It's $$, but I really like the look and feel of the Griffin Threadless cases. They have a matte finish on the inside and outside of the shells which is fantastic to hold — and it keeps the slim form factor of your iPhone as well.

Another alternative that's nearly naked is to use a skin. I've used several skins from MusicSkins — cool, customizable stickers that you can put on the back of the iPhone. They tend to have a glossy, rubbery finish that makes the phone just a little bit easier to grip, but they barely add anything to the thickness of the device.

This CapsuleRebel also provides a lot of grip on the sides, but still slides very nicely into the pocket. A soft touch InCase Slider could also do the trick for you.

If you want to look at butt tons of cases in video, I'd suggest taking a look at Larry Greenberg's (lgreenberg) YouTube channel. Tons of vids there.

I’d go naked, except it is so slick, it slides out of my pants pockets (primary storage spot is my front left pocket). At work this isn’t a big deal, but at home, crouching and jumping, and chasing around a year old, it just sucks, slipping out constantly.

Is there anything that feels really good, preferably feels sleek without being slick (is that possible)? I also want it to stay away from the front face so I can type comfortable anywhere on the edges of the screen? I have a full breakage plan, and the 4th generation is likely a few months away, so protection isn’t my main concern 😉

From what I gather, this case is probably similar to the Otterbox
Commuter. The plastic exoskeleton protects all four corners and really
seals the phone in, but it's not all that thick, so I'm not sure how
it will deal with a harsh fall. My money is still on the otterbox
defender or tech21 iband — both reviewed on this site — for the most
serious impact protection.

great name, though.