At first glance, Contour Design's $30 iSee iPhone v3 (
) looks a lot like Contour Design's original iSee for iPhone. It's still a solid-feeling, snap-on, clear-polycarbonate case with a plastic holster, but the iSee v3 has some subtle differences that make it a different case than its predecessor.
The major differences start with the assembly of the case itself; it's two pieces, a front and a back that snap together, instead of the cradle construction of the former iSee. The v3 unfortunately doesn't have the rubber feet found on the previous iSee, which stop the iPhone from sliding around. On the other hand, the v3 has protective silicone coverings for the iPhone’s Sleep/Wake button and volume buttons, and silicone plugs for the earphone jack and dock-connector port. I could still feel the click of the Sleep/Wake and Volume Up buttons through these covers, but I couldn't feel the Volume Down click, even though I could see on the iPhone’s screen that the button was being pressed. The silicone plugs are attached to the case so you won't lose them, but it took a little bit of fiddling to get the headphone plug in place.
With the original iSee, the opening for the iPhone’s dock-connector port was fairly narrow, which prevented some accessories that use that port from making a reliable connection. The v3's dock opening is even more restrictive-you can't really connect anything but Apple’s standard dock cable-as the case provides more protection around the bottom of the phone, with openings for the speaker and mic. When the aforementioned silicone plug isn't inserted in the dock-connector port, it folds back and out of the way, but because it's attached to the case permanently, it prevents you from placing the iPhone in a dock-cradle accessory such as a speaker system.
Even with all the changes, the v3 is a lot like the original iSee. We're not sure that the changes make for dramatic improvements, since some usability is sacrificed. But overall, the v3 provides good protection for your iPhone.
