Dodocase Bookback for iPhone 4

While Dodocase’s primary business stems from its iPad case of the same name, the company has collaborated with Rickshaw Bags to produce the Dodobag in addition to offering a smattering of iPhone and iPad knick-knacks. Dodocase’s latest addition to its product collection? The Bookback, a back-cover film for the iPhone 4, iPad, and iPad 2.

The $9 Bookback for the iPhone 4 is more film-cover than traditional case; the moleskine-esque Moroccan book fabric clings to the back glass of your device (with proper cutouts for the camera and LED flash) using reusable adhesive. I found the cover easy to apply and reapply—miraculously, there were no stray peeling corners after the third or fourth application. The cover does fray and crease over time, but it does so in a graceful and natural way, much like a leather-bound novel.

Once on, the Bookback gives the back of your iPhone 4 a nicely textured feel. With it on, I found myself much more willing to carry my phone in the nude rather than enclose it in a bumper or leather sleeve. The texture provides an extra level of grip that the iPhone’s glass back simply does not provide, and I felt confident that I can Tweet or play games without accidentally letting it slip and crash onto the perilous concrete below.

That being said, beyond the extra grip, the Bookback won’t provide much protection from scrapes or falls, although it’s thin enough that you can still pop on an Apple Bumper or other edge case and have it fit admirably. For more durability, you’ll want something more all-encompassing; but as a fashion-and-texture accessory, the Bookback more than provides.