Style

RIM's OEM skin is very basic--it's only one texture and there are no designs or patterns. However, the clean lines and smooth, rounded corners almost merge with the sleek design of the Bold.

The OEM skin also comes in a variety of colors, including black, gray, sandstone, merlot and indigo, so you can match your phone to your daily getup. And there's a BlackBerry logo near the bottom of the skin's back side.

RIM OEM Bold Skin and OtterBox Impact Series

OtterBox is well-known for its extremely durable cases and shells for a variety of electronics, but style has never been the company's strong suit. The vast majority of OtterBox products are bulky, clunky, and just kind of ugly--though they all seem to be extremely functional. The Impact for Bold skin addresses the bulky and clunky issues, but unfortunately, it's still not a looker--at least in my opinion.

The Impact's silicon outer is textured on its sides, top, bottom and rear panel, with a combination of smooth and soft, sandpaper-like rubber. RIM and its design team clearly put a lot of thought into the design of the Bold; it's one of the company's best-looking devices. And whereas, the OEM skin works to compliment that design, the OtterBox Impact seems to have an opposite effect; its textured rubber sides and raised, somewhat-boxy-looking top and bottom sections draw attention away from the device itself to the skin. And the rear side is festooned with a large (awkward) OtterBox logo.

Rear Sides of RIM OEM Bold Skin and OtterBox Impact Series

The Impact Series skin is also currently only available in black.

If I had to select a BlackBerry Bold skin based on looks, I'd go with RIM's OEM skin.

Price

Both the OEM Bold and OtterBox Impact skins are made of just rubber and silicon, and as such they're not particularly pricey. In fact, both skins sell for less than $15 each, meaning you could potentially own both of them without doing any significant damage to your wallet.

Best Buy is currently selling the OEM Bold skin for $14.99, though it's available for significantly cheaper at $9.99 through RIM's ShopBlackBerry.com and the CrackBerry store.

The OtterBox Impact Series for Bold is a bit more expensive than RIM's OEM skin, and it's also harder to find; few brick-and-mortar shops stock them, so you'll likely have to order one from an online retailer like the CrackBerry store, where it's currently selling for $12.99.

Ten dollars seems just about right to me, and as such, the $13 OtterBox Impact for Bold skin is a bit overpriced. If I were making a decision on cost alone, I'd go with RIM's OEM skin.