Whether you go unsubsidized or take out a contract with one of the carriers, the purchasing of an iPhone is an expensive gig, and after paying an arm and a knee for the thing, it figures you'd also want a decent protective cover for it. This, of course, means more expenditure, and although cases and sleeves can be picked up for a couple of dollars on eBay, the ones that'll actually help shield your device from the daily grind are not only fairly pricey, but can add quite a few extra millimeters of bulk to your device's form factor.
