The Cell Phone Junkie

Otterbox Impact Series Review

The great folks at OtterBox have supplied us with some of their Impact Series cases to check out and review after a great conversation that Joey and I had with them at CTIA.  The Cell Phone Junkie in each of us is always on the look out to protect our devices from harm, and most of us rely on cases to do the trick.  Historically, OtterBox has made high impact cases known as their “Defender” line to protect your device from just about anything you can throw at it. OtterBox has made a deviation from this style to bring a smaller, yet highly durable solution to the market with the Impact Series.  The Impact series of skins are available for dozens of devices, and I’ve been testing them out for the iPhone 3G and Blackberry 8300 series.

Features

• Durable silicone with impact absorption
• Coring on the inside corners add extra strength and protection to the skin
• Provides open access to all functions of the device
• Screen protector included for the Blackberry 8300 case

Overview
On the front of each, you can see there is a cushioned earpiece area that makes use of either devices for talking very comfortable compared to use without the case.

On the back, there is a raised area of silicone that provides for additional protection on the back of the device.

On the sides and other areas of the device, you find that the switches, holes and buttons are either cut out to expose them for use, or there is an icon in the silicone denoting their existence, a nice touch.

From the OtterBox website, the about us section includes the following excerpt:

“Our cases are dedicated to all the klutzy, spontaneous, chaotic, graceless individuals who have broken a device or valuable due to their active lifestyle. Like our customers, we’ve been there too! From the beginning, we have protected valuables through innovation. This “innovative spirit” has allowed evolution in our product lines to safeguard the hottest technologies such asiPod’s, smartphones, PDA’s, Tablet PC’s, laptops and other devices. We take the idea of a protective case to the next level so customers can find the ideal solution for any work environment or adventure!”

As an active person that loves taking my phones and other devices with me all the time, I can certainly relate to this.  Having protection on your investment is something that is very important,

Overall
At $19.95, the Impact Series of cases from OtterBox is less then half of their more expensive Defender line, and also cheaper then most other retail cases you’ll find for these devices.  The overall quality of the products are good, but not perfect.  If there is one flaw in the design, the thin silicone around the screen is flimsy, and feels a bit cheap.

However, if you can get past this small detail, the value you get for the cost is high.