$14.99 from Ideal-Case.com
So, I'm sure I've established by now that my iPhone is the love of my digital life and that no accessory is too expensive or over-the-top in order to protect it or enhance my ability to use it. This accessory falls into a new category for me – let's call it a "cute" category, which is a bit of a new one for me since I usually shy away from stuff like this. At any rate, I couldn't help myself when I saw these. Who could resist an iPhone that looks like a little demon? I'l tell you who can't: me!
I first saw these cases years ago when
they came out for the iPod nano. I'm not quite sure how I had never
bought one before but I have clearly rectified this state of
affairs with this purchase. Ideal Case offers this particular case
in a variety of colors (yellow, light blue, navy, red, lime green,
purple, black, and orange), including a special Halloween edition
that glows in the dark. The cost is a very reasonable $14.99 (the
special Halloween edition version costs $17.99) plus $3.00 shipping
to the U.S. I purchased the orange version (I somehow missed the
black one, which I would have preferred) on August 31, paying
through PayPal, and received it within 10 days or so (I can't
recall the exact date it arrived, but it took less time than I
expected to receive it from Asia).
Materials
Ideal Cases's site describes the case's material as "100% pure
silicone, no alternative materials (such as TPR) is added.
Odor-free, anti-static and dust proof." I'm not 100% sure, but I
think the TPR referenced is Thermal Plastic Rubber and I'm not sure
why it would be bad to add it to the case. At any rate, I can
verify that the case is indeed anti-static, odor-free, and attracts
little, if any, dust or lint.
The surface of the case is matte and
has a "soft touch" feel to it, much like the coating applied to
many cell phones today, like the T-Mobile G1, and other phone
cases, like the matte Incase Slider. It's not very tacky and isn't
too difficult to slide in and out of a pants pocket but still
provides enough grip so that it doesn't slide around easily on a
table.
The mold seams are visible, but not horribly so and all cut-outs
are relatively clean. The thickness of the case walls is not
provided on the Ideal Case website, but it's pretty thin.
Access
The case leaves nearly all of the screen exposed (more on that
later) but covers the home button, and it has cut-outs for the
buttons and ports on the top and bottom of the iPhone as well as
the ring/silent toggle on the left side. For the volume rocker, the
case has a raised section that sticks out quite a bit and these
make it pretty easy to press these buttons though I find it to be
less attractive than it could have been if this section had been
done more subtly.
The home button's location is marked by
a raised circle with an x in it and is a little hard to press
through the case, but not so much to make it annoying. The camera
lens has a cut-out which does not obscure it in any way.
The cut-out on the top exposes the
sleep/wake button and the headphone port as well as the SIM card
slot in between them. I frankly would have preferred that the SIM
card slot and sleep/wake button be covered (with a raised portion
to let you know where the sleep/wake button is) with only the
headphone port open. With this long slit opening, the sleep/wake
button is a little hard to press since it's recessed within the
cut-out.
On the bottom, the dock connector,
microphone, and speaker are completely open as well through a
single cut-out. The case, while pretty thin, is still a little too
thick to dock the iPhone while in the case in the OEM iPhone
dock.
Using the
case
Using the iPhone with the case as a phone presents no problems as
nothing important is blocked. Headphones can be plugged in without
any problems and the camera lens is unobscured, as are the
proximity and ambient light sensors on the front next to the
earpiece speaker.
However, typing on the iPhone's screen is a bit of a different
story with two of the demon's teeth on the bottom blocking parts of
the virtual keyboard. It's still possible to type around them, but
it does take some concentration to make sure you're hitting the
right keys. It doesn't bother me *too* much, but I think it would
be infuriating for frequent textures and business users (though I
can't imagine many business users who would opt for this case to
begin with) after a short time.
The keyboard slightly obscured by the bottom teeth
As I previously mentioned, the
sleep/wake button is a little hard to press, as is the home button.
All in all, this isn't the ideal case you'd want for completely
unencumbered use of an iPhone. In terms of protection, it will
prevent scratches on the portion it covers but its minimal
thickness makes me think that drop protection isn't very robust
with this case. The demon's horns are another issue as well -
they're not as flimsy as I'd expected when I saw a picture of the
case online, but I do think they'll snap on with regular use over
time, particularly if you keep your iPhone in a pocket where
they'll be subjected to friction and may catch on the way into or
out of the pocket.
Conclusion
Call me girly, but I think this case is absolutely adorable. The
design makes it look as if the front of the iPhone is the face of a
demon with the mouth wide open around the screen, complete with
four teeth that frame it, eye slits, and horns on the top. The back
presents another demon face with cut-outs to make the eyes and
mouth and little clawed hands embossed below them. But with the
access problems I've mentioned plus the minimal protection it would
most likely provide in the event of a fall, this case is truly
about a look as opposed to functionality. Also, I may be a bit of a
snob when it comes to aesthetics, but I think the demon face on the
back doesn't work well with the Apple logo behind it – if they had
been able to incorporate it into the design somehow or made the
case opaque enough so that it wasn't visible, it wouldn't be an
issue, but I think it looks a little awkward as it is.
So, buy this case if you want to make your iPhone look cute in a
unique way (I have never encountered anyone else with this case, at
least in the Boston area) or dress it up for Halloween. Otherwise,
look elsewhere if you want a case that offers unhindered use of
your iPhone and better protection (the Incase Slider is a good
option and even Incase's Protective Cover are good alternatives,
though more expensive ones).
Related
reviews:
Incase Protective
Cover for iPhone 3G/3GS (first-gen iPhone version here)
Incase Slider for
iPhone 3G/3GS (first-gen iPhone version here)