Except for a short period of time when I occasionally used the Apple bumper for the iPhone 4, I have never used a case for my iPhone. Yes, this means that I have gotten some minor nicks and scratches on the edges on my iPhones over the years, but I figure that they just add character. I prefer to keep my iPhone as small and light as possible, and I like the way that an iPhone fells in my hand without a case. That's probably the reason that I haven't reviewed an iPhone case in over three years. So when the folks behind the CaseMaker Pro offered to send me a free sample of their product for a review, I had some doubts about spending time with a case on my iPhone so that I could review it. But now that I've used it for a while, I have to admit that this is a pretty neat product. Originally an IndieGoGo campaign, it is now a shipping product that lets you use any picture as an iPhone case. If you want a case for your iPhone — and based on what I see around me, it seems like most attorneys do use a case — and you want a versatile way to make it both unique and changeable, you'll want to look at the CaseMaker Pro.
The CaseMaker Pro consists of two devices. First, you get an iPhone case. It is a slim design case with a black silicon edge. The case does not cover the front of the phone, so you can touch your iPhone screen just like normal.
There is a slot opening for the mute switch, and the case includes buttons you can press which push in on the iPhone's built-in volume up/down buttons and power on/off button.
There is also an opening for the speakers, microphone and the Lightning port on the bottom. Be warned that the opening for the Lightning port is very small. I was able to use the USB-to-Lightning cord made by Apple that came with my iPhone, but most of the third party Lightning cords in my possession had bases that were too big to fit through this hole in the case, so I had to remove the case to use the cable, which was annoying.
The second part of the CaseMaker Pro is the photo cropper, a stainless steel stamp with 14 blades. This is a substantial, heavy unit, not unlike the industrial-strength three-hole punch that you might have your office.
When you place a picture in the photo cropper and then firmly push down, the stamp cuts the outline of an iPhone and a hole for the camera and flash.
Take the stamped picture, place it in the case and then the picture will appear on the back of your iPhone.
Sometimes you have to experiment to get your stamped picture just right. If you want something precisely centered, or if you want to precisely align something right at the edge, you may want to experiment with how your crop a picture before you print it, and you may want to print out more than one picture, so that you can try a few times. When you place a picture in the photo cropper, the photo cropper does not show you precisely where your picture will be cut. But once you get the photo cropped like you want it, the end result looks nice.
My favorite feature about the CaseMaker Pro is that there are infinite possibilities. You can use any of your own pictures. You can use a picture in a magazine or a catalog. You can find a picture on the Internet and print it out. You can cut out pretty much any picture you can find as long as it is thin enough. So this means that if you want to have your iPhone stand out and grab people's attention, you choose a colorful, eye-catching image. Or you might want to use a picture of your kids or your spouse or your pet. Or you might want to use a picture of your favorite team, actor, band, superhero, college, sportscar, or product. Or you could use a company logo. Or a pattern. And if you ever get bored with your picture, just make a new one. Your son just brought home the class turtle to take care of for a few days? Take a picture, and bingo, you have another iPhone case.
Thus, with the CaseMaker Pro, you don't have to worry about being stuck with the leopard-print pattern that happened to strike your fancy when you were in the Apple Store buying your iPhone. You can change your picture as often as you like.
At first, I thought that the CaseMaker Pro would be best for folks who want to make a bold statement with their iPhone by using a picture that stands out in a crowd, but there is nothing stopping you from using a picture of a simple, dark, muted background. With the CaseMaker Pro, the back of your iPhone can look however you want it to look. You are limited only by your own imagination and creativity.
The CaseMaker Pro is designed for the iPhone 5 and 5s. If you upgrade your iPhone when Apple releases the new 2014 model later this year, I seriously doubt that the iPhone size will remain the same. Thus, this product is unlikely to work with your next iPhone. Of course, this is true with almost every iPhone case since Apple tends to change the shape of the iPhone every two years. And when I get a new iPhone later this year, if I pass on my current iPhone to my daughter to use (without a SIM chip) for entertainment purposes during a long car or plane ride, she will be able to select any picture or design that she wants to customize the look of the case just for her. (Were she to pick a picture today, I strongly suspect that it would be a character from Frozen; all of you who have six-year old girls know what I am talking about.)
If you like the idea of a slim profile iPhone 5/5s case that can look like anything you want and is infinitely changeable, then the CaseMaker Pro is a fun and useful product.
