Six Great iPhone Cases

When you leave the house, do you grab your iPhone even before you search for your keys? Once you have an iPhone, it goes everywhere with you. The kind of case you choose for your iPhone says a lot about where you're going.

We've picked six types of on-the-go people and the iPhone cases that best fit them. Whether you're an outdoor enthusiast, traveling executive or soldier of fortune, there's an iPhone case that should be just the right fit.

[ Learn six hidden iPhone shortcuts, reports CIO.com. | Check out five great iPhone and Mac accessories. ]

To continue reading, register here and become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

When you leave the house, do you grab your iPhone even before you search for your keys? Once you have an iPhone, it goes everywhere with you. The kind of case you choose for your iPhone says a lot about where you're going.

We've picked six types of on-the-go people and the iPhone cases that best fit them. Whether you're an outdoor enthusiast, traveling executive or soldier of fortune, there's an iPhone case that should be just the right fit.

[ Learn six hidden iPhone shortcuts, reports CIO.com. | Check out five great iPhone and Mac accessories. ]

Adventurer: Otterbox Defender

Hard-core adventure travelers never know where they're going to end up. Chances are it won't be at the Waldorf-Astoria. For these folks, only one iPhone case will do: the Otterbox Defender. It's been called the soldier's iPhone case and is arguable the toughest case on the market.

Your iPhone will be completely housed in three layers of protection (hard plastic base layer, soft silicon outer layer, plastic holster). Thin plastic covers the screen. Cloth protects the speakers.

Otterbox's Defender wards off damage from drops, scratches and dust. The rugged case clips into the plastic holster, which attaches vertically to the belt. All iPhone controls are accessible.

However, Otterbox is quick to point out that the case doesn't protect against water--public enemy number one for the iPhone. Fitting the case on the iPhone isn't easy, nor is the Otterbox Defender cheap: $50.

Golfer: Mophie Juice Pack Air

For most golfers, the game borders on obsession. They'll spend hundreds on equipment, lessons and green fees. Now the iPhone has become an indispensable tool out on the course--along with iPhone golf apps like Golfshot GPS, which triples as a rangefinder, scorecard and game analysis system.

Customer reviews of Golfshot, however, lament the app's drain on the much-maligned iPhone battery. Some app users complain that the iPhone battery dies on the back nine. Others, like myself, worry about the battery getting too low to the point that this becomes a disruptive part of their swing thought.

That's why iPhone-toting golfers often spend $80 for the Mophie Juice Pack Air, a relatively sleek protective case that doubles the iPhone's battery life. Getting through a round isn't a problem anymore. Mophie Juice Pack Air comes in an array of colors, including red for shooting under par.

Outdoorsman: Pelican i1015

If water gets into your iPhone, well, you can kiss it good bye. Water might even void the warranty. Yet many iPhone apps help outdoor enthusiasts. Divers write entries in the Dive Log app. Fisherman depend on FishHead. And kayakers check water flows with RiverGuide.

Keep evil water away from your iPhone with a Pelican i1015 hard case. Pelican, founded in 1974 by a sports diver, builds waterproof cases that are extremely durable and can even be dropped in water (although Pelican advises against it) due to an airtight rubber O-ring. The iPhone-styled case also boasts an external earphone connector.