Traveler Hard Case & Stand for iPhone- Review

More iPod and iPhone cases today seem to be adding the ability to dock the iPhone for a better viewing angle. Good thing, because that's ideal for travelers who want to free their hands while accessing the iDevice's media features.

Another case-come-stand for iThingies, the idox Traveler for the iPhone 3G/S is a hard plastic case that snugly surrounds an iPhone or iPod Touch and covers it front to back. How does it fare, let's find out.

As a case, the idox Traveler adds substantial bulk and some weight to the iPhone, which is certainly protective but at the cost of portability. Still, in terms of industrial design and quality, idox went all out in the toughness department.

In case mode - i.e. folded up - the iPhone is completely covered save for the power button, the charging dock and speakers, which are exposed. You completely lose access to the volume control buttons and the silent mode switch as well. You can still manage volume with the headset's controls or through the iPhone's on-screen sliders.

Getting the iPhone into the rubber receptacle requires a bit of force - and getting it out is much trickier. The rubber that surrounds the iPhone really grabs it tightly so you need to actually pry it out of the case. Thankfully, the supplied flyer clearly shows a systematic guide of how to manage this. Be careful; the last thing you want is to send your device flying by forcing it out.

Oddly, the Traveler case might cause problems when you need to use the iPhone as, well... a phone. The case's design makes it impossible to simply open the case and put the iPhone to your ear. Your options are to use the iPhone headset or the speakerphone, of course, or remove the whole thing in order to just take a call.

In dock mode, the idox Traveler is probably the best option for media-centered iPhone users. The design ensures a stable and well-angled positioning of the iPhone's screen for viewing videos.

Though there are many built-in stands and cases with external attachments that allow the propping up of the iPhone, all of them convenient, but most of them lack stability. Any sudden movement can tip them over and potentially damage the iPhone if not simply frustrate the user.

Not so with the idox Traveler as it uses the entire front cover as a base. Nice.