Testing and Comparison
Now each of these cases has its own strengths and weaknesses. Starting with the Flick, this case is designed for it aesthetic quality and streamlined appearance. For those who want to keep the aesthetic of the iPhone 3G’s appearance then this is the case for you. It will keep the back and sides of your case protected, but the front of the iPhone 3G is totally exposed to the environment.
The buttons are easily accessible and the case does not interfere with the daily operation of the iPhone 3G.
The Flick iPhone 3G is convenient for access the connector area. Overall in terms of protection for other than minor bumps and scrapes, the Flick iPhone 3G is a good choice.
Now if you are more of a rough and tumble iPhone user, then the HardSkin iPhone 3G is the best choice of the three. It does sacrifice some aesthetic of the iPhone 3G’s form factor, but is does provide much more protection for the phone. The included silicone covers are a nice feature and help protect more surface area on the iPhone, they do impede in receiving tactile feed back when press them instead of the buttons that lay underneath them. I found operating the volume buttons was more difficult and took more pressure with the silicone cover in place. Luckily, the HardSkin iPhone 3G allows these to be removed and give direct access to the keys. While the silicone cover for the power button did not provide much feedback, it invariably turned on/off the iPhone 3G. Personally, I decided to remove it since there are many other open areas for accessing buttons and such, so one more opening did not bother me.
The HardSkin iPhone 3G’s rubberized grip felt secure in my hands and did not have that tacky feeling that some rubberize case have.
For years I have housed my iPod in the iSee case. It has protected my iPod which looks store bought new to this day. I guess I have a soft spot for this case. Many of the descriptions about the HardSkin iPhone 3G are applied to the iSee iPhone 3G. The main difference is that the iSee iPhone 3G does not have a rubberize grip and the clear case allows one to see the entire iPhone 3G that is housed within the case. I experienced the same difficulties with the silicone protectors of the iSee iPhone 3G that I had with the HardSkin iPhone. Removing the silicone protectors makes the case much more user friendly.
Another issue I had with both the Hardskin iPhone 3G and the iSee iPhone 3G is the bottom of the case impedes attachment of certain extended type connectors, such as the one found on the Monster iCarPlay Wireless 250. To hook the iCarPlay, I had to crack the right side of the case open slightly. Also, accessing the mute switch was difficult when the mute switch was active, because the edge of the switch lays flush with the case. This makes is a minor struggle to get the iPhone 3G unmuted.