Review: PDO TopSkin for iPhone 3G

Although this is a developer centric blog, I imagine most all developers are also iPhone owners. Reviewing a few iPhone related products seems like a nice segue from the more technical discussions usually found here. What follows is a review of the PDO TopSkin.

To get things rolling, a representative from PDO sent me two cases for review, one black and one blue. The figure below shows how the cases arrived and is followed by a figure of the contents in the package (the case and a protective film).

I was surprised to find that no instructions were included. Granted, putting on a cover isn’t a particularly complicated process, however, a simple list of steps, even on suggestions for cleaning the screen and applying the protective file would of been nice (more on that below).

This is a soft, flexible, rubber case that covers the better part of the iPhone. Essentially all that is exposed is the screen, proximity and light sensors, speakers, microphone, camera and the switch to turn the phone on mute. The case fits quite well and I didn’t experience and gaps along the edges where the case meets the screen.

The cases also come with belt-clips attached. Good news is, if you aren’t much for clipping the phone to you pants, the clips are easily removed (see the figure below).

The PDO comes with a plastic film to protect the screen. In my opinion, this is a must have for any iPhone. Since there were no recommendations included on how to clean the screen prior to putting on the film, I used the cloth that came with my phone, which worked fine. Downside is, I had problems getting the film onto the screen, as I always ended up with air bubbles as shown below. Eventually, I found that rolling the film from bottom to top, and pressing along the edge with my finger to eeck out air as I went, worked pretty well.

I used both cases for the better part of a week (it’s a nice option to have more than one color, think mood ring for your iPhone). It has a nice rubbery grip around the sides, so slipping out of you hand is unlikely. The protective film does it’s job well, I had no problems with the device not detecting touch events.

The one aspect that I struggled with is that there is no opening for the power adapter. Instead, the case is cut along both sides and the top, allowing one to fold the case open exposing the cover (see the fuzzy image below). I imagine this was a design decision as a means to protect the adapter hardware. However, I find myself frequently plugging/unplugging my iPhone when developing and testing applications and I found that I would of much rather have an opening in the case in this location.

A good case, at a good price price. Here’s the final run down:

Pro:
- Protective film and belt clip included
- Thick rubber case for those looking for exceptional protection of their phone
- Has a nice feel to it
- Good value for the price (case and protective film)

Con:
- There isn’t a hole for the power adapter
- No instructions

Notes:
- Some older versions of the case lack the holes on the front (see figures above) for the proximity and light sensors. Look closely before buying to make sure you are getting the most current version of the case.

Price: $19.99

Final Grade: B+