# Fabulous iPhone cases (and upcoming iPad cases too)



## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

I'll say up front, I have no idea of the quality on these, and I'm undecided as to whether or not I'm buying one, but I LOVE the customizability of this company's designs:

http://www.shinnorie.com/products/iPhone%204%20Cases/20/28/0/prod2028

This is what I came up with for their Ringo Leather Pouch ($69.95):










You can customize quite a bit--main color, secondary color, accent color, stitch color, and what pockets/size/strap you want to use. Loads of choices! They also have a leather flip case and what they call a snap jacket (covers the back only), but those pieces are a lot less customizable, unfortunately.

Their iPad cases are "coming soon", so I can't tell much about them, but their Folio Max drawing looks like it might possibly provide for a typing position. I think I'll bookmark them and keep an eye on what they come out with!


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

I love it. I like the way you can customize it. Only problem is choosing the combo you want.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Hubby took one look at my design choices and announced his eyes were bleeding. LOL

But let's face it, it's a perfect match for my phone:


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

You are right it matches perfectly. Men just don't understand.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

You made me look ... I wasn't going to  ... Now I'm off to play.   Do you think it will fit the phone with a bumper on it?


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

They have several sizes, so I'm hoping so!

(marks another chunk off against the "look what you made me buy!" running tally with Heather)  

I doubt I'll be holding out against this one for long;  I have the pic up on my laptop screen, and it's on the iPad.  When I turn it into wallpaper, we'll know I've surrendered.  LOL


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

If I can convince them to remove the logo from the front I'll probably get this too. I like the neck strap for when I'm walking.

















And at this point, I think we're darn near even! LOL! You've already gotten me back for In Death...


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

I LOVE this.  I may have to get it in those colors but with the card pocket.  Is that a bumper case on your phone?  What size are you getting?
Paula


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Ooh, I like the white with pink! I'm terrible with white leather though, it just gets dirty so fast!

I like the card pocket too, just not sure I'd use it that much. I mostly want a pocket for my headphones and for the small secondary battery I like to keep on hand for emergencies. But I'm also working with Melissa on a gadget bag for the same stuff, so I don't know. Maybe I'll use this as a reward of sorts...an "accomplish X goal and you can order one" type of thing.

I love my new phone, just kinda miss the extra durability of the aluminum back on the original. The glass on this one makes me feel like it needs a bit of extra protection comparatively. The bumper's great for keeping it from slipping out of my hands, but a little padding or something is needed for my purse, I think.



corkyb said:


> I LOVE this. I may have to get it in those colors but with the card pocket. Is that a bumper case on your phone? What size are you getting?
> Paula


Yes, that's the pink Apple bumper. I'm happy with it, it's got just enough grip on it with the rubber that I don't feel like the phone's going to go flying out of my hands. As for size, I'm not sure. I think I'd probably contact them to verify before I ordered, since it would likely be custom. No idea what their return policy is, but I'd imagine it's non returnable.

Edit: they do list the Medium size for the iPhone 4--presumably, that's without the bumper. Since the bumper makes the phone bigger all around, thicker, and a lot less slippery, I bet they're going to say use the large if you're going with a bumper or gel case/hard case of any kind.


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## sem (Oct 27, 2008)

OK, I have one saved in my basket but can I justify spending $65.00 when I have a perfectly good case that I spent $5.00 for? Will have to let it sit there while I stew about it for a few days. 
I'm trying to be fiscally responsible but it sure is pretty!


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

I know the feeling, that's why I haven't ordered yet.

Some things to think about are how long you plan to have the phone, how you prefer to use it/carry it, would you still be able to use the case with your next phone?...stuff like that. Really, these are same types of questions we ask for any other purchase.

For me, I only upgrade phones when I absolutely have to, so if I buy this case, I'll be using it for at least two years, possibly three. Maybe longer, since it's not iPhone specific, and will likely fit another model. Over that length of time, if it's well made enough to handle it, the investment isn't too bad. I like to use my phone without a case, but I need something to protect it when it's in my purse, and something with a wrist strap or a way to tether it to me is useful for around the house. Otherwise, it will end up in the back pocket of my jeans, which means I'll sit on it and...CRRRAAAACCCCKKKK...there goes one of the two glass screens. So this case fits my needs that way.

Right now, I'm using one of these (in another fabric) to fill most of what I need.:









So I don't "need" this one, certainly not right away. I'll probably use what I have for a while yet, see if anyone else orders and what they think first. Or as I said, use it as an incentive for myself.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I posted about these a while back! I had one I custom designed and it was fabulous. In fact, I liked it so much I contacted them about iPad cases as well. They're great to work with, they respond to every email quickly, btw. I had the flip case to protect my iPhone screen, I think i might have a picture of it somewhere.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I can't find a picture, sorry, and right now my sister has it along with my old 3G phone. They custom designed a case for me with a flip cover and a stripe in a design that they didn't have listed on their site. It was a very smooth and easy transaction, and I had it in two weeks, from Singapore. They're on facebook, too. 

They do run sales occasionally, and they're pretty good ones. There was a buy one get one free sale for Christmas, iirc.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

hsuthard said:


> I can't find a picture, sorry, and right now my sister has it along with my old 3G phone. They custom designed a case for me with a flip cover and a stripe in a design that they didn't have listed on their site. It was a very smooth and easy transaction, and I had it in two weeks, from Singapore. They're on facebook, too.
> 
> They do run sales occasionally, and they're pretty good ones. There was a buy one get one free sale for Christmas, iirc.


Hmmm...how do I get notified for sales?!  No, wait, don't tell me. A discount would probably convince me to buy. Like I need much more convincing! LOL

Just tried messing around with more color options, but I keep coming back to all the pink/white ones. This one is a little tamer than my original, since the lighter pink is now the main color instead of the accent:









They do have so many choices, it's way too much fun! Hope their iPad cases turn out interesting...their turnaround times are way better than Vaja's, that's for sure!


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

Ok, I'd like to know how to find out about their sales....


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

Nano cover!


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I think they sent me emails about their sales, and I friended them on facebook, too. That could be how i found out. I don't recall one recently, though.


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## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

That is fabulous with your phone.  What skin and grip shell is that?


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## KimmyA (Dec 11, 2008)

Ooooooh. These are really pretty. I need to go check those out


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Kindle Gracie said:


> That is fabulous with your phone. What skin and grip shell is that?


The skin is DecalGirl's pink hibiscus, in matte finish. I had the same skin on my original iPhone, in the glossy finish, and I've gotten many compliments on that one. The matte finish comes out a little lighter in color, but the silky feel and relatively non slip surface more than make up for that. I have it on both front and back. It's all Heather's fault; she started talking about skinning phones way back, and next thing I knew, I just had to skin my first iPhone.  On the plus side, it gave me an immediate way to differentiate my phone from my husband's, and this time through it means I no longer care about getting the white iPhone, since the skin covers it all anyway.

The case is Apple's bumper, in pink. Much as I like some of the aftermarket cases, the early released ones often don't fit just right, and I figured the Apple case would have the best chance of fitting correctly. The fit is perfect, though if you're using it with a skin, I highly recommend rubbing the skin edges down thoroughly before putting the bumper in place. Then leave the whole thing alone so it has less chance of bubbling at the edges from the friction of the bumper.

The bumper is nice because the edges are rubbery without using silicone. Silicone cases tend to attract dust and lint; the bumper does not. That's a big plus in my book! One thing to note though...some headphone plugs and many charging plugs won't fit the precut ports in the bumper. Apple's own plugs do work, of course, and my JLAB headphones are fine, but I know others haven't been so lucky.

Since my next Borsa Bella gadget bag will be on its way soon enough (Melissa's already working on it), I'm going to do my best to hold off on this case for a while. Maybe they'll bring out a coupon or a sale or something.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Well, lookee here...I made it seven weeks before I caved. And here I supposedly have no self control. LOL

Ordered this case from Shinnorie after some dialogue with them about the bumper. The instructions I received were to order the Medium, but that they would instruct the crew that this case was specifically for a bumpered iPhone 4. So we'll see how it goes.

I went with the slightly tamer color scheme:










For reference, it's ...

Main: Candy pink
Secondary: Bright White
Accent: Hot pink
Thread: Candy pink

And I did both the pocket and the cardholder (not shown in this image), but not the neck strap. Went with the free shipping--14-21 days, which will be another test of my patience, but I didn't want to add another $25 to my total. After all, I'll need that for my K3 and ITS accessories, right?


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

Funny, I was just thinking about this case yesterday and wondering if anyone bought it.  I can't wait to hear what you think of it.  I was thinking of ordering one myself.
Paula


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Yay! Aren't they great to work with? E customization they did for me exceeded my expectations (which were admittedly pretty low). I hope they do as well for you. I also remember being pleasantly surprised with the shipping.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm really looking forward to getting it!  Hopefully it'll be just as much fun to have it in hand as it was playing with the customization app on their site.  LOL

The price is still a little hard to stomach, but others who've ordered other iPhone cases from them also swear by the quality, and if it holds up well over time, I figure I'll get a few years' worth of use out of it.  I'll likely be sick of the color scheme well before it wears out!  

I like their iPhone 4 Snap case a lot too, but I'm trying to behave.  Nothing wrong with my pink bumper, so no reason to change it out, right?  Even if there ARE crazy people on bay who'd pay twice what I did for it originally.  Or more...


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## Toshmain (Aug 30, 2010)

I think I have a great iPad case. It's by Quirky, and it's called the Cloak. it's tough and versatile.

http://www.quirky.com/products/30-Cloak-iPad-Case


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## Doctor Barbara (Aug 17, 2010)

Don't know if anyone mentioned an iPhone Otter Box.  It's superb.  I jam my phone into tight pockets all the time (in the encased box) and have dropped it etc.  And you use the phone as is, without slipping it in or out of some cover.  It was expensive, but has proven to be totally worth it.


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## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

How bulky is the Otter Box?


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

It's about the bulkiest case on the market--nigh unto indestructible, but huge. Most people who decide they don't like it complain about the size. This customer image from Amazon pretty well sums it up:










That's a naked ip4 on the left, in the Otterbox on the right. Great for use in high risk jobs, like construction, or if you need something the kids can't break, but most people aren't willing to trade off the sleekness of the device for supreme protection. They're typically not compatible with most docks either, so if you have a docking setup in your car or speaker docks in the house, you'll need connecting cables to make those work.

The quality is very good and people who love them swear by them.


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## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

Thank you.  I just received my new 4th G iTouch and now I need a new case.  The same case I've used for the past two generations is too loose.  The 4thG really is slimmer.

I'd welcome recommendations.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Kindle Gracie said:


> Thank you. I just received my new 4th G iTouch and now I need a new case. The same case I've used for the past two generations is too loose. The 4thG really is slimmer.
> 
> I'd welcome recommendations.


Given that the new Touch is what, maybe a week old?, your best bet probably is to wait. The ip4 is nearly three months old at this point, and manufacturers are just starting to bring out cases that fit properly over the last few weeks. A lot of people were complaining that the earliest cases available had problems with the fit--too loose, holes not well cut, etc. Even Otterbox has apparently revised their design a bit, as people on other sites have reported exchanging theirs for an updated one. It takes time for good, well fitted cases to reach the market, a disadvantage to the early adopter.

A lot of people swear by iFrogz (I know we have several iFrogz users here.) Personally, up until this phone, I've always gone with inexpensive non branded leather holsters from eBay and done well with them; in fact, I'm still using my last one from my original iPhone with the current bumpered model. They also seem to make it to market a little faster than the big names do.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Shinnorie review...long overdue!

As promised, a review of the Shinnorie Ringo Pouch I ordered at the end of summer:

Ordering: I did contact Shinnorie prior to placing my order, and I'm glad I did. They list the Medium pouch as being the correct size for the iPhone 4, but when I contacted them beforehand, they suggested a custom size for those using a bumper case. Had I not contacted them beforehand, judging by their posted measurements, the case likely would've been a little short and the phone would've stuck out of the top. Communication at first was very prompt (allowing for time differences between the West Coast and Hong Kong, of course). A later email, after payment had been made, did go unanswered--as it wasn't a critical question, I didn't follow up, so I'm not sure what happened on that one.

Production and shipping: Production takes 5-8 working days, mine took six. Slow boat shipping is free and fully trackable, but it does take time. This isn't Shinnorie's fault--they shipped exactly when they said they would, and in fact, the package made it from Hong Kong to San Francisco just fine. It took a week to get from there to Seattle however! Since I'm spoiled by Amazon Prime, I was spitting nails by the time it arrived. LOL

The pouch itself: The pouch pretty closely matches the colors I expected to receive; in fact, given that I didn't use a color calibrated monitor to view their site, it matched better that I really expected. Pinks, oranges, and reds are notoriously had to photograph, but the colors shown really were pretty reliable. Here's the original from the site:










And here's the real thing by filtered daylight:










The hot pink isn't quite as bright on the actual model as it was on my screen, onscreen, it's almost neon. In real life, it's a bright fuchsia. The "candy" pink main color pretty much is a bubblegum pink, and the "bright white" is typical of most white leathers.

Construction overall is good; it's not perfect, however. The stitching is even, but there are a couple of spots where it could have been a tad neater. Since part of the fun of these is that you can even specify the thread color, that was a little disappointing at first. After nearly two months of use, I find I don't really care, but some of our KB'ers who are a touch or more OCD might find it distracting. One other issue was that there was a tiny tiny amount of scuffing straight from the package on the leather tab that holds the wrist strap. A portion of the dyed patch was simply gone, showing whitish leather beneath. This was another one of those things that upset me at first and now I don't even notice it, but at this price point, I did expect more. The hardware itself on the wrist band is high quality, and all the stitching is very solid. There are no seams or joins showing wear after two months of use.

One other note: as stated in another post, the interior of this pouch is a soft, black dyed material. It doesn't leave lint on the screen, which is a plus. It does, however, seem to bleed dye to a certain degree. While I can't get it to do so on a wet paper towel, it did mark my bumper and another case significantly. The same issue happened on those two cases with my Borsa Bella sleeve, and with the lining of a leather purse, so it's obviously a fairly common issue with light colored cases. As I haven't found a way to stop this problem, I have to mention it as something to be aware of. It doesn't happen with all cases though--for example, a cheap TPU case I bought as a temporary on eBay has no marks after weeks of use, whereas the bumper began marking immediately.

Things I like:

The color combination is terrific; as you can see, it matches the rest of my setup well.

The design is excellent. The closing tab is easy to open to quickly remove the phone, it's plenty secure when closed, and it doesn't use velcro or magnets. It also can be used to help remove the phone from the pouch; just continue to pull on it after you first pull it open, and it will lift the phone to a point about an inch above the top of the pouch, making the phone easier to grab. I adore the front pocket--typically, I have my headphones and a cleaning cloth tucked in there, but I've also used it for other small things. That pocket is about 2"x2"x0.5", and it was what sold me on this pouch in the first place. The wrist strap is also very handy. I've used it lashed to my jeans, to the handle of my purse for easy (but secure) access, and as it was intended. The rear card pocket was one of those things I wasn't quite sold on, but figured I'd regret it if I didn't add it. Indeed, on a recent trip I often found myself carrying just the pouch, with my ID and hotel room card key tucked in that back pocket. This works well if the phone is in a smallish case; the slider case I used for a time was a lot bulkier, and having too many cards in that rear pocket made the back stiff enough that the phone became had to remove. (That particular case was larger than the Apple Bumper, and probably belongs in a larger pouch--so case size does matter when designing one of these for your own use.)

Things I'm less keen on:

The price. I would've been more comfortable at a $60 price range (final price was around $85). The good news is that Shinnorie DOES still do the occasional sale; the bad news is, this has happened exactly once since I joined the mailing list back in July...and it happened well after I'd already bought mine. The most recent sale was 30% off though, and I admit I was tempted to buy another! If you want a sale price, get on their list and be prepared to be patient.

That black dye issue. I miss using my pink bumper--between the various pouches and purses including this one, my bumper rapidly became too ugly to use, and I destroyed it trying to clean it. Nothing more to be said here other than at this point, I can't recommend this pouch for use with a colored Apple bumper. If I find a case that doesn't stain over time, be sure I'll post about it.

Overall grade: B-B+. It would be a solid A if the dye issue wasn't a problem--so if you're going caseless, or you have a case that doesn't stain, and you like the look of these, they're a fun and versatile choice. Being able to pick all your own colors means it's extremely unlikely you'll ever run into someone with a case like yours, and mine has gotten quite a few compliments!

More pics (indoor lighting on these):

Filled with phone, cleaning cloth, and headphones









Top of pouch--the current setup (Acase Superleggera clear case from Amazon) sits about an eighth of an inch below the top edge. The bumper case sits right at the top.









Rear pocket:


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

http://www.shinnorie.com/custom/38/2010-year-end-sale

Through the end of the year, 20% off iPhone and iPad cases. They're also running a deal where if you buy one of their bags at an already discounted price, they'll discount your iPhone case even more.

It's tempting. I do like the look of the snap on case they have for the iPhone, but I don't think it will fit in my Ringo pouch. So guess the real question is, do I want another pouch in a different color combo? LOL

Decisions, decisions...


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

VictoriaP said:


> http://www.shinnorie.com/custom/38/2010-year-end-sale
> 
> Through the end of the year, 20% off iPhone and iPad cases. They're also running a deal where if you buy one of their bags at an already discounted price, they'll discount your iPhone case even more.
> 
> ...


I was just coming on to post this! I'm going to look at the iPad case. I'm still using the Apple one and it needs some color


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