One of the big draws to silicone cases is that they are flexible and absorb everyday shocks. Drop your iPhone in one of those cases and it probably will fare a little better than a hardshell case or naked. The dermaSHOT doesn’t try to be anything other than a good basic case. Available in a four colors (black, yellow, fuscha magenta, purple), the case covers everything except the mute switch, camera opening, and features a generous opening for the Dock Connector, microphone, and speaker. The case is advertised as working with both GSM (AT&T/world) and CDMA (Verizon) iPhone 4s.

The case fits rather nicely, and even is shaped to come a little closer to the earpiece and the home button, adding a little more coverage and security. The silicone is actually a little thicker than some other cases out there, making the whole thing feel a little more substantial and “chunky”. Some may see this as a drawback, while others a positive—we’ll let you be the judge.

Also included with the dermaSHOT is a SwitchEasy-style (and also a trend with Incipio) goodie bag of little add-ons. The dermaSHOT includes a scrren protector (unlike the Feather’s two), microfiber cloth, and applicator card. Although they are not exactly make-or-break, they do sweeten the deal a bit, especially with so many manufacturers offering just a case at higher prices.

One area where we don’t like the DermaShot is that even almost a year after the iPhone 4′s launch, it still has issues with the flash reflecting off the case. The cutout is big enough that this should not happen, but it does on all models except black. A Sharpie marker would fix this (think eyeblack), but is an annoyance for hardcore iPhone photographers. The other area the case struggles is in the same scope as other silicone cases—lint loves it, it hangs up in pockets, and it tends to peel away from the iPhone along the long edges.

Despite the drawbacks, we found the dermaSHOT to be a good, durable case that offers quite a bit of protection, especially if you have butter fingers. With a variety of colors available, and a fairly low price, you can do a lot worse for the money.

Available in over twenty color choices, the feather is available with a few different finishes, including a rubberized matte texture, a glossy “chrome” texture, translucent, or even a pearl. The 1mm thick Feather snaps on the back of the iPhone with little ridges to keep it firmly locked on to the stainless steel antenna band. It’s fairly easy to remove if you work around one of the corners first.

Unlike many other cases, including Apple’s Bumper, the Feather does not have a lip around the screen, so if you set the phone face-down, the glass will be in contact with the surface. Also, the Feather has large gaps of open area near the volume buttons and mute switch, along with the top and bottom of the case. This is both a positive in that the Feather has excellent compatibility with third-party accessories and works with both the GSM (AT&T/world) and CDMA (Verizon) models, but leaves areas vulnerable. Then again, since the Bumper is the other “minimal” case that comes to mind, the whole back is exposed. Really, in the case of the Feather, one simply needs to understand the exposed areas, although the corners being covered are a huge plus.

Similar to SwitchEasy, Incipio offers a few extras in the package, including two screen protectors, a cleaning cloth, and an applicator card. Although these items really aren’t much to write home about themselves, they do add value to the Feather.

Our only gripe is that the edges doesn’t extend further to create that lip around the screen, but as far as cases go, it’s about as close to naked as you can get.

For the money, the Trim falls at the lower end of iPhone case prices, and you get the standard array of SwitchEasy pack-ins: two screen protectors, a stand for videos, two Universal Dock adapters, two plugs for the headphone jack, two plugs for the Dock Connector, and a microfiber cloth. While these goodies make it an attractive value, the design of the case itself is obviously the bigger deal. The case is available in an array of colors (black, blue, red, greenish-yellow, orange, pink, and white) and features a hybrid design with ridged, flexible sides (the material seems very similar to other TPU cases on the market), and a hard, translucent, frosted polycarbonate plastic back. You can barely see the Apple logo through the case, so it’s good for those who want to show off their iPhone in a bit more restrained manner.

Compatible with both the AT&T/GSM version of the iPhone 4, with a Verizon-compatible version on the way, the buttons and other cutouts are well-aligned, and the case is rather comfortable to use. The ridges are designed for grip and do take some getting used to. Some complaints with the case is often the sharpness of the individual ridges, but gripped as a whole, we had no issues. Thanks to the materials used, it does not get caught in pockets, a problem common with silicone cases. The cutout for the camera is the larger, oval shape and feature a black trim as not to interfere with the flash.

If we were to find fault with the Trim, two things seem to stick out—the ridges, although giving the case some character and improving grip, collect dust easily. Aldo, the case does require a little effort to remove from the iPhone, mostly because of the stiff back panel (most cases give a little when you “peel” them off.)

The only area that could be potentially troublesome is using the Trim with Apple’s iPod Universal Dock. Although the inserts fit, the iPhone doesn’t always make a solid connection and also runs into this problem without using the inserts. Other accessories seem to be fine.

Although this case does have a few minor annoyances, it is a durable case and an excellent value for most users. For the price, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better alternative.

Available in a few color choices (black, olive, white/black, and pink/black), there is a Survivor to fit many users’ tastes. Beyond that, the case is clearly aimed at the longstanding leader in this segment, OtterBox. Modeled after the same let’s-wrap-the-phone-in-as-much-rubber-and-plastic-as-possible-and-prevent-damage model that has worked for OtterBox, Griffin takes a different approach. The case wraps around the iPhone with a shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame. This frame includes a few areas that protrude to further reinforce the case. Additionally, it includes a built-in, non-removable screen protector that seems to give the iPhone more of a ’90s Palm Pilot touchscreen feel.

Once the plastic shell is in place, the Survivor’s silicone shell completes the protection. This portion of the case effective doubles the thickness of the iPhone, but will absorb a number of shocks and drops. Flip-out plugs cover most ports to prevent the elements from getting into your iPhone. It’s worth noting that these do not seal your iPhone, especially since the bottom has a number of holes for the speaker and microphone. Lastly, a detachable heavy-duty clip secures to the case and even locks in place to act as a display stand. It also can be turned to use horizontally or vertically.

A case can look like a 4×4, but does the Survivor act like one? In our limited tests, yes. It seems rather solid and will hold up to Griffin’s rugged claims. We weren’t going to chance destroying our iPhone 4 for the sake of technology journalism, but the Survivor did give us the sense that our iPhone 4 could take more of a beating. Furthermore, Griffin has posted a number of tests on their Web site and even encourage creative folks to come up with their own ways to attempt to destroy an iDevice. They also like to throw in the various standards the case is meant to exceed:

Tested and certified to meet or exceed US Department of Defense Standard 810F and UK Department of Defense Standard 00-35, Griffin’s Survivor Extreme-Duty Case is designed from the inside out to protect your iPhone from extreme conditions … dirt, sand, rain, shock, vibration and a host of other environmental factors.

If the Survivor is so durable, why doesn’t everyone get one? The simple answer is that it absolutely destroys the iPhone’s convenience and simplicity in the name of protection. The case’s rubber plugs do a great job of protecting various buttons, switches, ports, and the camera, but are sometimes difficult to open and, in the case of the camera, create a bit of awkwardness—you have to hold the flap so it doesn’t interfere with the picture. Additionally, the Survivor makes the iPhone much less pocketable, due to its thickness and grippy nature of the silicone.

Overall, the Survivor is a great product for a particular user—those who want to be able to take their iPhones to places the iPhone wasn’t suited for and bring it back with a very good chance of being unharmed.

For such a simple design, the RibCage offers both the original iPad and iPad 2 quite a bit of protection—similar to the human version, the ribs protect what they surround. This reinforcement is hard and the inside is padded and lined with microfiber, so if it gets dropped from a reasonable height, the iPad will probably be fine. The case comes in four colors: white, black, red, and “mercury” (silver). The case also doesn’t add a lot of bulk to the iPad, which makes it great for travel, especially when used in conjunction with another bag.

Although the case was designed for the original iPad, users of both models should notice that it provides a snug fit so that if you’re carrying your iPad around, it won’t slide out. A big complaint about this snugness though? It does make it somewhat difficult to remove an iPad, especially the fatter original model.

The only other negative I found was that when the iPad is outside of the case in use, it’s completely exposed. Unlike a many zippered sleeve-style cases, the RibCage doesn’t allow for you to use another case (such as a plastic or TPU shell) with your iPad. Possibly to help with convenience and protection, SwithEasy does include the standard array of pack-ins, including two portable fold-out stands, one anti-static screen guard, one microfiber wipe, and the squeegee card to apply the screen guard. It seems at this point that the included screen guard is for the original iPad, although it should work with the iPad 2 (the screen guard is clear enough that the camera should work). We expect this to change in the near-future.