Soft Cases

From iFrogz - the Silicone Wrapz - this is a basic silicone case for your iPhone. Its a little thicker than some of the other silicone cases, so it should offer a bit more protection. Being thicker is is slightly, just slightly, more difficult to use the buttons on the edge of the phone. Its available in seven different colors, shown here in blue. $14.99

The Incipio Gel Case for iPhone. This is a thin silicone case. It adds some protection for your phone, but probably not much. Unlike the iFrogz Wrapz is has cover for the volume control, nice, but this part of the case fell apart in less than a month. If you buy one, keep the receipt. I bought mine at the local AT&T store, so exchanging it for a new one wasn't a problem. I hope the first one was a rare defective sample. This case and the Marware Sport Grip case below have a 'soft' finish, it does have a nice feel. Available in seven different colors and comes with two screen films and a cleaning cloth. $19.99

The MarWare Sport Grip - is slightly thicker than the Incipio case. What makes this one different is that it covers the volume and the sleep/wake controls with raised silicone 'bumps' and it, and the OtterBox Impact, cover more of the phone that other cases, - even the 'home' button is covered. There is only one other button on the iPhone - the ring/silent button, they left this one exposed. I thought that having most of the buttons covered would make use a little more difficult, but it didn't. Included is a microfiber cleaning cloth and a screen film - its available in three colors and costs $19.99.

The OtterBox Impact - $19.95, available in black or white (shown below in white). This case is similar to the Marware Sport Grip in that it covers all of the buttons except for the ring/silent button. It has the thinnest sides and top, but they put extra thickness on the corners and back, area where the phone would probably land if dropped. There is a whole in the back, about the size of a nickel, so the Apple logo is visible.

Hard Plastic Cases

Another from iFrogz - the Luxe - this is a two piece plastic case that covers most of the phone except for the screen. Even though it is hard plastic it has a nice feel to it, iFrogz calls it a "velvety soft touch feel". And don't worry about the plastic scratching the back of the phone, the inside of the case that comes in contact with the back of the phone has a felt like substance that keeps the back of the phone from touching the case. The top half of the case is available in six colors, the bottom part is always black. It comes with one screen protector. The first time that you take the case off can be a challenge - just press the 'button' on the back of the case and wiggle the the two halves apart. $19.99

Power Support - the Air Jacket - this is a clear (also available in black) case that clips on the back of the phone. It comes with two films - one clear and one anti-glare for the iPhone screen. This case is very thin, it adds virtually no bulk to the phone, but probably won't offer as much protection as some of the other cases if you drop your phone - think scratch protection, not drop protection. And most of the edge of the chrome bezel around the screen is left unprotected. That being said, it is a classy case that only increases the bulk of by a tiny fraction. The films are my favorites, so far, I particularly like the anti-glare film. $34.99

Belt Clip Cases

MarWare SideWinder $34.99 - this case comes with a clear silicone case, holster, belt clip, microfiber cleaning cloth and a screen film. The silicone case by itself is a very good case, good feel and good coverage (if you just want the case, you can buy Marware's Flexi Shell case for $24.99) . Next the phone can go into the holster either screen first or screen out - nice - when the is screen faced in, it is protected. And the holster (with a detachable belt clip that does not swivel) has a retractable arm where you can wrap your headphone cable for storage. I don't listen to very much music on my iPhone with headphones, but I know that a lot of folks do. Those are the people that you see untangling their headphone cords all of the time. An alternative is to buy a set of earbuds/headphones that have a retractable cord. I am not the target customer for this product, but it is well designed.

From Griffen - the Elan Clip - .this is a well made case if you want a belt clip option without adding much bulk.
It is made of hard plastic but does have a soft lining where it comes in contact with the back of the phone. It securely holds the phone, but does not offer any protection for the exposed front of the phone, and it does not hold the phone securely if you try to put the phone in face first. It also advertises that you have an iPhone, which may or may not be a good thing. The belt clip does swivel. It sells for $24.99 and a microfiber screen cleaning cloth and a very nice screen film are included.

Which one do I like when I am not on the job site with my iPhone securely in its OtterBox Defender? I like the iFrogz Luxe, its a nice combination of protection without adding much bulk. I also like the Marware Flexi Shell and Sport Grip. But there aren't any bad products in this small sampling of iPhone cases.

Do you use a case for your cell phone? Tell us the good and the bad.

Added January 21, 2009
Monster Cable sent me a sample of their L-R-G iPhone case ($49.95), but I think that the case they sent, a red and green leather case, was designed for women. So I gave the case to a friend - Melani. Here is her report, "It's attractive and well made done in colors reminiscent of Gucci or perfect for Christmas. The leather feels expensive but I can't help but feel its little flashy, in a good way, because it's a bit showy. I haven't been using the ring to wear it on my person or hang it from a strap but the flap feels very secure and doesn't seem like it would open if carried that way. One downside is you have to open the case and pull your phone out to use it, but otherwise, nice package and product overall."

A Monster representative sent me an e-mail after this was posted and told me the case is designed to clean the screen of the iPhone (or iPod Touch) each time you pull the phone out of the case. This is a nice benefit. I am constantly cleaning the screen on my iPhone.