Unless you ‘re new to JAMM or JAiB chances are you ‘re not new to our friends at OtterBox. Maybe you have or maybe you haven ‘t actually tried some of their products, but I ‘ve made it no secret over the past while that I ‘m a big fan of theirs. Without fail they are always top quality and they provide a level of protection that many other cases don ‘t. In my time using OtterBox cases I ‘ve had the pleasure and pain of dropping my stuff more times than I care to count, I ‘ve banged things on counters to prove how tough they are to people who ask, heck I ‘ve even accidentally launched my iPhone on an airborne adventure across my kitchen while talking way to much with my hands
All of this leads up to one thing “ if I ‘m planning on doing something that I know is going to potentially lead to unsafe times for my device, I reach for an OtterBox. Its the first and generally only case I don ‘t hesitate to put on my iPhone. Well, now they also have the pleasure of being my #1 choice for protecting my iPod Touch. Click on through after the break “ We ‘re going to check out the latest OtterBox products for the iPod Touch 2nd Gen.
The Defender and the Impact are two very distinct case styles. The Defender is for lack of a better term hardcore protection, the Impact a bit more of a day-to-day case. If you ‘re looking for EXTREME protection “ check out the Armor case. Fortunately I ‘m not one who needs the Armor series level of protection, but if you ‘re looking for waterproof and drop proof “ that ‘s the case for you. For me though, the combination of the Impact and the Defender are pretty much all I could ever need.
The Defender is a layered protection case. It does add significant bulk to your Touch, so let ‘s be clear on that. The first layer of protection is provided by a molded in screen protector. I ‘m not a huge fan of the screen protector, but it definitely does the job. It does unfortunately add a bit of glare, but its not so bad that you can ‘t use the device on a sunny day. OtterBox has done a good job however making the protector fairly non-resistant to your fingertips “ meaning it won ‘t get in the way of playing touch screen games on your Touch.
The second layer is a Polycarbonate (what is it) shell. This shell is a two piece snap together skeleton that adds the majority of bulk to the case, but also adds a significant amount of protection. It ‘s not padded or cushioned on the inside, but its molded to the shape of the device well enough that there ‘s almost not chance of the device moving around inside it. Unlike some other cases, you don ‘t need to worry about the case scratching your device.
The third layer is a silicone skin that fits on the outside of the shell. Combined with the polycarbonate shell, these two layers together provide not only big amount of shock/drop protection but also help seal the device from things like dust and dirt. No, they do not provide protection against water, but for most people water doesn ‘t equal ocean. Realistically, you should be fine out and about when there ‘s a light drizzle assuming you don ‘t try to drown the thing.
There ‘s only 2 user accessible openings on the Defender, both on the bottom of the case. As expected one is for the charge/sync port, the other for the headphone jack. Both seal up nicely when not in use.
The only other parts worth mentioning are the sealed opening for the light sensor and the volume controls which remain accessible through the case. The light sensor remains sealed by way of extending the screen protector up to the opening through the other layers, and the volume controls remain accessible by some added thickness to the outer silicone layer.
So how big is it? Well, its big. It basically doubles the thickness of the iPod Touch itself. I know that seems like it would be too much, but much like the Touch has a curved back to make it seem thinner, the Defender is also curved and in your hand doesn ‘t feel all that different from an iPhone 3G. In the case, what is already a sturdy feeling product feels almost indestructible and when you ‘re out playing in the elements, that ‘s exactly what you need.
Let ‘s talk about those times when you ‘re not out battling the nearest mountain, and you ‘re just battling traffic on the highway, or waging war in the board room. What if you don ‘t need nearly indestructible? What if you just need klutz proof? Well, that ‘s where OtterBox started listening to the customers a while back and came up with a slightly less ‘king of the mountain ‘ case design.
This isn ‘t your everyday silicone case that you buy at Wal-Mart for $7. Those cases attract every kind of dust and grunge you can imagine. After a couple weeks of use they almost always look disgusting and feel almost as nasty. They also don ‘t really do a whole heck of a lot to really protect your device. Sure they keep you from scratching it to death, but they really don ‘t do much in the way of protecting the device in a OMFG I just dropped it getting out the of the car scenario.
For being a single piece of silicone there ‘s nothing simple about this case. From the very first look you can tell this isn ‘t something they just put into a mold and dumped onto the store shelves.
Inside the shell is where it all begins. The design pattern inside (see above) runs throughout the entire case. So basically instead of just slapping a thick piece of silicone around the device, what you ‘ve got is multiple impact points that can dissipate shock. In other words if you have some kind of shock to the back of the case which puts pressure on that one section, the inside of the case has a grid design which allows the case itself to bend and absorb the shock instead of transferring that energy into the device itself. Most silicone cases don ‘t have this grid design inside, so any impact that the case can ‘t absorb in the single layer of silicone gets transferred to the device. The OtterBox Impact will absorb what it can with the silicone skin, but failing that the boxes inside will fold down and absorb even more.
Along with the interior design the exterior has been designed for maximum protection while still giving the impression that the case isn ‘t very thick. The side walls of the case are significantly thinner than the rest, which leaves that ‘thin ‘ feeling when the Touch is in your hand. The corners, back
and front are all heavily protected by the grid design and thick silicone. Basically all the major impact points protected.
The lock button and volume controls remain accessible through the case, and as you can see from a couple of the other pictures the light sensor as well as headphone jack and charge/sync connector remain open for use. In all, if you ‘re the skin case type “ you really can ‘t beat this thing.
Alright, I ‘m running a bit short on time, so its time to wrap this up. The only real thing left is to ask: Which OtterBox are you? If you ‘re like me an you spend time hiking, biking, rollerblading and things like that, the Defender might be a good choice. If you ‘re all city all the time, the Impact might be a bit more along your line of protection. Either way “ its hard to go wrong.
Where to buy: Direct from OtterBox
Cost & Specs:
Defender – $29.95
Dimensions (case only): 4.68" x 2.74" x .65"
Weight (case only): 1.8 oz.
Impact – $19.95
Dimensions (case only): 4.51" x 2.63" x .53"
Weight (case only): .70 oz.
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