I didn't talk much about this since I could feel it, however it seem to be mainly just paint. Chen had the phone from an earlier production and it was like night and day. I was surprised at how well it actually gripped. One fellow that had the BB passport kinda of wanted a rubberized back. His BB was holding up very well given it age and him dropping it and using it everyday. In my experience though, I'm not a fan of rubberized things ... since the texture will change over time, it will wear off or because sticky and/or discolored. I would add that I feel like its more grippy than the n900 with out any protective covers. x