[Desire Accessories] Deleted member 2496007:
Hi Alex.

You have several options open to you.

When I first got my Desire, I bought a neoprene pouch which had a nice mirco-fibre lining. This protected my phone completely, and the lining served to give my screen a wipe putting it in, and taking it out of its case.

However, obviously you have to take the phone out of the case to use it, and if you drop it now, it's unprotected. It'll be keyproof in yer pocket though.

I never keep keys in my phone pocket, and was worried about dropping it when it was out the case. But because I bought my phone pretty much straight after it's release, there were not many options available. (Different for you of course!)

After a couple of weeks, alternatives started popping up on eBay. I have gone with a rubber gel case (gloss black) and a screen protector. Now the only exposed parts are around the Home, Menu, Back and Search keys. Acceptable for me. Looks good too.

Screen protectors are a tricky issue. I waited for the offical HTC ones to come out. Somehow this took HTC 2 months after the release of the phone! They are an expensive waste of time. Avoid them. Instead, go for the cheap ADHESIVE FREE ones. The HTC ones have a sticky backing, which attracts air-bourne dust the second you peel the backing off to apply it to the phone. This means that no matter how careful you are, the dust particles prevent the protector from lying flush against your screen, creating lots of bubbles you can't smooth out. It also means the dust is now securely glued to the thing, and trying to remove it adds yet more dust and your finger prints!

Go for the £2 washable & reusable ones, and when they start to lift off and get dust under the corners (and they will) just peel it off, throw it away an put another one on. They say washable and reusable, but I've found they never go back quite the same after a wash. But when it's £2 for 5, and each one lasts a month, why bother? It just means that they do not use glue to stick to your screen and wont leave a residue.

From experience, avoid the ZAGG "Invisible Shield" full body protectors you may stumble across. The small bits that protect the sides peel away, and the screen protector part has an orange peel texture, and its kind of 'grippy' meaning your finger wont swipe across the screen very well. Plus it is a real bee-hatch to apply, and takes 24 hours to 'cure'. (you have to use a solution to float the pieces into place.)

I would recommend doing what I have done, and using a gel case/screen protector combo for general protection. If you are still worried about your keys marking the remaining exposed areas, buy a neoprene pouch too. Just buy one for a slightly wider phone than the Desire (HTC HD2?) as the gel case will make it too tight a fit, and the gel case will 'grip' the pouch lining to some extent. But hey, your phone will remain pristene.

Search for "Case Mate Torque HTC Desire". It is a well made rubber case, which comes with a screen protector. Can be found on eBay for £20. Can't say how good the screen protector is, but the case looks nice. Getting one myself soon. Plenty of low cost alteratives available of course. Mine cost £2.50 and is absolutely fine.

Hope I've helped some.

Will.

Edit: Forgot to cover your leather case queries. Sorry. I have not used a leather flip case for this phone, but I did have one for my last phone, a Nokia 5800, and I found the Proporta brand had the best build quality. It is even lined with aluminium plate to fend off even the most severe of knocks. The low cost ones from Honk Kong were not leather, and the plastic clips that held the phone in place snapped off after a couple of weeks of removing/replacing the phone. Be prepared to spend at least £20 again if you want a decent leather one.