I hate slipper case for mobile phones.

I keep my phone in my purse, and if it rings while I’m walking I have to stop, take my purse off my shoulder, and balance my bag on my elbow while I take the phone out of the slipper case with one hand and put it to my ear while holding the case in the other hand. Returning the phone to its case and back in my purse is another adventure. I’m constantly missing calls because I can’t maneuver it in time.

While it’s great that Cingular/RIM includes a decent quality case with the Blackberry 8800, it’s one of those slipper kinds so it had to go.

After looking at multiple sites and styles, I settled on this one from Sena:

It closes with a magnet instead of velcro or a snap. It hinges on the bottom, so it takes a simple one-handed gesture to answer the phone. It works with the Blackberry sleep feature, so the device automatically takes a nap once the flap is about 80% closed. I got it in red so the phone is easier to find at the bottom of my black bag.

It arrived yesterday. This is my first Sena case, and I’m impressed at how nice the leather is. All the ports are accessible, so I can charge/sync the Blackberry without opening the case. By the way, did you know the Blackberry 8800 has an ambient light sensor? The backlight automatically adjusts depending on how much light is in the room. It’s nice to be able to see the phone’s display in bright sunlight as easily as it is to see indoors.

My only complaint about the case is that my thumb rubs up against the leather when I’m using the trackball. It’s not a problem, just takes a little getting used to.

It’s as close to a perfect case as I’ve ever owned for a phone. I got it for $39 on a pre-order special. It’s now $49.