Ever since I bought my iPhone3G in August 2008 I have stubbornly avoided putting it in a case, somehow to me a case would distract from the phone’s natural beauty. Given this it’s no wonder that my phone is now sporting an ever widening crack at the base, something that may eventually force me to upgrade to the new 3Gs iPhone (or whatever comes out next).
My partner who purchased an iPhone more recently also hadn’t been using a case and expressed concern about her beloved phone’s welfare after a couple of droppages. So I was pleasantly surprised when I received the new Shine Case from Proporta.com. Given that the case has a mirror on the inside, I gave it to her rather than use it myself, but I thought I’d relay her comments on the case for those who are in the market for something similar.
The first thing I have to say is my lovely lady isn’t the primping kind, so the mirror is probably somewhat wasted on her, but I’m sure some of you other ladies out there who carry a mirror in your handbag might appreciate the advantages of combining a mirror in your iPhone case. Hey, it’s one less thing to carry right?!
When you unpack the case, the other obvious thing that you notice is the little arms which serve to hold the phone in place. They’re not very large and at first you would be forgiven for wondering if they’re going to do their job, but Rachelle tells me that they not only hold the phone quite securely, it really doesn’t budge an inch once you’ve put it in there. The case also has a magnetic clasp that keeps the cover shut and works in conjunction with the arms that hold the phone in place, and this is something else that Rae tells me works well.
The outside of the case has a shiny patent leather look that insures your phone still looks bling, and the case includes other thoughtful design features such as a hole for the camera lens.
One amusing (and potentially annoying) aspect is that the flap on the case can be slightly awkward to position when you’re using the phone (while it’s in the case). The flap tends to sit up against your head if you’re on the phone (unless you fold it back inline with the case), which makes you look like you’re talking on a rather large flip phone (the sort of phone you’d imagine a broker using in a movie from the early 90′s).
Overall however, the case gets the tick of approval from my lovely partner who rates it at 4.5 out of 5 stars.