I have been trying to be more "active" lately and have been walking and biking more than usual. So I wanted to find an iPhone case that supported an active lifestyle. I've seen all-in-one purpose-built sport armband/cases such as Griffin Technology's Streamline, but I didn't want a case that was only useful for sports and required me to insert and remove my iPhone each time I wanted to be active.

No, I wanted a case I could wear strapped to my arm when I was active, but one that let me remove the strap and clip quickly and easily, and was sleek, smooth, and protective enough to suit me when the strap and clip were removed.

It was a tall order but I finally found a case that suited my needs completely: iClear for iPhone 3Gfrom Griffin Technology.

In everyday use it's a sleek, clear, nearly invisible polycarbonate shell. But when it's time to strap it on and get active, it has a clip-on armband that snaps on the back with a click.

Here's what it looks like from the front:

And here's what it looks like from the back, with (top) and without (bottom) the clip attached:

The case is made up of two pieces -- front and back -- that snap together easily. And it includes a static peel screen protector and "premium cleaning cloth" in addition to the case, clip, and armband.

About the only issue I have with it is that it's a little thicker than my favorite non-sport cases (RadTech ARC or iFrogz Luxe) so I have to remove it to use some docking devices I can use with those other cases.

The Bottom Line

The iClear for iPhone is probably not the case I would choose if I didn't want a case with a clip-on armband. That said, other than being a little thicker than I'd like it's a nice case both with and without the armband attached.