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Cath Kidston iPhone 4 case
by PandaEyes
I had never had a phone case or cover for my previous iPhone 3GS that I had as I liked the look of it the way it was. However, as a result it soon became easily scratched and cracked from dropping it so many times. I had phone insurance though and so I did get a new one towards the end of my phone contract, but a replacement wasn't ... actually necessary as it still worked, and so I didn't actually really need my phone insurance the whole two years I had been paying for it.
I then got my upgrade to the iPhone 4s and I decided to cancel the phone insurance as I actually hadn't really needed it the past two years. As I don't have it any more then I wanted a phone case or cover straight away to protect my phone, but also make it look nice still. I have a white iPhone 4s and I really like the design of it, so I didn't want a plain phone cover to cover that up.
I like Cath Kidston designs and when I saw the brands' phone covers in the Apple store I wanted one, but the only thing that put me off them was the price as they cost £24.95. There are a few designs to choose from, most of them being flowery and one with a star print. I liked them all and decided to have a look online first to see if I could get one cheaper, and sure enough I did.
I bought a dark pink flowery one from Amazon for £13.99. I wasn't sure if it was a fake one or not but the seller had a photo of the case in its original packaging as I saw it in the Apple store and also assured me it was genuine and so I purchased it. This one is still available to purchase in the Apple store or the Apple store online at £24.95. It is no longer available on the Cath Kidston website but there are still two other designs available to choose from on there.
I didn't actually read any reviews on the phone cover before I bought it, and I didn't notice that there were reviews available on the phone covers on the Cath Kidston website, I am not sure if they just weren't there when I purchased mine or if I was just distracted by the pretty designs at the time! However, after going back on after I purchased it I then noticed some bad reviews.
The first problem that I had when I first attached the cover to my phone was that the gap in the case for where the silent switch is on the phone was not positioned correctly. At first I really struggled to move the switch without having to actually remove the phone cover. After some time the plastic bit of the case came away a bit from me forcing the button to move and so I now have no problems with it, but that problem should not have been there in the first place. The seller on Amazon clearly stated this was for an iPhone 4 or 4s and at the time I didn't know there was any difference in the two. After looking at my friends iPhone 4 though that's when I noticed the silent switch and volume buttons are slightly lower down on the 4s version of the phone.
The next time I was in an Apple store I looked at the phone cases and one of the shop assistants asked if I needed any help or if I wanted to try the cases out on my phone. This is when I showed him my phone cover and asked if all of the iPhone 4s cases are like this or if it was just mine, or even just the Cath Kidston range. He told me it was all of them and that the cases had not been changed yet except for a few which could only be purchased from Apple! I got my 4s on the day of release and so yes it hadn't been out for very long, but there should be phone covers available for it straight away instead of having to use those designed for the original iPhone 4 meaning that they didn't fit perfectly. I think it was around a month later when all iPhone 4 and 4s cases were changed so that they could fit both phones perfectly, and Apple received a lot of complaints about them up until then.
It wasn't just the fitting of the phone cover on my phone that I had problems with though. After around a month of having this the corners of the phone cover started to turn white and the flowery pattern started to fade, then later this happened around all of the edges too. It was around this time when I noticed the bad reviews the phone cover was getting on the Cath Kidston website, from people experiencing the same problems as me. It wasn't just my design that this was happening with though, it was all of the Cath Kidston iPhone cases. The customer support team had actually replied to a few of the reviews telling the customer to contact them and they will send them out a replacement, but if that was me and I had purchased mine directly from the Cath Kidston website, its not really a replacement I would be after as the same thing is only going to happen another month later.
The cases' material is plastic but the flowery design does have a soft coating on it. I do think it is quite strong but as it only covers the back of the iPhone, it won't protect the front. I have yet to get any scratches on my phone due to this case protecting the back and also with me being careful where I keep it in my bag. However, I would prefer to take the cover off as it now looks cheap due to the pattern fading around the edges. I will take this off when I have bought a new phone cover that I like, but I certainly won't be buying another Cath Kidston one!
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Otterbox Impact Case for Nokia 5230
by screedsean
At ~£18 this certainly isn't the cheapest case on the market but it's certainly worth the price. Why? Well this case does exactly what it says whilst also looking and feeling good.
-Impact resistance-
As the title suggests this product should protect your phone from knocks. I have owned my Nokia 5230 for 18 months now ... and due to having this case it is still working with no scratches even though it has been dropped on pavements, tiled floors, dirty ground, etc. I think that the price is worth having a working phone as it saves money in the long run. The product description will tell you that the corners are made to dissipate the impact away from the device and well something must be working for my phone to still be alive and well. As for the case itself the silicone does not scratch very easily and marks come off with a wipe of a wet cloth.
-Ergonomics-
As the case is made from silicone it fits very close to the phone and therefore as you use the phone with the case on you don't get any slip and the feel of the product is solid. Personally I also prefer the feel of a silicone case to a hard one as it gives you more grip so you are less likely to drop the phone or have it slide off of a surface.
-Performance-
The case is very easy to take on and off - which is good for cleaning if something gets under it. Just bend the case on or off in seconds. There is nothing to break or snap as the case is one piece. When the case is in place you can access all the buttons and holes that the phone has so functionality is not reduced.
-Aesthetics-
The case is black which is good as it matches the phone (phone available in black and white to my knowledge). The case fits well and looks as it matches perfectly. Personally I think the case looks very stylish and not too bulky like competing products. The case has a marking with the brand on the back of it but is otherwise plain and simple.
-Overall-
Okay the case isn't the cheapest on the market, but if you want to protect your phone properly, in a stylish, comfortable and easy to use case; I would definitely recommend this product to you!
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