More Mayhem for OtterBox

[Lord NorDeth]

Here we go with a doubleshot for you guys, first, a review by me of the OtterBox 2600 Series PDA case, and then immediately following, a review of the OtterBox Defender case for the iPhone 3G from a guinea pig I roped into testing it for me (before realising that Wolf had beat me to it!)

On to the fun!

OK kiddies, time for another round of mayhem and destruction from your resident OtterBox Torture Tester!

OtterBox has a new PDA case out (http://www.otterbox.com/handheld-pda...ries-pda-case/ ), and if some of you remember what I did to the last one, this one is in for a rough ride. There are actually 3 pieces to this test, the PDA case/shell itself (see above link), the Holster/Belt Clip (http://www.otterbox.com/2600-belt-clip/), and a tethered stylus (hehehe, I guess they heard me complaining about losing the stylus on the last one I reviewed) (http://www.otterbox.com/tethered-stylus/ ).

I had all kinds of devious things in mind for this case when I reviewed it. After making arrangements with Kristin (who really IS the most patient woman in the world next to my wife) to receive the products, I plotted for days what I was going to do to it. Mother nature has a way of taking plans, and throwing them right out the window, however, I turned it to my advantage.
As some of you know, I am in Halifax, NS, Canada. Some of you are also aware, that we had a fairly major forest fire here recently (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia...e-halifax.html )(thanks to everyone who sent messages checking in on me, takes more than a stupid fire to stop my product testing mayhem). While I was not in the immediate evacuation and threat area, I was smack dab in the middle of the drift of soot, and smoke...can anyone else see where this is leading?

Test 1: Put PDA (Dell Axim X5 Advanced with Extended Battery) into PDA case (the wife threatened me with severe bodily harm if I used her PDA to test this one, she didn't like what I did to hers on the last PDA Case Review), then, step outside into smoke and smog and soot drifting in from fire, and see how well the case resists “hard debris”. After having to go back inside and dig out my old Military Issue gas-mask, I was back outside playing around with the PDA in the middle of a smoke and debris cloud that made an early morning London Fog look like a light mist (here is a shot from the opposite side of town, just to give you an idea what it was like)

As you can tell, during this test, I didn't see too bloody much, between the mask, and the smoke, so I just started my mp3 player, and let it run (incidentally, the sound is still pretty good with the case all buttoned up and closed, I did have to max out the volume, but you can still clearly hear the tunes), after about 5 minutes, I went back inside, and left the device outside for another 20 minutes. I retrieved the device, shut it down, gave the case a good wipe down, and opened up the case to check the results...perfect. No dust or soot penetrated the case, and everything was in perfect working order (Thank you Mother Nature for providing me with Hostile environment Test 1).

Test 2: Two days later, we got a much needed pouring down, lasted for the better part of 10 hours, rainstorm (have you ever seen firefighters dancing in the rain...I have), and this provided the platform for Torture Test #2. Placed the same PDA inside the case (I didn't bother turning it on this time), and set it down on the table outside in the rain before I went to work. 8 hours later when I came home, I nervously went to retrieve the device (again, carefully and thoroughly wiping it down before removing the device from the case) and “voila”! Again, perfect, no leakage or penetration of moisture (although the case HAD fogged up a little from condensation due to temperature change, this could easily be solved with one of those little packets of “dessicant gel” that are often included in products you purchase (in fact, it's how I dried the case out). There is enough room inside to include the packet, and I would recommend it if you are going to be using the case in an environment that has significant changes in temperature, just to prevent the condensation.

Test 3: I got lazy for this one, and didn't feel like standing outside in the rain for 20 minutes, so I just filled up the kitchen sink, made sure the case was sealed up properly, and dropped it in (it DOES float, although not as well as 1900 which bobbed along happily on the surface, the 2600 was partially submerged the entire time, but that may be due to the heavier device and battery being used this time).
After 20 minutes, pulled it out, wiped it down and dried it thoroughly, and opened it up. Again, no issues, dry as a bone.

After all of the tests, here is what I have to say.

First off, again, this case is a little on the large side for the everyday user. While it would be perfect for an industrial, or occasional “I'm going to be in a rough environment and need added protection for my device” situation, it is fairly large and bulky (although a VAST improvement over the 1900 series case). Be aware of this before you rush out and order it. IT'S BIG! (Exterior Dimensions: 6.50" x 3.875" x 1.625") and that is NOT counting the holster/case.

The screen protector takes some getting used to. You need to press a little bit harder to get the stylus to contact the screen of your device, because of the universal design, the screen protector membrane does not lay directly against your device screen, so there will be a bit of travel between the membrane and the screen itself (as long as you use some common sense, and don't stab your stylus through the membrane and poke a hole in it, it's not a significant issue, just takes some getting used to).

Unlike the 1900 series case, there are no “plugs” that you can open to access your port on your device. Any side mounted controls, card or device slots, or data ports, are securely inside the case, and you WILL need to open the case to access them (again, not an issue as long as you go into using the case knowing that is the situation).

And finally, you simply cannot, and will not, find a better level of protection for your PDA short of encasing it in plastic or metal (which is, in effect, what you are doing with this case system). It is an unbeatable level of protection and security for your electronics, that still enable you to access and used the vast majority of a devices functions, without having to worry about environmental factors!

Ease of use/assembly: 9.5 out of 10 (you simply sit your device inside, fit it with the spacers provided, and lock it in. Easy, simple, effective)

Durability: A SOLID 10 out of 10 (you could probably damage your device if you tried specifically to do so, or accidentally dropped it from a significant height, but seeing as I test these products with my own electronics, I am not going to test to see what the specific failure tolerances are, for everyday use and incidents, even in fairly hostile environments, consider it a non-issue.

Performance: 8.5 out of 10 (the case IS a little large for the average everyday user, and having to open up the case and remove the device to access slots, controls and data ports cost it a bit here)


Overall: 9.3 with a STRONG recommendation that if you use a PDA for work, or outdoors in an environment that is “challenging” to electronic devices, that you seriously consider picking one up.

One final thing...when you place your device in the case, put it in the holster, and THEN mount the tethered stylus to the case...because once you mount it, good luck getting the adhesive tab off! (Don't ask)

And now introducing Jas, a possible new tester (we'll see how he does)

OK, bear with me here, it's my first time at this, but I have been given some pretty solid guidelines, so here goes. I am reviewing the OtterBox Defender case for the iPhone 3G http://www.otterbox.com/iphone-cases...defender-case/
First of all, I found the case easy to use and it provides superior protection for the phone. Installation was very simple and straight forward for basic installation (however it can take a little longer if you want to follow some of the tricks I was shown for getting all of the bubbles and marks out from under the screen protection), but overall, you can be using your case within 30 seconds of opening the package.

Ease of use and installation: 9.5 out of 10.

I did however find it to be (for me anyways) very bulky. The belt holster made it stick out very far off my hip, causing the phone to get caught on everything and pop off my belt. I stopped using the holster after the first day and kept the phone in my pocket because I was scared that it may come off and I might not notice.
While I did find that with the case on the phone, it felt bulky in my pocket, I was less afraid of losing it. One of the selling points of the iPhone is its slim, sleek design, and after having gotten used to it, going to the bulk of the case wasn't really what I had been expecting.

Comfort and Convenience: 7.0 out of 10 (mainly because of the Holster)

As far as the use of the phone goes, I found a very slight loss of sensitivity to the touch screen, but nowhere near as much as I expected. I was very surprised at how well the screen responded, despite the screen protection layer covering it, and after a little while found that I had adjusted quite well to having to use just a little more pressure on the screen. Speaker performance and screen visibility were only slightly impaired by the case, and are fairly impressive all things considered.
I did however have one major problem with the design of the case. That would be how high the lip is around the edge of the screen. This makes hitting any 'keys' or 'buttons' near the edge of the screen a problem for anyone without really skinny fingers. This could probably be solved by lowering the height of the ridge around the screen or using a less steep angle. (A good example of what I mean is the Defender Case for the Blackberry Curve, the area around the sides of the keypad).

Durability and Performance: 8.0 out of 10 (This would be a 9 or higher if the edge of the case were better for human sized hands)

However, all of that having been said, this is a very solid and well put together piece of protection gear.
If I am in an area where dust, debris, water, bumps , and the occasional knock or drop will be occurring, I will use this case knowing I would feel safer regarding the survival of my phone.

Overall Score: 8.2 (not bad, but a few changes might be made)

Thanks 'Nordy for the chance to try out the product, hope to be back for more.

[ctcost]

LoL...your wife has a heart of gold.

PS Welcome to the forum Jas!