Seidio Innocase II Surface on the Nexus One

I’ve been using the original HTC nylon pouch to hold my Nexus One. It’s the pouch that came with the Nexus One. While the pouch does protect the phone very well (yup, I’ve dropped the phone twice already), my main complaint about it is that its exact fit makes it difficult to take the phone out of the pouch, and quite impossible to do so with just one hand. The phone became very inconvenient to access when I had only one free hand. So, I’ve been pondering over other “protection options” for the phone. For a short period of time, I did try using a different type of pouch, but found that it wasn’t overall a better solution.

I’ve considered a variety of pouches and cases. There are plenty of them to choose from. There are some I clearly don’t like, while there are others that look interesting. The biggest problem is that you don’t find them around in shops in Singapore. The Nexus One, after all, isn’t sold in Singapore through retail channels. As a result, you don’t find accessories for the Nexus One in the shops here.

Anyway, after much deliberation, I decided to get the Seidio Innocase II Surface case. It’s probably the most valuable case I’ve ever gotten. I’ve never been very happy with any of the cases I’ve ever bought locally for my previous phones. I eventually ended up not using any of them. The Seidio Innocase II Surface is different, though.

It’s clear Seidio’s quality is above any of the < S$10 cases that you buy locally. It’s a plastic (polycarbonate) case that has this soft-touch feel that is difficult to describe. It isn’t rubbery. Someone described it as a marshmallow feel, but I don’t quite think that’s right either. It’s something you’ve got to feel yourself. I think it’s a good feel.

The fit is so exact, there is absolutely no free-play at all. The case hugs the phone perfectly. Seidio claims the casing is less than 1mm thick. But in my measurement, it increases the Nexus One’s original 11.5mm thickness to 15mm. Still bearable. In fact, I think the Nexus One feels better in my palm with the case. Without the case, the phone feels like it’s going to slip off.

The Seidio Innocase II Surface has all the right cutouts so that everything that all the ports, buttons, camera, flash, mic, etc are all exposed. Nothing is obstructed, while still providing all around protection for the phone.