From the minute I got my beautiful iPhone, I thought to myself that something this beautiful deserves to be covered and protected. For in spite of my best intentions, the phone will invariably find it's way to something hard - concrete, wood, metal, rocks - something! In fact, as I was pondering getting a case, I had the phone in my pocket and I popped up into a handstand (on my concrete driveway of course). Out slid the iPhone to meet the concrete. Fortunately for me, this didn't end in disaster, however, it heightened my desire for a good case.

In the past, I've always avoided cases for my phones and pda's because they add so much bulk to the exterior. With a case on, no longer can I carry my pda in my pocket without it feeling like it is 10 sizes too big. It no longer slips easily out of my pocket, or slips into my pocket - and I'm always painfully aware of its presence. Hence, I've avoided cases like the plague. However, I decided that it was time for me to change my ways.

I started out thinking that an "invisible shield" was the way to go. Promising that it is scratch proof, invisible, guaranteed for life, military-grade, and precision cut for a perfect fit, and it essentially adds ZERO bulk to the phone, it sounded perfect. Until, that is, I got it in the mail. This is the picture they show on the site of the protective covering. Well in the package that arrived in the mail are two transparent films - each that are cut out specifically to fit all the nooks and crannies and cut outs and holes all over the iPhone. In order to apply it, you must get the film wet, slide it into position. Well, it sat in my briefcase, and sat, and sat, and sat - I couldn't bring myself to put it on. I think it came down to the notion that I could really screw this thing up - and all I needed was to make it WORSE! It's been 2 months, and I still have yet to open the package! The only thing worse than not having a case for my phone, is having one and not using it!! Back to the drawing board...

Spending hours on-line, pouring over reviews, comments, descriptions of various other cases, I settled upon the iSkin Revo. This case got the Mac Life editor's choice award, and review after review claimed that this is "THE" case for the iPhone. Finally, I had found it! Aesthetically, it didn't disappoint. It is a beautiful case! However, it's made from a silicone rubber, and though tough, durable, and highly protective, it is "sticky". Hmmm... that's not quite the right word - what I'm trying to say is that when it's in my pocket, it picks up every piece of lint, dust, dirt, debris that is in there - and it gets stuck. I don't like struggling to try to get the phone out of my pocket - something I found myself doing regularly with this case. Back to the drawing board.

I spent another couple hours looking at different materials for cases - thinking that leather was my only other option. There are some BEAUTIFUL leather cases out there, but they didn't seem quite right for me. Having all but given up, I decided to take a trip down to my local Apple Store. Perusing the cases, I came across one made out of recycled material by a company called Agent 18. It looked like a good, minimalist case in the package, but I couldn't really tell - yet. I couldn't wait to try it - so I sat in the front seat of my car and slipped it on. In about 2 seconds, I could tell THIS WAS IT! Perfection! Small enough to make it unnoticeable in my pocket, slick enough so that it slides easily out of my pocket and doesn't pick up lint, and protective enough that my iPhone should be safe (from most bumps and bruises). For a case-hater like myself, I'd finally stumbled upon the perfect case.