In collaboration with designer Sandy Chilewich, Griffin has released a set of new patterns for its Elan Form Chilewich for iPhone 4/4S ($40). The partnership stretches back to 2009, when the two companies introduced early collaborative cases for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. At the time Griffin chose to use a slider-style design; for this one, it went with a snap-together playthrough case.
The two-piece, black plastic case snaps apart vertically into a rear cradle and a lipped front frame, with the back coated in Chilewich’s signature woven vinyl textile, which is available in a variety of colors. Rather than individual openings for the ports and buttons, the top and bottom edges are left fully exposed, and there’s a hole on the side for the silent switch and volume buttons. Thankfully the plastic along the bottom isn’t thick enough to prevent the iPhone from making an electronic connection with Universal Docks.
Elan Form Chilewich’s texture is admittedly cool, but the case is otherwise exceedingly simple and less protective than it could be. There’s nothing really bad about it, but the $40 price comes from the style and not the functionality—Griffin can surely do better. If you’re a fan of Chilewich’s work or are just looking for a distinctive textured pattern, this will be a fine choice, but it doesn’t quite live up to the asking price, and as such is worthy only of a limited recommendation.
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Company and Price
Company: Griffin Technology
Website: www.GriffinTechnology.com
Model: Elan Form Chilewich
Price: $40
Compatible: iPhone 4/4S
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