards or tap items at the edge of the iPhone screen.
But back to football, using the five plastic and eight silicone color options pictured below, you can match up the colors of most NFL teams. The colors won’t be 100% accurate (my cyan shell is a much brighter blue than what was pictured on the website), but close enough to get the point across. Buy a couple combos, in fact, and you can swap them out when football season ends and it’s time to move on hockey.
Until then, you get to promote your team, and you get to do so with incredibly tough protection. In fact, even if you have no hidden sports allegiance agenda, I can still wholeheartedly recommend the iPhone 4 Hybrid Tough Custom Cases based simply on design and protection. You’ll be hard pressed to get more security at this price without sacrificing functionality.
So who needs the stinkin’ NFL’s blessing? We support our teams, not your corporation.
Appletell Rating:
Buy the iPhone 4 Hybrid Tough Custom Case
Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »
