iTimber Rosewood Case for iPhone 4

iTimber Rosewood Case for iPhone 4

The iTimber Rosewood Case for the iPhone 4 is a two-piece slider style case. The fit is tight. Installation requires a bit of effort because of the tight fit. Sliding the phone into the top piece is easily done, but getting the bottom piece to slide on to the phone required a lot of effort. I had to really work to get the bottom piece to slide in all the way so as to eliminate the gap between the two pieces.

The case feels slighlty bulky and adds a bit of weight to the iPhone 4. This also gives the case a very solid feel. If you are a fan of wood cases, you will love the looks of the case.The finish is very smooth, which does not help with grip.

The iTimber logo is etched on the back of the case towards the bottom as shown in the pic below.

I had a very hard time getting the volume buttons to work. Initially, the volume buttons were very stiff and would not move. I ended up removing the case and re-installing it several times before they kind of worked.

The power/sleep/wake button fires easily and provides good feedback.
The headphone jack port is quite recessed and is very small to boot. Do not expect any headphones other than ones with narrow straight-in-type jacks to work.

The cutout for the dock connector port is recessed and very small. Third party charger cables will not work. Neither will any docks.

The mute switch is also quite recessed and folks with stubby fingers will not be able to access it easily..

The camera lens on the back gets a nice big cutout. I did not have any issues with flash.

The back of the case looks very nice but for the case I received, it was apparent on a closer inspection that the two pieces were slightly mis-aligned.

Signal Reception: Immediately after installing the case, I noticed that my signal dropped a bar. I will conduct further tests and update this review in a few days.

Overall: A gorgeous wood case that seems to be hand made and has a few idiosyncracies that would make it hard to live with everyday.

Rating: 2.5/5

Price: $60 shipped

Availabile here: Amazon, eBay, http://www.itimbercase.com/

Magpul Executive Field case for iPhone 4

Magpul Executive Field case for iPhone 4

The Magpul Executive field case is a simple, elegant and functional design from a company that has a history of supplying products to the military. The case is constructed from synthetic rubber and is a snap-on case. Installation is a snap thanks to the semi-rigid feel of the case.

The case has four ribs on either side. The ribs extend into the back of the case. The ribs and the texture of the material used enables the case to provide superior grip. Holding the iPhone in the pal of one's hand, one's fingers naturally rest between the ridges created by the ribs. This makes it very comfortable and ergonomic to hold the iPhone in one hand.

The ribs also enable the case to stand on either side as shown in the picture below.

There are decent sized cutouts for the dock connector port and the headphone jack. I had no issues with using a thicker (than the standard Apple provided one) third party charger cable or headphones with the straight-type jacks. An L-shaped jack may not be compatible with the headphone cutout.

 

The volume buttons and power/sleep button are covered and provide very good feedback. The cutout for the mute switch is a little small, and although I was able to access the mute switch firly easily, folks with big fingers might find this task a little cumbersome.

The case provides a small lip for the front of the iPhone 4. Hence you can lay the iPhone screen side down on a table, although I would recommend you install a screen protector before doing so.

The case is available in 8 different colors. the ones I chose for review are ORANGE and FOLIAGE GREEN.

Overall: A very impressive design from Magpul. Im amazed at how functional and elegant the design is. And at $9.95, it is extremely good value.

Rating: 5/5
Price: $9.95
Available here: Magpul Executive Field Case
More information 

ID America Gasket Brushed Aluminum case for iPhone 4

ID America Gasket case for iPhone 4

The ID America Gasket case for the iPhone 4 is an unusual looking slim-line brushed aluminum case that is inspired by the shape of a head gasket on an engine. The case is constructed from real brushed aluminum and has a suede inner liner to protect the back of your phone from getting scratched up.

This case will appeal tho those who prefer a slim case that provides scratch and bump protection while maintaining the slim, beautiful shape of the iPhone as much as possible. The case feels very solid and smooth when handled, and provides adequate grip. The front of the iPhone does not get a protective lip but a screen protector is included and can be used to protect the screen from scratches.

The Gasket Brushed Aluminum case is available in 4 colors, Titanium Gray, Modern Bronze (the color I chose for the review), Aluminum Silver and Vintage Gold.

There are large cutouts for the dock connector, volume buttons, mute switch, headphone jack and power/sleep button. None of the buttons are covered, and hence they work just as well as they would without the case installed. The case works perfectly with the standard Apple dock. Connecting third party headphones and charger cables also worked without any issues whatsoever. The camera gets a big round cutout on the back and I had no issues with taking pictures using flash.

 

All ID America cases come in a nice package and include a front and back (clear) shields (protectors) along with a cleaning cloth and squegee.

Pros:
Absolutely GORGEOUS case, very UNIQUE, sleek, slim design
Signal reception was not affected at all (even though the case is made of metal)
Generous cutouts for dock connector port and all switches/buttons, make it very amenable to dock your iPhone

Cons:

No lay on table design, no front lip to protect the glass screen

Rating: 4/5
Price: $29.99
Available here: ID America Gasket Case

ID America Skyline Rigid Flex Case for iPhone 4

ID America Skyline Case for iPhone 4

The ID America Skyline Case for the iPhone 4 is a "Rigid-Flex" case that is made of a hard but flexible material (feels like TPU). The case is flexible enough to install easily on the iPhone 4. Yet, once installed, it feels very hard and rigid enough to provide very good bump and shock protection for your iPhone 4.

The case feels nice and soft when handled and provides very good grip. This probably is due to the material used and the perforated pattern on the back. The case provides a very useful front lip that not only provides very good protection for the front screen of you iPhone 4 but also allows you to lay your iPhone on a table screen side down.

The case has a big cutout for the camera and and a nice perforated design on the back. No washout effect was noticed when taking pictures using flash.
The cutouts for the dock connector, volume buttons, mute switch and the headphone jack are generous. I was able to use the case with the standard Apple dock, and the dock connector port was big enough to allow a charger cable that had a longer and thicker connector than the standard cable supplied by Apple. The volume buttons and the mute switch are easily accessed. The power/sleep button is covered and provided good feedback and fired without issue every time I tried it.

All ID America cases come in a nice package and include a front and back (clear) shields (protectors) along with a cleaning cloth and squegee.

Rating : 4.5/5

Price: $24.99

Available here: ID America Skyline Case