It’s a law of the universe: As soon as you find the perfect iPhone case, one of your friends will buy the exact same one. Mix up your iPhones at a bar, and the next thing you know, you’re sexting the wrong person. Plus, all of your carefully selected hardcore punk tunes are gone and you’re stuck listening to Miley Cyrus on the way home. Life can be so cruel. But Uncommon and Trexta have you--and your iPhone--covered with their custom case solutions.
The Capsule Case from Uncommon comes in your choice of designs, or you can create your own design by uploading a JPG or PNG of your own artwork to the company’s website. The online design tool allows you to rotate and scale your image, and it warns you if your design won’t fill the entire case. Crop marks show you exactly what will be printed, giving you precise control over the final image.
We ordered a pair of Uncommon cases using both a snapshot from point-and-shoot camera and an image file we created on our Mac. Our photo case had a very slight red tint, but the end result looked mostly true to life. The design we created in Illustrator and sent as a JPEG looked a bit washed out compared to the original artwork, but like the photo, it wasn’t a deal breaker.
The ordering process was simple, and our cases were printed and headed for our mailbox in one business day. The Capsule’s sliding design also solves the biggest problem with two-piece cases--they always end up coming off. To fix that, a rubber nub in the bottom section provides enough friction to make sure your case stays put. Nice touch. Next, we tested Uncommon’s durability claims by stabbing the Capsule with a pen and rubbing it against various surfaces to try to scratch it. Despite our abuse, the design on the case showed no areas of wear. Our biggest complaint is that unless you have long fingernails, the mute switch can be difficult to reach because of the case’s thickness.
Trexta’s Sketch Up takes a different approach to case customization. Instead of high-tech printing and worrying about CMYK vs. RGB, all you need are some drawing implements and a spark of creativity. The plastic case has brown drawing paper adhered to it, which you can fill with anything you can dream up. Repeated attempts to peel the paper off proved fruitless. Ink, crayon, marker, and pencil all worked well on the case, and its low-profile design and smooth texture meant it was easy to remove from our pockets without turning them inside out.
Follow this article’s author, Roberto Baldwin on Twitter
Both cases appeal to your inner artiste. The Uncommon case may seem pricey, but when you get your one-of-a-kind case on your iPhone, you’ll forget about that. And parents will enjoy the custom case their kids create with the Sketch Up.
Capsule Case
COMPANY: Uncommon
CONTACT: www.getuncommon.com
PRICE: $39.95
REQUIREMENTS: iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS
Custom photos and designs. Sturdy case.
Pricey. Mute switch can be difficult to access without using fingernails.
Sketch Up
COMPANY: Trexta
CONTACT: www.trexta.com
PRICE: $19.99 for two
REQUIREMENTS: iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS
Custom design without the technology hassles. Made from recycled paper and plastic.
It's brown. Mistakes must be lived with forever.
