Battle of the iPhone Touch Cases

The Xylo "Touch Thru" hard-shell iPhone case I wrote of earlier this week boasted that it was "the first of its kind," but I'm always dubious of such claims in the hype-driven gadget universe. Sure enough, just a few days later Uncrate is featuring a similar product from Case-Mate called the "Naked Case" that goes for the same price.

Other than bearing a far more provocative name, this acrylic case appears to do the same things its rival promises--allowing touch-screen access through a clear protective cover. (Case-Mate credits its "electrostatic membrane" while the competing Xylo talks of "ultrasonic signals." Whatever.)

It's unclear which came first, but it really doesn't matter--this is already way too much time spent on the given topic. Suffice it to say that there's more than one way to protect and use your iPhone and iPod Touch screen for $35.