Macenstein

If you asked 10 iPhone users what their favorite iPhone case is, I think it’s a safe bet you would get 10 different answers. The criteria for what makes a good iPhone case is one of the more subjective discussions a geek can have. Take me and the decidedly less geeky Bride of Macenstein, for example. We received a duo pack of Konnet’s new ultra slim (and aptly named) Shine Metallic Case for iPhone for the iPhone 3Gs in the mail, and I figured that like most girls, she would be drawn to the shimmery blue, shiny object. But after 2 days of using it she handed it back to me saying “I hate it”.

I was pretty surprised as I found I was liking my Shine case quite a bit (I had the mirror finish one), and in fact coming from a Speck Toughskin, you really couldn’t have made a bigger change in case styles. When I asked her what she hated about it, she said it was “too slippery”. I kind of let it go for a day or so, but then after realizing that the case is really anything BUT slippery, I asked her to explain. Apparently her issue is she wears stylishly tight pants without pockets, so she often sits and types at her computer or drives in the car with the iPhone resting on her lap. Apparently the ultra smooth exterior of the Sine case slides right off her legs at the slightest movement, and she had dropped her phone a couple times. Since the case is more of a “scratch protector” than true shock absorber, she decided to go back to something with more “grip”.

Now, being a big slob with pants which have more pockets than I know what to do with, this never would have occurred to me, and is likely the main reason why almost 1 month later I am still using my Shine case, long after she had given up.

Design

The Shine case is a self-described “Ultra Thin” case, and they aren’t lying. The case is pretty much as light as a feather, and when unboxing it you can’t help but feel a little uneasy about the level of protection you are about to bestow upon your rather expensive iPhone. However, ultra slim-style cases are designed to help minimize radio interference and boost signal reception, and they never claim to do anything other than protect your case from contact scratches, so as long as you are not prone to dropping your iPhone the case delivers one of the most sleek, stylish, and and unobtrusive designs we’ve seen.

Konet sells the Shine cases in Red, Blue, Pink, and Silver, and I would say for the most part you would want to go with the silver. I found that the blue just looked sort of out of place against the black front of the iPhone, where the silver pretty much matches the iPhone’s shiny bezel and gracefully carries that look to the rear of the phone. Flipping the iPhone over, you’ll find you can use the Shine as a makeshift mirror, although you will get a pretty dead-on recreation of Photobtooh’s “Bulge” effect if you angle it right.

Protection

The Shine case covers MOST of the iPhone. The corners, sides and back are covered, save for a volume/mute and camera cut-outs, however both the top and bottom of the case are more or less open. As for protecting the front, there is an included protective film you can apply to the screen, although as an iPhone owner of nearly 3 years, I have yet to use one regularly, and did not apply this one either.

After nearly a month of near constant use (often shoved in a pocket with my keys) the case still looks great. In bright light you CAN see a large number of ultra thin scratches across the case, but they are hard to see in most lights if you aren’t looking for them and more or less invisible under most conditions. It reminds me of the type of thing you would see on the back of the iPod classics after a day or two of use, only less pronounced. None of the scratches can be felt, even with a fingernail slid across the case, but I felt they are worth mentioning lest anyone be surprised.

Issues

While I did not agree with her “too slippery” assertion, one of the biggest issues with the Shine case is a legitimate one the Bride of Macenstein brought to my attention. Due to the way the volume button cutouts are made, it is rather difficult to adjust volume using them with the case. It’s not like it’s impossible, but as someone without long fingernails, I DO find I need to often really look at what I am doing to get the tip of my finger in to press the exact right spot. The Mute switch is also a little tricky. For the most part I have my headphones on and can use the inline remote for volume adjustments, but when listening to an internet radio app like Slacker, without a volume slider, it can be a bit of a pain.

Conclusion

I’ve more or less resigned myself to the fact that not everyone is going to like the same things I like, but this is especially true with iPhone cases. In general I hate clear plastic cases and belt clip cases, while other people swear by them – so I can only tell you what I like and leave it to you to decide for yourselves. For those of you looking for a light-weight, ultra-stylish, and very shiny case, the Shine delivers. I guess the fact that I have been using the Shine for over 3 and half weeks exclusively should be a pretty good indicator of where I stand. Overall it is an elegant-looking case that makes my iPhone look and feel a bit more adult. Of course, I haven’t dropped my iPhone in that time, and when I do, I might go running like a baby for the ToughSkin again.

Konnet Shine Metallic Case for iPhone

Price: Pack of two in choice of colors ($22.41 Amazon )
Pros: Stylish, very shiny, light weight, provides decent scratch protection
Cons: no real “shock protection in a fall, volume/mute buttons a bit hard to reach