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OtterBox Defender Series for BlackBerry Storm Review

By: , IntoMobile
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 7:42 PM

OtterBox announcing their uber-protective cases for the BlackBerry 8900 Curve, was my kick in the ass to finally crack open the Storm case they had sent me eons ago. Right off the bat, I could tell that there was a lot of differences in this model, namely the latching mechanism for the hard case is a much more convenient slide action rather than the brutish “crunch until it snaps” technique. If you haven’t heard of OtterBox, they make the toughest cases for phones out there. I’ve been looking at their Defender series, which uses three layers of protections (clear screen, hard plastic, and rubber skin), since it first came out, and with every new device they make some pretty interesting adjustments.

OtterBox 9500S

By OtterBox ($44.95)

Dimensions (case only): 4.76″ x 2.80″ x 0.90″
Weight (case only): 2.86 oz.

Pros

Skin anchors further improved
Sliding mechanism makes installation a breeze
Still the best practical protection out there for BlackBerry

Cons

Belt clip not quite strong enough
Typing is difficult in corners
Earpiece is uncomfortable

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About The Author

Simon Sage

Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.