back in january i reviewed a small handful of iphone (3G) cases – Case-Mate’s Vroom being one of them. a few months ago they sent me their updated Vroom case for free, along with a little tin of mints. not sure if it was a PR move or not, but if it was i guess i’ll say a few things about the updated design.

the good:
the case maintained it’s cool tire tread look. coverage is as complete as can be with cut-outs for the hold switch, headphone jack, data/power jack, and of course the screen (screen protector film included). in comparison to the original, the new one was smoother to the touch, which made it less prone to attract lint and dust. another major plus is that the edge of the case now covers the chrome bezel of the iphone.

the not-so-good:
this case is said to be 100% rubber, however, i have my doubts about that. while i believe the original was 100% rubber, i think the new one is a thick silicon. what gives it away is the fact that it’s a little more stretchy the the old one. the rubber case was much stiffer. this change in material causes the case to be a little challenged at staying in place*. really, it’s not something that a quick adjustment won’t fix…but it’s the fact that you have to do that all the time that makes it a bit of a bummer.

very cool aesthetic factor and very precisely fabricated. silicon material, while being better at repelling dust and lint, causes the case to underperform at staying put around the iphone.

on a scale from 1 – 10 i give it a 7.

*something i may try: a few strips of double-sided tape (non-permanent) on the inside of the case to add some tackiness!