OtterBox iPhone 3G Defender Case

Roberto Baldwin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:57:00 -0500

Take your iPhone into the wild.

There are two types of iPhone owners. There are the regular people who take their iPhone to work and pretend to be busy while instead watching episodes of the The Wire and playing SimCity. Then there are those who take their iPhone to the great outdoors and use the myriad of GPS applications to find their way out of the woods, in a rain storm, while battling a bear, and eating bark to survive. You know, rugged types. The OtterBox Defender Series iPhone 3G Case is definitely for the latter.

The Defender Case wraps your precious iPhone in a polycarbonate shell, complete with a clear screen cover, and then further protects it with an additonal layer of silicone. Putting the case on the iPhone is simple--you can hear it snap in place as you encase your iPhone in its new armor. The silicon wrap covers the iPhone ports with tabs that can be opened easily to plug in headphones, access the ringer switch, and plug in your favorite dock accessory. Well, not all of your favorite dock accessories. The slim opening works with most charger cables and some dongles, but we were unable to connect some of our favorite remotes to the iPhone.

The clear screen is responsive to finger gestures and loss of screen brightness and clarity is minimal. The Defender’s clear screen cover still suffers from “bubbles” when being placed on the iPhone if you don’t follow OtterBox’s simple fix. Put some finger or face grease on the iPhone before placing the case on your phone. Yes, it sounds kinda gross, but it removes all of those annoying bubbles.

OtterBox claims the Defender Case will protect the iPhone from a 3-foot drop on concrete. We’re happy--and a little embarrassed--to admit that we’ve dropped our iPhone from even higher without any damage to it in real-world environments.

OtterBox is adamant that the Defender Case is not waterproof. We felt OK using our iPhones in light rain and while snowboarding during a powder day thanks to the silicone outer layer--but if you drop it into a puddle during a rainstorm, well…you’re on your own.

OtterBox iPhone Defender

Roberto Baldwin — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:39:40 -0500

The Defender keeps your iPhone safe...and easy to find.

If you lust for an iPhone, but your lifestyle is too extreme for an expensive, fragile überphone, The Defender series should be able to handle day-to-day roughhousing.

The Defender equips your iPhone with an inner plastic shell and then covers that with a silicon wrap that adds grip to the device and lets you cover and uncover the headphone jack and sync port. The water-resistant case can handle rain and snow, just not underwater dunks. Its plastic inner shell snaps closed in five places and can be tough to open without fingernails. Add the secondary rubber bumper and the resulting lock is sturdy enough for snowboarding, biking, and loaning to total klutzes. All the functions of the iPhone, sans the Silent switch, are accessible with the Defender case on, including the membrane-covered touchscreen.

The bottom line. The Defender is perfect for the active user who might also be a klutz.

Defender

COMPANY: OtterBox

CONTACT: www.otterbox.com

PRICE: $49.95

REQUIREMENTS: iPhone, active lifestyle, butterfingers

Great protection without adding too much bulk. Good for rainy climates.

Difficult to open case. Ringer button inaccessible. Hilariously giant swivel belt clip.

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OtterBox iPhone 3G Defender Case

OtterBox iPhone Defender