It’s rare that I get my hands on a truly “different” iPhone case, but I have with Twelve South’s (http://www.twelvesouth.com/) first accessory for iPhone 4 owners: the US$59.99 BookBook.
It’s a pocket-sized wallet — about the size of a Gideon Bible — that holds both an iPhone 4 and your driver’s license, debit card, cash and receipts. For some folks, it can replace both an iPhone case and a wallet, which means one less item you’ll have to carry around with you on a daily basis.
The BookBook’s leather cover — which has a “weathered” look that I like — provides decent protection for the Apple phone, although I’d also recommend getting a screen protector such as the repositional film from Wrapsol (http://www.wrapsol.com). If you stuff your BookBook to the brim, then stuff it in your pocket as I do, everything is pressed very tightly together, and it’s possible that your iPhone screen might get scratched.
You can open BookBook for edge-to-edge access to the Apple smartphone. All buttons and ports are accessible. You can make phone calls (fold the covers back-to-back to talk), sync or listen to iTunes while the iPhone is in the case. Soft, chocolate brown suede lines the interior of the wallet and adds to the Twelve South case’s classy looks.
The BookBook features an ID window designed to make it easy to flash your license. The window has a thumb slide for fast removal of your ID when you need it. There are two slots for credit/debit cards and a vertical pocket for cash, receipts or business cards.
If there’s a second incarnation of the BookBook, I hope Twelve South adds a top pocket for cash as with most traditional wallets. As it is, you have to fold bills to make ’em fit into the side pouch and that adds bulk. Also, I recommend guys to carry the BookBook in a side pocket on your pants rather than a rear pocket.
After all, protection or not, you don’t want to sit on your iPhone. Anyway, carrying a BookBook or wallet in a side pocket makes it harder for you to be pick-pocketed — as I’ve learned from bitter experience.
Rating: 9 out of 10
— Dennis Sellers