Gadgetoid

gadg-et-oid [gaj-it-oid]

-adjective

1. having the characteristics or form of a gadget;
resembling a mechanical contrivance or device.

Sena Corsa Designer Case For iPhone 3G Review

With the iPhone 3GS on the horizon, and no significant external design changes I figure it’s a good time for another round of accessory reviews.

I’ve no plans to grab an iPhone 3GS, so at the moment I’ll have keep my eye on cases and accessories compatible with both devices. Fortunately the iPhone 3GS is identical in size and shape to the former iPhone 3G, so I can carry on bringing you the skinny on the latest cases as usual.

The Sena Corsa Designer Case is an almost brand-new case design from Sena Cases who have produced some extremely well finished and stylish designer leather cases in their time.

The Corsa is, without a doubt, their best looking iPhone 3G slip case yet. Sporting a stylish, perforated-leather stripe and a pull-tab release mechanism. The stylish look is reinforced with the use of real leather and detailed stitching in a complementary colour that blends in with the leather of the case.

I received both a black/black and turquoise/black Corsa case for review, the black case is stitched with black thread and, as a result, seems to miss out on this common detailing. The turquoise, however, is not only an unusual and striking colour but also adopts a light turquoise thread that adds a nice, visible, detailing to the edges. The turquoise case is, in fact, the only one produced without an exactly matching thread which, in my opinion, makes it the best looking of the range with the Chocolate/Tan coming in a close second. Black/red is getting a little bit too overdone (although, admittedly, I quite like it), and black/black is, well, simply boring.

As much as I like Proporta’s vibrant slip cases, the Sena Corsa is a true designer case, crafted out of genuine leather and detailed with the perforated leather which seems to have suddenly jumped into fashion again. The bottom of the case is perforated with 4 larger holes on each side which serve, presumably, to let your ringer volume out through the moderately thick leather. I’m not quite sure why there are holes on the microphone side, as answering the phone whilst it’s still in the case would be a mean feat. Still, it’s possible to slide it out, answer, slide it back in and continue your conversation on the phone with it safely inside, if you’re so inclined.

As I said in my Proporta Maya case review, slip cases are probably the best kind of gadget cases available. With the iPhone 3G this effect is, of course, compounded by the fact that you’re probably eager to show off your shiny (but now, sadly, common as muck) iPhone.

Furthermore, slip cases eliminate the annoyance of flaps getting in the way of the camera and/or headphones, and form fitting leather making access to buttons awkward. Unfortunately, the downside of slip cases is that they afford your gadget absolutely no protection when you’re using it for anything other than simple MP3 playing.

The Corsa will, of course, fit your brand shiny new iPhone 3GS (damn you!) and allow you to show it off around classic iPhone and iPhone 3G users, causing them to fume over the contract termination fees they would have to pay to even get close to upgrading.

Apologies for the lack of original photos, I’m between (review) cameras at the moment.

Monday, June 22nd, 2009, iPhone.