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