Functionality
Although it might look like it, OtterBox phone cases aren’t waterproof, so don’t plan any conference calls during your rafting trip. Still, I managed to chuck three Defender Series-clad BlackBerrys into a snowbank without any damage, so they do a decent job at offering light splash protection at least. What it really excels in is impact protection – you can drop these from waist height onto concrete without flinching, and, with a bit of bravery, your BlackBerry would even survive being tossed a couple of feet. It’s surprising how much more relaxed you become when using your phone with confidence like that.
By far the biggest problem with the OtterBox for the Storm is the typing. Unlike older Defender Series cases, whose clear plastic layer was applied separately, the 9500S has its extra screen built right into the plastic frame. This is great on the one hand, since you avoid issues like bubbles, and you have a nice, taut level of protection for the Storm’s screen (which has a visible and disconcerting gap on all sides when naked), but on the other, you have to press way harder to type on it.