THE COZIP CASE: MY IPHONE STORY

If you haven't been under a rock for the past 7 days, you've no doubt seen the iPhone lines at malls all over the world waiting for Steve Jobs' new gadget. Well I'm happy to announce that, last Saturday, I added to that abundant mass of geeky humanity. Yes, I waited some 4 1/2 hours for my very own iPhone 3G. For those who missed it, here's what the front of the line looked like:

Now for the past six days, I've noticing some differences. One of the things that sticks out the most is the slick plastic look of the new 3G phone. The old iPhone had a brushed chrome looking backplate which (unlike the glass face) didn't show fingerprints and you held the device.

The new iPhone is, to put it bluntly, a finger print magnet. Scratch that, it's more of a greasy mess of "finger slime". And what's worse, I think I actually have somewhat dry skin on my hands. I honestly can't imagine what the phone looks like in the hands of someone with sweaty palms.

As with the original iPhone, the device is actually in need of some sort of tacticle "hold" on the surface of the phone. It's weighty, and smooth enough to often feel like a bar of soap in one's hand. Which is where the mass of iPhone cases have come from.

Now when I bought the original iPhone, I knew I needed to settle on a case for my beloved device and the choices seemed limitless. I quickly eliminated the "hip holster" cases, and any "flip case" that covered the face of the device. I then became interested in something that would minimally cover the phone, but also give me some "grip". Long story short, I eventually settled on the rubber INCASE as the "skin" for my iPhone. However I quickly found out two thing: First, it's rubberized exterior was quickly becoming loose and sloppy around the sleek edges of the phone, and second, I could NOT for the life of me remove the phone from my front pocket while sitting down without turning the entire pocket inside out. I actually got used to the sound of loose change hitting the floor.

So after a few weeks of frustration, I began asking everyone I could about their cases. And what I found was a TON of iPhone owners who weren't enamored with their choices. That was until I ran into my friend (and fellow tech geek) Gerry. As a "day one" adopter of the iPhone, he'd tried many cases until he found an interesting looking case "From Korea". In small letters on the back was inscribed the word "COZIP", and after some searching I found a $15 black case of my own on Amazon:

The cool part about the Cozip case was that most people didn't even notice it was a case at all. It was made out of soft polycarbonate plastic, was feather-light, and added just the right amount of grip. In addition, the round hole in the back (see right), that allowed the apple logo to show through, was perfect for anchoring your index-finger in while talking on the phone. And while it didn't completely protect the glass edge of the face, it did make it less slippery on desktops, couch arms, and anywhere else you might set it down.

In short, I became a HUGE fan of the case and talked it up to any iPhone owner who'd listen. Which brings me to last Saturday when I walked out of the Apple Store with my new phone. I immedialey hit Amazon with mobile Safari in hopes of purchasing a new Cozip case for the 3G. But it wasn't there. So I began to scour the internet for an answer, and for five days... NOTHING.

Then today I read on a blog that Cozip plans to release a 3G case on July 25th! Is it true? I have no idea. Nor do I care that much, because I finally have hope! I can only dream of a day when I can stop wiping my glossy phone on my pant leg, t-shirt, paper towel, and anything else to eliminate the grime. But don't feel too bad for me. The surfing speed is amazing, and the AppStore is worth it's weight in GOLD!