Smart phone cases/skins

[TimT]

With all the talk lately about cel phones, and my recent purchase of a Nexus 5...

I searched for screen protectors and cases...

When you leave the Ienvironment your options for accessories diminishes quite rapidly

I found this site..... they have some tools where you can have your own graphics or scribbles laser etched onto a case for your phone, not cheap around +$30/ case..

How much is an Otterbox?

Carved

Design your own

For when you are bored

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Cool. I like minimal cases and those would qualify. Otter boxes have always kinda confused me - I never understood the point of paying top dollar for a super thin, light, elegant, minimalist-style design phone and then slapping a big clunky-looking box around it.

[id10t]

I dont let my kids play with my phone and ran my iphone 3 without a case.

Was happy with my naked iphone 4 but found a carved walnut case for a few bucks

Always use the good 3m screen covers replace them once a year or so

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Cool. I like minimal cases and those would qualify. Otter boxes have always kinda confused me - I never understood the point of paying top dollar for a super thin, light, elegant, minimalist-style design phone and then slapping a big clunky-looking box around it.

That's your problem right there. It's a damn phone (computer), not pocket jewelry.

[porsche4life]

I've been very happy with the monCarbone hovercoat carbon fiber cases. Tough, slim, light, and elegant.

[JavaBrewer]

Personally i like the simple rubber/silicon wrap cases the pop on/off easily. They grip nicely so I can toss the phone onto the dash or other surface and know they are not sliding off. I actually made it a couple miles from home with my phone on the roof of my car before a motorist pointed it out to me

[masraum]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Personally i like the simple rubber/silicon wrap cases the pop on/off easily. They grip nicely so I can toss the phone onto the dash or other surface and know they are not sliding off. I actually made it a couple miles from home with my phone on the roof of my car before a motorist pointed it out to me

Yep, I want grippy so I don't drop the thing or have it sliding all over, and I want thin so the phone doesn't double in size.

For the screen, I prefer this brand of anti-glare anti smudge
ScreenGuardz® HD

[jyl]

I always use very protective cases, currently an Otterbox Defender. I don't mind the extra bulk toooo much. Next iPhone will probably live in an Incipio Atlas case. It is about as slim as a waterproof and shock resistant case can be, and has a glass screen cover. Unfortunately all the waterproof cases muffle sound a bit.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It's also an exhibit of industrial design. That's part of why I like Apple products. There are plenty of boring, clunky, plastic phones out there that'll do more or less the same things and with components just about as good but one aspect that sets the Apple stuff apart is the design. It's quality. I'm willing to pay a bit more for that. I enjoy it and see value in it. I don't care particularly what anyone else thinks about it.

Why buy a Porsche when a Chevy will do? It's a damn car, not sculpture, right?

(See what I mean?)

I spend a lot of time using the phone so why not have it be something that I think "wow that's really nice" about?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Cool. I like minimal cases and those would qualify. Otter boxes have always kinda confused me - I never understood the point of paying top dollar for a super thin, light, elegant, minimalist-style design phone and then slapping a big clunky-looking box around it.

Yup. Buy a nice slim phone that easily fits in a pocket, then put it in a huge grippy case that makes it too big and gets stuck in your pocket. Bonus points if it also makes the touchscreen unresponsive and screws up your audio, like a Lifeproof.

[JavaBrewer]

Umm the high performance car in this scenario is Android.

[Nickshu]

Otterbox Commuter rocks!

[cstreit]

I stopped using screen protectors several years ago. The new glass is so hard that it doesn't really get scratched. Get something to protect the corners in a drop... That's about all you need if you're not a gorilla.

[VINMAN]

I have a GZone Commando. Shock and waterproof. No need for a case. Phone is a tank. I'm extremely rough on my phones, hasn't failed me yet.

My work phone is a Motorola droid Razor. I have an Otterbox on it. Very happy with it. My phones are tools, not fashion accessories. No need to be pretty.

[island911]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

It's also an exhibit of industrial design. That's part of why I like Apple products. There are plenty of boring, clunky, plastic phones out there that'll do more or less the same things and with components just about as good but one aspect that sets the Apple stuff apart is the design. It's quality. ...

industrial design is supposed to encompass ergonomics and usability.

Of course far too many industrial designers are more stylist, who could give a rats ass about human factors. Their personal design i-goal is centered about being different. Somewhere, some designer(s) at Apple thought that the design language of a B&O stereo -that artful cold look that sits on the shelf as a minimalistic box o' electronics-- would be the perfect design language for an often held, often tossed, often dropped in a bag, mobile phone.

Those consumers who are annoyed by the quality of a slippery phone with hard edges and fragile glass often seek to replace those qualities with some sort of cover of soft plastic or leather. That doesn't make the consumer wrong. They are simply adding quality that is missing from the original design.

Quality that sets Apple apart...
Remember antenna gate? Oh what? I'm holding it wrong? WTF, mate?

An easily cracked screen design is not the mark of quality design.

A non-replaceable battery is not the mark of quality design.

Using your car analogy, the 911 - it's one tough design. It's serviceable too. replaceable battery, even.

[Holger]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Personally i like the simple rubber/silicon wrap cases the pop on/off easily. They grip nicely so I can toss the phone onto the dash or other surface and know they are not sliding off. I actually made it a couple miles from home with my phone on the roof of my car before a motorist pointed it out to me

LOL! A team mate put his iPhone (no case) on the dash of a VW T5 while we where driving home from playing hockey. Someone in the back of the car mentioned that it would fly away in the next corner. Windows open. Yup!

[porsche4life]

For my next phone I think I'll get one from these guys. They are designing some cool badass cases. One user reported his phone survived falling out of his pocket during a skydive!

https://www.lunatik.com

[Yorkie]

Obviously as Pelicans you need one of these...

[VaSteve]

I have a work iPhone and a personal Motorola droid. I can't count the number of times that iPhone has slipped out of my hand even with a case. I have dropped the other too, but only because I use it 10x more (like now).

I don't like the rubber sleeves since it pulls out the inside of my pocket or whatever else I have in my pocket. These both have plastic sleeves.

[scottmandue]

Android user (Samsung), I get the cheapest case with the features I like of Amazon. A simple plastic snap on case (that protects the corners) that slips into a sleeve with a pocket/belt clip.

I find that if I wear jeans I clip it to my pants pocket or if wearing cargo shorts/slacks I toss it in one of the pockets. Only downside is I don't feel the phone buzz when I am messaged... but I don't give a rats heinie about missing a text or two... a fact that infuriates my wife.