The Core Cases aluminum slider is a sharp looking hard case for the iPhone 3G. Although the product is a little expensive, it's made of aluminum for strength and low weight. After using the Core Case for seven months, here are some observations.

When the aluminum slider case (brushed black) first came out of the box, I was impressed. Unlike some other hard cases, there's an EVA foam layer on the inside to protect the plastic back of the iPhone 3G from scratches. Installation was easy, just place the phone in the back, and slide the front down until the side tabs click into place.

Incredibly, the Apple iPhone has blown away the competition in mobile web requests coming through the AdMob network. While the iPhone OS represents roughly eight percent of global smartphones, it drove a whopping 43 percent of worldwide mobile web traffic.

According to AdMob's latest Mobile Metrics Report, the iPhone OS share of US smartphone traffic in April was an incredible 59 percent. AdMob specializes in delivering advertisements to mobile websites and applications.

Twitpic user Carniphage has posted a mockup to MacRumors of what the next generation iPhone 3.0 might look like, based on the "4G" bezel that appeared on the website of a Chinese parts seller. Here's the artist's rendition:

Great work, especially using only a few photos of the black iPhone bezel as a basis for the concept. The shape of the black bezel is clearly different from the iPhone 3G, with the speaker much closer to the edge of the device.

Next generation iPhone parts have already hit the web. Online wholesaler China Ontrade has a menu item labeled iPhone 4G Spare Parts, and claims to have stocked two parts from the not-yet-released third generation iPhone.

One of the parts is the bezel frame, and the other an LCD screen. The bezel frame sports a different shape and color than the iPhone 3G bezel, and runs $79.27. Anyone following rumors lately might have expected an OLED screen on the new iPhone.