Ever since the first day I’ve gotten my iPhone, I’ve been looking for a case. Just as with my iPods, I’m very worried about scratches, nicks and any sort of damage that could happen to my beloved toy. At first there really weren’t many offerings. I started with the Belkin Acrylic Case, which several other people I know swear by. It was a hard acrylic case but mine… simply did not fit. My iPhone slid around inside of it. I took it back the next day.

Next, I tried the Incase “Protective Cover for iPhone”. My feelings on this case were mixed. It had no protection for the front of the iPhone. It was just a rubber sleeve that covered the back. The rubber was rugged and sticky and it made sliding your iPhone in your pocket not so easy. After two weeks of use, I noticed some dirt around the dock connector and took the case off to find a LARGE amount of dust and debris in the case. This dirt was also around the edges of the front of the sleeve and both the chrome ring around the screen and the back were getting damaged. I cleaned it all up and put the case back on. Determined to check it every few days to make sure nothing else happened. That was a good plan but after having taken the case off, it was never the right shape to stay on snugly again.

I decided to suck up the price of that case (30 USD) and look for a new case. I found a case called the iSee by Contour Design. Contour is the maker of one of my favorite iPod cases, the Showcase. It was then I thought of how much I’d like a Showcase for my iPhone! The Showcase is a clear acrylic case front and back with a rubber ring around the outside and a quick release latch to let you get your iPod out. This I decided would be a perfect case. I looked all over the ‘net and even found some “reviews” of the case but I could not find it. I knew I saw it advertised on the Apple site, but it was gone. I went to Contour’s website, where they listed the Showcase as a product coming soon but an email to them gave me little hope as to an exact date for release. Desperate for a case, I picked up the iSee. Over all I really liked the iSee. It fit better than the Belkin case, and after the stickiness of the Incase, it slid in and out of my pocket better, however it still didn’t fit perfect and my iPhone would slide around in it, tho it was slight, it was too much.

Exactly one week after I bought the iSee, Contour announced the release of the Showcase for iPhone. I was very excited and the next chance I got I headed back to the Apple Store and returned the iSee for the Showcase. The Showcase is exactly the case I wanted. It’s very slim, adds almost nothing to the size, shape and weight of the iPhone. It’s clear acrylic on the front and the back and a very smooth but durable rubber around the outside. My only complaint is that it’s not as easy to get the iPhone out as it was to get an iPod out of a Showcase for iPod but it did exactly what I wanted. I also picked up the Power Support Crystal Film which is a static cling protective cover for the iPhone. It’s cut exactly for the iPhone and covers it from top to bottom with cutouts for the home button and the ear piece. I could not be happier, as my iPhone is finally protected!