I did a lot of research into hip cases when trying to find one for my Palm TX five years back. These handmade leather cases not only look good, but they're incredibly durable. Each one I've had has always outlasted each of my phones with very little sign of wear. Handmade from a single piece of leather, the cases are very supple. When empty they lie almost completely flat. When the case is new, the fit is a little snug. And although the case does relax over time, it's never enough to allow your phone to slip out. I've had cases with and without a top flap. Neither my Blackberry nor my Nokia ever fell out of the case despite there being no top flap (note: Blackberry cases also include the "magic magnet" that signals a Blackberry so it knows when it's in a case).

With my first case I went with a belt loop model because I thought it'd be more secure than the multi-way clip. Since there's no way to remove the case without removing your belt, I switched to the belt clip with my second case. Turns out the clip is rock solid and incredibly secure. Really keeps the case in much closer to the body so it doesn't get knocked about as much as other swivel-clip cases. Anything that's going to get my case off my belt is likely going to have to take a large part of the belt -- and possibly a bit of the hip -- with it.

A little pricey, but not compared to other high-end, leather cases. From time to time you can also find coupons that'll knock 10% off. Incredibly well made and worth every penny. I now budget the cost of the case whenever I consider a new cell phone and I even just fired an email to Nutshell asking when they'll have a G1 case in stock. I should add that I've been able to reuse some of the cases with devices of similar size.

Available in various colors, though I always go with black. Made in New Zealand, they typically take less than 10 days to get to me in the U.S.

-- Chris Dollmont

Nutshell Cases
$50
(Nokia E65 - pic above)
Available from Nutshell

Other models/devices also available from Nutshell