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No knock on the quality of the iPhone camera, but its images don't always translate well to print—and why would they? Photojournalism is a craft with a long history and practice, in which the resulting images are just the last stage in an a creative journalistic process. It's not the same thing as taking a one-handed snap of your third Negroni Slushie or a dude in a funny T-shirt. Dave Nuttycombe's blog makes the point more humorously with its famed photos from history as if shot by iPhone.

See more at nuttycombe.tumblr.

Under the right circumstances, donating power from one's iPhone to another is borderline heroic. The Juice Up is a new case concept with a built-in cable for power sharing. After connecting two phones, a simple app designates which way to send the power, and how much charge to give. Unfortunately, it's only in the concept stage as designer Francois Rybarczyk is still working on the electrical engineering. 





The desperation that follows pulling your phone out of water after an accidental plunge is no fun, and there's no telling whether it will ever work again once it dries out. For those using a smartphone to play music in the kitchen, or near babbling brooks in the great outdoors, Muji's new splash-proof speaker system is a good insurance policy. True to Muji form, the case is extremely simple and functional: the waterproof enclosure has built-in speakers in the back panel, and a front window so one can still use the smartphone's touchscreen. Three AA batteries provide about 30 hours of music amplification. Although an iPhone is pictured, any device with a headphone jack that fits inside the enclosure should work.

Throw one in the dry bag for the next camping trip. The speaker is available in Muji's online store.




Andreas Hansen's new iOS game Font Nerd keeps score, but the app is more learning tool than arcade game. The game quizzes players with sentences written in different fonts, and the object is to identify as many typefaces as possible. If a player is stumped, they can see more characters or similar fonts to make an educated guess. Font Nerd's best features are the built-in tools to help you remember the different typefaces you encounter while playing. There's a favorite button to keep a running list of fonts that caught your eye, and if you really like a typeface, there's even an option to make a purchase directly from the app. 

Find Font Nerd on Behance.

You might remember him as the RISD student who plastered the northeast corridor with Andre the Giant stickers in the early '90s—as we old timers do. Or for his Hope portrait of Barack Obama. Or for his cameo in street art film Exit Through the Gift Shop. Whatever. You know who Shepard Fairey is.

This year, he's designed cases for Incase. The Shepard Fairey Collection includes MacBook and iPad cases, too. For Spring 2013, the Incase Snapcase comes in eight Fairey designs.

Shepard Fairey snap cases are $40 at goincase.com.

Scanned with the Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner

Whether you're a shutterbug still shooting 35mm because you adore the format and your trusty old SLR, or have archived rolls of 35mm film you'd like to get into the digital and online-shareable realm, the Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner may come in handy. It's a quick and easy way to get those images from film onto your social sharing platform. We think it also might come in handy for spies, especially time-travelling spies. Lomo is promising a LomoScanner App to help us edit those images. The Film Scanner is compatible with both iPhones and Android smartphones. And naturally, it comes from Lomo, the company that makes those adorable film cameras. Bonus: those film perforations are scanned, too.

The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner is $59 online and also available in Lomography stores worldwide.

No offense to users of the innumerable smart phones on the market, but the iPhone 5 is still the number one seller in the U.S. and is therefore a good barometer for currents trends in smartphone case design. That said, most finer cases below, with a few exceptions, are also made for most major smartphone models like the Samsung Galaxy. Like us, you're naturally looking for a way to make your phone feel like your own and protect it from the inevitable scrapes, bumps and drops that life invites upon our most trusty of gadgets. Beyond that, you might be looking for a particular look (leather, bamboo, nickel plated), purpose or level of protection. Whatever the case, ahem, you need to cover that thing properly. Here we've organized the tip-top of iPhone 5 cases in various categories, so your phone won't be caught naked anytime soon.

 

Natural materials

Engage Bamboo, $35 at x-doria.com
Real laser-etched bamboo comes slim in the Engage. 

Grove bamboo case, $99 at grovemade.com
Custom engraving of your renewable resource is available, but we're digging the Pulsar pattern.

Root Zebrawood Wood Back, $30 at rootcases.com
Woody and natural, the woodbacked case feels solid in the hand.

Corkor Case, 25€ at corkor.com
Be the first on your block with a case handmage in Portugal from renewable cork.

 

Book-like

The Little Black Book, $40 at padandquill.com
Surprise, it's not my secret diary, just my iPhone.

 

Heavy Duty

Life Proof frē iPhone 5 case, $80 at lifeproof.com
A low-profile case that's waterproof, shockproof and snow-proof. Adventure-ready if you are.

Ballistic Hard Core, $60 at goballisticcase.com
The aptly-dubbed Hard Core features five, yes five, layers of protection.

Lunatik Taktik iPhone 5 case, $TBA at lunatik.com
Rugged and futuristic, the Taktik has Corning-made Gorilla Glass protection for unexpected slams.

 

Wallets

Dodocase Durables Wallet, $50 at dodocase.com
Waxed canvas on this American-made wallet case gives it a unique look at a nice price.

Taffeta Camo & Rosewood: Card Carrier 2.0, $69 at killspencer.com
The edgy L.A.-made carrier is lined with Italian suede and fits 4 cards.

Q Card Wallet Case, $40 at cm4.com
If you like to travel light (3 cards and some cash, max)—give the non-nonsense Q Card a try.

 

Sleeves

Roberu, $100 at roberu.com
This beautiful handmade leather case from Japan with the elastic back is our top pick.

Makr, $95 at Makr.com
Hand-sewn with Chromexcel from Chicago leathermaker Horween, the Makr cases are going quick.

Mujjo Originals sleeve, £35 at mujjo.com
Dutch minimalism meets handmade—also available in white.

 

Kickstands

X-Doria Kick, $30 at x-doria.com
If you Facetime all the time, you'll need a kickstand.

 

Graphic

Orange and Beige Chevron Zigzag Print Fabric Covered Case, $19 at etsy.com
The zigzag case rides a fine line between crafty and modern.

Pastel Aztec case by Vasare Nar, $35
If color is your thing, patterns by llustrator Vasare Nar has got them.

Pantone iPhone case, 30€ at case-scenario.com
King of color has 13 vibrant versions of its Case Scenario-made case. The black is tough.

 

Splurge

EXOvault Nickel Plated Aluminum Bocote, $270
All Exo cases are made by hand in Brooklyn, NY—and worth the wait.

Hard Graft Phone Fold Wallet, £65 at hardgraft.com
Felt meets leather in this chameleonic wallet case from England's Hard Graft.