Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Casing the Joint

Although I am really enjoying my iPhone, I must admit: I am an uber-klutz.

More than once, its shiny smoothness coupled with my Butterfingers means I nearly drop the thing every time I use it. And I'd be sick to see it crack into a kajillion pieces.

So I ventured to the local Apple store (which STILL had people lining up outside it to buy iPhones).

The Apple store teenager-slash-salesperson hanging by the cases was showing a bunch of people the virtually indestructible case he recommended, made by Contour. Of course, the Apple store was fresh out of their cases, he said, because they sell out as soon as they get them.

I chatted with another person who was looking for a case, whose iPhone sported a big, weird, flappy leather cover type of case, that kind of defeated the purpose of the small form factor. But he said he'd lost his first iPhone, then dropped his replacement, and was now on his third (still a 1G), and he wasn't taking any chances.

So because I need something, fast, I just ordered this geeky case. I've rationalized that the grippy sides will make up for the added bulk. And I don't care what anybody else thinks: I already look like a dweeb, handling my phone so gingerly.

The case hasn't even arrived, and already, I'm thinking: How boring! Black rubberized iPhone case on top of the glossy black iPhone? Bleah.

So here's an open call to all you industrial designers out there: go make a rubberized, grippy holder for the iPhone that protects it from the impact of accidental drops, in an interesting color combination, or a texturized outer edge that doesn't make me feel sorry I'm adding to the phone's heft.

Right now, I embarrassed to say I stow my phone and all its cords and plugs all zipped into a quilted case that I toss into my purse. As a result, I've missed a bevvy of calls all because it's muffled by this doll-bedspread of a bag.
Can't get much worse than that, right?

4 comments:

fishwithoutbicycle said...

I haven't jumped on the iPhone fun yet. It's too expensive and until they start offering it via T-mobile - the best network if you travel to Europe - I'm resisting!!

I used to keep my iPod mini in an old sock. It worked like a charm ;-)

Anonymous said...

Ha! Fish that's a riot, keeping the iPod in a sock. Although I've seen some cute sock-like items on Etsy intended for that exact purpose!

We normally spend little to nothing on our cell phones, but this time wanted to go with a phone with more features, so the iPhone was something we'd been planning (and saving) for for a long time.

Our international travel is minimal, so it's not an issue for us (unfortunately!). But... I have to admit, I've had more dropped calls and dead-zone calls with this iPhone than my old Verizon one. Your mileage may vary!

Kitty said...

I agree, it is waaaaay too slippery. I was on the subway and saw a woman with an iphone that had a cracked front. Ouch. It would make me cry!

A friend gave me a sock thing to put it in, which is cute.

I love the IMing features, how it has the different sounds. I had my last phone, an LG, for several years, and it served me well. I'm really quite attached to the iphone already.

Anonymous said...

Kitty, that sock-sack is sounding like a good idea... you can probably find some interesting designs, given the flexibility of the materials, too.

While the IMing is great, I love being able to check my email away from my computer. But nothing beats lying down on the sofa - bliss!