Last week I received iPhone case from OtterBox which is an US company. They are famous not only by cases for iPhones or iPods, but also for many types of other PDA's cases for HP, Palm, BlackBerry etc. For iPhone they offer 2 types of cases – iPhone Armor, which is waterproof and iPhone Defender, which is not waterproof, but it offers 3 layers of great protection. Right about this case I would like to say something more.
Arrival and packing
The case arrived very fast – in one week, right to my doors through UPS delivery services. It was packed in a quite big box, but it was because of the case packing. Anyway it was enforced by air which offered gorgeous protection for the product. The very case packing included manual for installing the case (with coloured images) and the case itself.
Appearance and construction
The case is available in 2 colour combinations – black and yellow. I received the yellow one, which I disliked at first sight as it reminded me more an digital multimeter rather than in iPhone. But I got accustomed to it very fast and then I realized that I like it much more then the black one. :)
The case itself icompound of 3+1 pieces:
- strong plastic case, which protects iPhone from front and back sides (it consist of 2 pieces which are then vertically joined together)
- silicone skin
- belt clip
As I said in the beginning the case has 3 layers of protection:
- a clear Polycarbonate sheet with high performance hard coating that offers chemical and abrasion protection
- a hi-impact Polycarbonate skeleton
- a Silicone skin to absorb bump and shock
Usage
After compounding all pieces iPhone gets some grams in addition. Also it gets some milimeters from each side. Personally I think that the phone can be holded much better in hands with case than without it. It offers access to all control buttons except the silent switch. I realized this fact as a very big problem, but after rethinking I came to opinion that when I don't want to be disturbed I turn off the phone, or turn on the Flight mode in the settings. I like that the phone is fully protected from each side, including display or camera. Camera is protected by polycarbonate sheet which is in addition countersinked deeper, so when we put the phone on the table the objects glass doesn't gets dirty.
Air bubbles
One of the biggest problem I had with this case were air bubbles between display and plastic sheet. It is really undesirable effect, which could be fortunately solved. To avoid those bubbles we need to put a third layer between those 2. We can use a protecting sheet which are available for few dollars or we can use our hands. Just go through the display with your hand or thumb and then put the phone to the case. It sounds strangely, but it works like a charm.
Conclusion
I own iPhone just for a few weeks, but with iPhone Defender I like my iPhone much better :) It gathered me by its robust plastic construction and with great protection it offers. Beyond this it comes with a belt clip which is also made from the same strong plastic. I would categorize this case as an outdoor, but there are no problems using it in interior conditions as well.
Pros
- very good protection
- massive polycarbonate plastic
- slippy sillicone – it can be easily put out of pocket
- it can be charged through USB cable, but not through dock
Cons
- silent switch is not accessible
- air bubbles – it can be solved as I said above
- the plastic sheet does not fit equally on the display, which decreases its sensitivity, you need to use more force in such cases
