With the iPhone 4 reaching the mid point of it’s expected lifespan as the current must-have Apple smart phone (the iPhone 5 rumors are already well in full swing), many owners are looking at their black glass and aluminum device and wondering about dressing it up a bit. They’ll undoubtedly be joined by a wave of new Verizon adopters come February. Most of the mass produced cases out there simply don’t do it for me. Sure, I strapped on one of the freebies when Apple ‘fessed up to that little antenna issue, but I find most plastic and rubber numbers seriously detract from the device’s visual appeal. And yes, to me that visual appeal is important. Functionality is the primary consideration, but I like a visually attractive device too. I’ve been playing around with two options for dressing up an iPhone 4 using natural materials and a handcrafted, artisan approach: a replacement iPhone back in wood from material6 and an iPhone case in bamboo from Grove.
