As I have always said, there are three different types of cases; soft, hard, and the Otterbox. Soft cases being maybe leather cases or soft slip cases such as the OEM PSP case. Hard cases are the Rhinoskin or Boxwave Armorcases that offer a metal shell for your device. The final type of case is an Otterbox, a shell that anything short of a nuclear blast would not even scratch your device.

The wonderful team over at Otterbox provided me with an Otterbox 1900 for reviewing purposes and I have thoroughly enjoyed using this device over the past few months. I put this unit to the test to see if it is indeed a Smart Mobile Asset!

Cases are imperative to the protection and elongation of fragile devices such as the PDA or Cellular phone. Tough industrial devices can cost anywhere from 1000 to over 2500 USD. Otterbox stepped up to the plate and created an entirely different market, the Otterbox Case. No long are businesses and corporations required to purchase a “rugged” device and ditch the entire unit when they need to upgrade, instead they now have the capability to purchase the unit of their choice and slip it into an Otterbox, which offers the same, if not more, capabilities than the initial “rugged” unit.

Just last week our cable repair representative came to my house carrying a Handheld PC with a shell so similar to the Otterbox I thought they were one and the same. I immediately went and got the Otterbox 1900 to compare. In terms of build quality there seemed to be no difference between the Otterbox and the rugged Handheld PC that my cable repairman carried.

Similarly I signed for a FedEx package on an old “rugged” Palm V like device. It makes me wonder why these companies don’t merely purchase an Otterbox and a recent PDA. The combined cost of the Otterbox and a PDA is still less than the $1000+ asking price for “rugged” PDA’s.

Over the past few month’s I’ve looked over the Otterbox from top to bottom and I’ve found a few things that I thoroughly enjoy and a few things that do not exactly fit my lifestyle.

The reason this review took me so long to write was because I never really got a chance to utilize the Otterbox until just last week when I went on a trip to the great outdoors. Throughout my day to day operations such a rugged case is not needed for any of my devices. Actually I take that back, such a rugged case of this size is not needed for any of my operations. This case provides me with total comfort of throwing my electronics around like a football while it is wrapped up in the Otterbox, but the downside of it is that I can no longer carry my devices around easily. I require my standalone PDA or my PDA/Phone to be pocketable. With the Otterbox the word pocketable is entirely out of the question. The next option I have is to hang the Otterbox + Phone on my belt. I’m not sure about you but having a bright yellow box hanging on your belt while walking through the halls is not entirely business casual dress appropriate. In other words, not cool.

Electronic devices itself are pretty tough. A PSP’s shell could withstand some pretty high drops, an iPaq 4700’s magnesium shell looks like it could hold up to a bullet. But when you drop a gadget the thing that you fear most is not the shell cracking or splitting apart. What you fear is that the screen will shatter once the shell of the device hits the ground. Metal cases only protect against small bumps and scratches while leather cases provide only minimal cushioning when dropped. The Otterbox is different. Instead of placing
your device directly into the Otterbox you must first rest the device on the front of the Otterbox’s window/screen, then you basically strap your device in. By doing so it’s similar to suspending an egg in a metal capsule so that the egg never touches the side. The impact of a drop would ripple throughout the entire Otterbox shell and the impact on your device would be greatly minimized.

Otterbox makes a claim that the case is “Crushproof”. The farthest that I have attempted to prove them wrong is having my friend jump up and down on top of the Otterbox. (160 lb) I find that the plastic flip cover is very flimsy and would be the first thing to break if the case was “accidentally” run over by a car. Following the tradition of The-Gadgeteer creak test, I can firmly state that if you manage to make the Otterbox creak or groan, you should try out for the world’s strongest man/woman contest. If you painted the Otterbox with some dirt camouflage and placed it on a mountain, the next hiker would believe that he has discovered a very oddly shaped rock.

Waterproof is another claim that Otterbox made with this unit. I spoke with Kristin, an Otterbox Representative, and she informed me that the unit is waterproof in the sense that once it falls into the water the unit will float. This doesn’t mean that you can bring the Otterbox with you on your next deep sea dive. The rubber seal around the edges of the Otterbox can’t hold up to too much pressure from being too far underwater. Otterbox had their case IP rated at fully waterproof for 30 minutes at 1 meter of water. Unless you’re going to be diving or fishing out in the Bering Sea, the Otterbox would hold up to being waterproof because of it’s floating capability.

If your not a business that requires rugged mobile devices, the Otterbox is ideal for the adventurer type or the person that occasionally goes on trips to the great outdoors. Fishing people who enjoy “hooking the big one” but dislike the long waits should seriously consider an Otterbox holding their devices instead of a plastic baggie or whatever they currently use. Previously I just never brought any of my gadgets along on fishing trips. Now with an Otterbox I can actually play Sudoku anywhere, anytime! Think of it like this.

Without an Otterbox: So you’re using your PDA and then all of a sudden a fish bites, you set down your PDA and grab the rod. Then you somehow nudge the PDA in its plastic baggie or whatever makeshift water protection and it falls into the water. Immediately it sinks down into the watery depth, never to be seen again.

With an Otterbox: Same thing happens except it floats up to the surface. You can forget about it for a while and get your fish up on deck and then rescue your Otterbox. Its bright yellow color cannot be missed in many different environments.

Another feature that I stress with every case is how open it leaves the device in order to actually use it. Otterbox doesn’t forget that we need to plug in a sync cable, CF/SD card, or a pair of headphones. Up top there is the ability to remove the plastic piece in order to access the CF/SD/Headphone Jack/Whatever you have up there. The bottom piece also comes out after a lot of fingernail tugging work. Probably the coolest “cutout”, while it may seem obvious to others, is actually the screen. Some of the older Otterbox’s were just that, boxes. Now they actually offer a full screen cutout with a built in plastic membrane so that water doesn’t get in. (Duh! Otherwise it wouldn’t be “waterproof”) My gripe about it is that the film feels too soft. Whenever I place my device in it bubbles form instantaneously and it’s a pain to get them all off. If only Otterbox offered these cover films for the 6 different device types, Palm 320X320, 440X320, PPC 2.8”, 3.5”, 3.7”, and 4”. This way they could have a film that resembles more of a screen protector with that type of feel instead of a mushy soft plastic.

To sum it all up the Otterbox is an amazing tool only to those who think that they need to survive hell and high water with their mobile device. For the average consumer, an Otterbox may be too bulky to use in day to day operations. But for some businesses, an Otterbox would be an ingenious way to replace their current rugged mobile line and leave the option to upgrade later down the road without replacing everything.

Price: $99.95

Official Web Site: www.Otterbox.com

Pros:
- Durable- Holds up to its claims
- Cheap- Relative to the Sharp product solutions
- Color- Easy to find due to its bright color
- Easy to access ports

Cons:
- Large- compared to the “naked” device or a regular metal case
- Screen film- Ought to be more grip-py and reliable feeling.

Related posts:

1. Otterbox Defender, is your iPod safe?
2. Review: Another Extreme Challenge – The Otterbox 2600 Dropped on Tile Floor
3. Review- OtterBox Armor Series Case For iPod Classic
4. Defend your Blackberry Curve 8350i with Otterbox!
5. Review: OtterBox Impact for iPhone 3G