Case Closed!
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009When it comes to our Iphones, we here at the BusyGamer office have a whirlwind love affair with them. Sure every quarter a new phone seems to come out that is going to be the “Iphone??? killer… and while some of those phones have interesting features, we always come back to our little Apple joys. The apple is after all the forbidden fruit and you always desire what you can’t have. I don’t care about the other phones, they’re not the ones I want, after all. You can date a girl with a lazy eye… it doesn’t mean she’s asian, you’re just dating a girl with a lazy eye. I guess what I mean is, you can throw a hundred phones at me, they ain’t the Iphone, and unless your new phone comes preloaded with George Lucas’s number, well, I’m just not interested.
That being said, our phones’ protection is important to us. I mean we are the RECKON CREW for Pete’s sake, we put our livers through Hell, can you imagine what our phones go through? The default phone case of choice has always been the Otterbox Defender. Ever since we got this case, we loved it for it’s protection value. We wreck a lot of events and cons and this case is like a Humvee for your phone, it is totally protected from the elements. This is important when you are stumbling from bar to hotel room with a 6 foot wonder woman draped across your back and you can’t remember if it’s a dummy you stole from the dealer room or a passed out cosplayer. Calling your fellow crew members can be embarrassing enough but to find out your phone is damaged in the middle of your shenanigans, well… that’s just crossing the line, pal.
The Defender had ONE drawback. While it was like Fort Knox for your phone, it was also like carrying a VCR in your pocket (I don’t believe in belt clips it cramps my style). This, however, was a drawback I was willing to take.
THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Imagine my surprise, BusyGamers, when Crutchboy informed me we would be testing some new Otterbox cases at our upcoming Star Wars weekend, I was stoked! Before we departed he gave me the new specimen to outfit my beloved phone. The phone case was the Otterbox Commuter (for me) and the Otterbox Commuter TL (for Crutchboy). There was not much difference between the two. The commuter had a more “wrap around??? kind of plastic on the sides of the phone which made it a bit more rigid but other than that, it was the same. The screen was unprotected unlike the Defender but it did come with a plastic screen protector. The case was smaller than the Defender and I was cautious to see how it would stand up in the trying weekend to come but we pressed on.
THE DRAWBACKS
As soon as we begin the process of outfitting the phone with the case we noticed a problem. The screen protector, which in picture instruction looked simple to put on, made me think I must have the dexterity skills of an ogre because my screen protector application did not go so smooth. I had to try twice (they only give you one protector) and had a lot of air bubbles on my screen. Crutchboy fared a little better. The bubbles were annoying. They seemed to flatten out after a while, but never really went away. Luckily they were practically invisible when the screen lit, but not much fun to look at otherwise. The big drawback on the protector is the lack of a replacement, so if you are like me and switch cases like Gamette wallpapers, you may find yourself buying an aftermarket screensaver just to use your case again.
Another drawback was the ports. The headphone jack was not as wide and big as the Defender model. This is important if you use a high end audio jack for your car stereo, like us. It did fit but almost not well enough. The charger port is rubberized and sort of a pain to use when using a car charger. You have to make sure the rubber closing piece is not obstructing the charger in the least as it could result in a sketchy connection (happened a few times before I realized it was me not plugging it right).
THE PROS
First off, the case gives you a reasonable amount of protection for its size. I was surprised with how rigid the wraparound plastic made the phone feel. The screen wasn’t covered but I had the feeling that it was in much better hands in the case than without.
Another thing I loved was that people knew it was an Iphone. The Defender had a habit of adding girth and size to the phone leading to people often asking me what type of phone it was. The case is built to leave the features open and ready to use. The ringer/vibrating switch for instance is exposed, making it easy to get to even if it is open to the elements.
THE ROADTEST
A Con with us is not easy and we took this bad boy for the ride of it’s life. First we went to see STAR WARS IN CONCERT where we mingled with security, were escorted all through the building, shoved our way to our special seats in the press area, and fought the crowds looking at the ultra cool exhibit. All the while I would pull out my phone and start tapping away. The camera function never faltered (all the pics that weekend were taken via iphone and photography apps) as the case leaves the camera exposed like 99 percent of all other cases except for the Defender which has a plastic covering.
The next day at Fan Days was no exception. I dropped the phone a few times (On carpet). No damage but they were all accidental. I did scratch the screen protector when I put my phone in the same pocket as my car keys (a dumb mistake but a mistake an average person would make so I’m glad it happened) the protector held up well with the exception of a raised nick on the protector itself, not a hindrance though.
The bars were cool. I didn’t spill any alcohol on them, that would just be stupid. But I did notice that girls didn’t respond negatively or positively to the case. This is important because an Iphone case should protect an Ipod. Of course you never want a girl to laugh at your phone in a public place but you should be able to know it’s an Iphone and not a cheesy imposter. One feature people in bars love is the fact that the case leaves a “window??? to accent the apple logo.
THE VERDICT
Despite the issues with the screen protection, I enjoyed this case. I actually still have it for everyday use. It’s a good case to use, great all around, and the black one (which I have) is simple and bold like a Johnny Cash song. If I am going to a dangerous weekend with the BG crew, I will still break out the Defender (also by Otterbox) but in the office, on a date or a casual night out, the Commuter works well. And that my friends, was the whole point.
The Otterbox Commuter lists for $34.95 and the Commuter TL lists for $29.95, both can be found here at www.OtterBox.com.