Gadget Techie

When I bought my Black 16GB iPhone 3G, I could not decide whether I wanted to buy a case for it to protect the phone or if I wanted it bare so I could see and feel the iPhone (the iPhone is beautiful and the new 3G one feels A LOT better in your hands than the old iPhone). Because I take good care of all my electronics, I decided to just leave it bare. However, I did not like the idea of sticking my iPhone in my pocket. I was scared that the screen would get scratched, not to mention the fact that I was tired of pulling my cellphone out of my pocket everytime I received a text message or email notification.

I had a Sony Ericsson S710 for 5 years before getting the iPhone (Refer to small thumbnail picture. By the way, Sony Ericsson phones are awesome!) but because it had no internet browsing or email capabilites, I barely took it out of my pocket. This is not the case with the new iPhone.

Having seen a lot of fancy business people with their Blackberry phones hooked to their hip with a holster and always wanting to be like them I decided to go ahead and buy a holster for my iPhone. I knew I didn’t want velcro, since that is just annoying, so I set off in search of a magnetic flap holster. Instead what I found were a lot of forum posts about how people’s iPhones got messed up from the magnet in the holster.

Needless to say, this kind of discouraged me from buying a holster with a magnetic flap. I read on and did some more research on the topic and even emailed the company (Marware) which I was planning on buying the holster from inquiring about the effect of the magnet on phones. They replied and assured me that throughout their years in business, they had not received a single complaint. So I went ahead and ordered it because no matter what, I did not want a velcro flap.

I went with the C.E.O. Premiere holster for the iPhone 3G and I am glad I did. This holster is great. The magnetic flap is strong enough for it to feel like it’s securely closed but not strong enough to where it is cumbersome to open it. It also has not messed my iPhone up so I am happy!

UPDATE: Turns out that my happiness was short lived. After conducting various tests and posting on a couple of forums, I have come to the conclusion that it is possible that the magnet in this holster adversely affects reception and as a result, causes the antennas to work harder and drain more battery. I will be returning my C.E.O. Premiere holster to Marware soon and going another route (Marware is a great company and they offer great products. Do not let this disuade you from purchasing any other one of the cases or accessories they have to offer). For further explanation of the tests I conducted please read my series of “iPhone 3G: Battery Life” posts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4). For the possible alternative forms of iPhone protection that I am considering, you can go to iPhone 3G: Battery Life – Part 4. I apologize to anyone that I may have convinced into buying this holster. Hopefully, it does not adversely affect your phone. END UPDATE

Having your phone at your hip is great. It may look nerdy and feel a bit ackward when you do not have your shirt tucked in but in all honesty, I really don’t care. The pros outweigh the cons and so I carry it everywhere, even when wearing shorts and a tee. I just love being able to pull the phone out constantly without hassle.

The outside of the case is made of leather and the inside has a “microfiber” interior that does not scratch the phone. The belt clip is very strong and once you clip it onto your belt, it is not coming off. Overall, I am extremely satisfied.