By David Ponce

If you buy this case and some accident damages your iPhone 4/4S while being protected with the case, the company will try to fix it. If it doesn’t manage, it’ll send you a new phone. We’re not sure what’s to stop someone from buying this once their phone has broken and claiming it happened after. The only precaution taken seems to be a requirement to register the Cellhelmet within 30 days of purchase, but we’re not sure just what that’s supposed to stop. At $40 a pop, it’s a lot cheaper than buying a new phone. And even if there is some way to prevent fraud that we’re not seeing, the idea is pretty neat nonetheless. It’s not everyone who has carrier issue insurance, so for one year of peace of mind, $40 is not a lot of cash.

The Cellhelmet is a Kickstarter project that has already been funded. The cases look alright, but lets face it, the real product here is the insurance.

[ Product Page ]

By David Ponce

Say for a minute that there’s something, anything, interesting under water. And that you’ve got some desire to go record a high definition video of whatever that is. We say “get a hobby!” But you’re stubborn. So you have a few options. You can spend $300 for a GoPRO Hero2 rugged HD camera and dive up to 60m (200ft) underwater. Then you get to futz about with the camera hoping to get anything cinematic looking. Or you can spend almost twice as much (not quite true if you pre-order) on this rugged FourPro mount and dive half as deep (100ft). Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, the FourPro has a few advantages. First are the Teak handles that allow you some kind of control over your phone/camera, making for a potentially more stable shot. And these handles have threaded holes to accommodate lighting equipment. Lights! Who would have thought things could get dim 100ft under water?

Right now it’s just a project on Kickstarter, and as of writing it appears to be a non-starter. They’ve raised $800 from the $20,000 they need. For $400 you get the whole kit, which is lots, sure, but less than their expected $699 retail if it ever sees an actual marketplace.

Hit the jump for links and a video that features a guy giving a very Troy McClure introduction: “You may know me from…”

[ Kickstarter Project ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By David Ponce

It bears repeating at any given chance: past a certain point, megapixel counts in sensors are almost meaningless unless you’re printingroad signs. What matters more is the quality of the lens, and when you’re talking about the camera on a phone, well, size constraints kind of limit things. If you don’t mind giving your iPhone 4 or 4S a trip-to-the-eye-doctor look, Photojojo has created an accessory that could add a little range to the types of photos you can take. Made from aircraft grade aluminum, the iPhone Lens Dial features a rotating dial with three different lenses:

“A 0.7x Wide Angle for sweeping landscapes. Get fun warped images with the 0.33x Fisheye. Switch to the 1.5x Telephoto and get nearly two times closer to your subject.”

Aside from the dubious claim that 1.5 is nearly 2, Photojojo seems to have made an interesting product. The lenses are “optical quality coated glass” and the case gives you access to all your buttons. Holes in the rotating dial let you take pictures with the iPhones regular camera. The only two drawbacks we can see is that shots taken with it appear to display some massive amounts of vignetting. And the price: $249!

[ Product Page ] VIA [ TechCrunch Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

If Walter White would have had this particular iPhone case, his wife would have never found out about his drug manufacturing, which would have avoided the divorce, which… Oh, no one cares about Breaking Bad plot lines. What matters is that the Vooma Peel PG920 iPhone case lets you use two SIMs in one phone. While it does add a little bit of bulk to the device, it also has a battery which will add to the iPhone’s own battery life. More importantly, it appears to also unlock your phone. This means you can travel and use prepaid SIMs while still being able to receive important calls on your regular line. Techcrunch tried it out and described the associated application as a little wonky with “the dialing screen [being] a bitmapped copy of the original dialer and the letters and numbers [being] slightly warped.” However everything works as it should. Be advised of the obvious: you will need to have a jailbroken iPhone for this to work.

It’s not out yet, though you can sign up to be notified when it’s ready.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Pocket Lint ]

By David Ponce

Continuing the time tested tradition of dipping ordinary objects in gold for the sake of justifying higher prices, Crystal Rocked presents us with these iPad 2 cases. We’re not entirely sure if “dipping in gold” means gold plated, or if we’re talking molten gold manufacturing here. The company’s website is down at the time of writing, but at current gold prices we suspect that a mere $617 for both the white and yellow gold version point to a plating process. Beneath the layer of gold is a sturdy aluminum frame and of course, all buttons are accessible. Oh and there’s a handle.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Born Rich ]

By David Ponce

This is an object of desire. It’s terribly awful looking and at the same time just awesome. It’s ostentatious, gaudy and classless but also gutsy. See, the EXO7 is a belt buckle that’s large enough to hold your iPhone. Heck, it was made for that very purpose. But if you grow tired of it being a belt buckle, there are attachments that turn it into a pocket holster. It’s made of either brass or aluminum and the sides are inlaid with Pau Ferro wood. If you want to use the phone, flip the top which is held in place with rare earth magnets and hinges smoothly on stainless steel.

It’s also $300 on Etsy.

[ EXO7 iPhone Buckle ] VIA [ Geekologie ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I’m a simple person, who likes to get the most bang for my buck. This is why when I purchase a gadget, or even an accessory for one, I like to to serve more than one function. For instance, if an iPhone case doesn’t do more than look nice while protecting my phone, I’m likely not going to drop any money on it. However, if it can replace my wallet, I’m sold.

This CandyShell Card case from Speck not only looks stylish, but is going to hold three credit-card sized cards. This means that I can take my debit card, ID, and another card, while leaving my wallet at home. It’s not the first case to hold cards like this, but it does look a bit nicer than the others I’ve seen. For $40, it’s a good way to reduce the number of things in your pockets.

[ Speck ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Caitlyn Muncy

We all know how important protection is for your iPad. There are a multitude of cases on the market that make even looking for a good case a nightmare. The good people at iSkin came out with two cases called the Vu and the Duo. While the Duo hit a home run here at the office, the Vu fell a little short.

The reason this was named the Vu is because of the see-through back that has a very lightly raised pattern. This part of the case is entirely comprised of a hard plastic, except for the soft plastic flap on the very bottom that is meant to cover the dock connector. About 85% of the clear backing is almost seamless with the colored plastic, excluding a small area on the bottom that is removable for ease of docking.

The soft colored plastic separates these two areas, and covers the rest of the back and comes up over the sides of your iPad.  Exposed areas include the screen, ¾ of the left, right, and top black lining around the screen, mic, and speaker. The standby button and headphone jack have flaps to protect them from dust and scratches. The volume and home buttons have plastic that mimic their shape to make them easy to find. This soft plastic can be found in pink, aqua, and dark blue, black, red, orange, and purple, but the hard plastic will always be clear.

Now that I’ve explained this case a little bit, there are only a few, but extremely annoying things about this case. The case itself is good for protection, but doesn’t fit snugly around the iPad. This throws off where buttons are supposed to be and makes a lip that your fingers run into around the screen. The soft plastic is soft, but so thick that it makes the flaps almost impossible to get off. I can’t tell you how angry a person can get when something so small such as a flap over a button can be when you’re tired and just want to read an ebook. I’ll fiddle with that stupid thing for a full 30 seconds sometimes. Also, the removable clear portion on the bottom that is supposed to make docking easier is actually a pain. The main reason being that you can get it off for docking no problem, but putting it back on after you’re done is nigh impossible. This piece also doesn’t sit flush with the rest of the case, and my OCD just can’t handle that.

Also, iSkin, I love you, but please don’t advertise yourself on the front and back of this case. You had it right with the Duo case where it was only on the back. Though this may be a pretty case, I wouldn’t recommend spending the $65 on this case unless you want to rip your hair out. Go with the Duo as it’s just as nice and one million times better.

By Caitlyn Muncy

There are tons of iPhone 4 cases out on the market now, boasting functionality, protection, or just looking snazzy. A big question to ask is what are these cases doing for our environment? We received a TRTL BOT Stand case for the iPhone 4 and it not only has functionality, but also was made from recycled plastic bottles. How many other cases can take that claim?

The TRTL STAND for the iPhone 4 comes in a clear plastic clamshell with the case visible via the front, and cardboard inserts with information about the cases are positioned inside the clamshell to keep the case in place. Cardboard and plastic clamshells are made from recycled materials as well if you were wondering.

The case for the phone is made of plastic (duh) and only comes in black. It measures 4.53” x 2.43” x 0.51” and barely weighs more than half an ounce. Looking down on it there is a large open space where the phone would go, and has a lip to keep the phone in place. (A mighty good grip if you ask me) The tops and bottoms of the case are 90% open as to not impede any plug-ins for the phone. On the left side there is an opening for the volume and sound control switch, and a hole has been cut out on the back of the case for the camera. Starting at the bottom right corner of the back of the case is where the stand resides, which is imprinted with TRTL BOT in big letters, and on the bottom left corner is the logo.

It’s a rather plain looking case, but does its purpose nicely. The snugness of the phone in the case, and my inability to get the phone out of it is a bit annoying, but it does its duty as a case with kickstand abilities. The fact that it’s hard plastic makes me nervous, because I not only have to worry about my phone breaking, but the case as well. Not to mention the fact that the face of the phone is completely exposed. It costs about $34.99, but can be found for cheaper elsewhere.

[ TRTL BOT ]

By Caitlyn Muncy

The eco-friendly company TRTL Bot, has given us a snazzy new iPhone 4 case that is made entirely of recycled plastic. This is a follow-up from the 3G/3GS case they’ve made in the past. This version provides an extremely useful credit card holder on the back part of the case. You can only fit about two plastic cards in there, despite me trying my best to play chubby bunny with credit cards.

This recycled plastic makes for a rather hard case, and protects your iPhone in all the right places. A snug fit makes this a great case for moderate protection. You will need a screen protector as it doesn’t come with one, but seeing as you get a mini wallet out of your phone case, is there really much room to complain?

This case comes in either white or black and will only set you back about $35 if you buy it directly from the company.

[ TRTL BOT ]