Posts Tagged ipod case

Because travel gear can involve a sizable investment, I like to protect mine from unexpected bumps, scratches and grime. Finding the right case has always been a challenge, with many hours spent in store aisles and searching online.

So when a friend told me how well an Otterbox protected her smartphone, I had to find out more. The folks at Otterbox sent me a case to try on my iPod Touch and I quickly became a believer. This is one serious and well-made case.

I chose the Defender case, which has a three-layer design. There’s a patented, thin membrane that covers the screen, but doesn’t get in the way. You can still use all the touch gestures, but the screen is protected from scratches, fingerprints and dust.

But OtterBox goes beyond just protecting the screen. There’s a high-impact polycarbonate shell, or skeleton, that snaps around the entire player. Then the third layer is a silicone skin that wraps around to cushion any bumps and shock.

The silicone skin also gives me a better grip on the Touch, making it less likely to slip out of my hand.

And OtterBox does an excellent job of staying out of the way. Besides not interfering with use of the screen, there’s a hole near the top for the speaker and silicone plugs that allow easy access to the charge and sync port and the headphone jack.

The only thing that doesn’t work on the iPod Touch with the Defender case is auto brightness. No great loss, though. I turned off auto brightness soon after getting the player because I didn’t like the feature.

Don’t expect it to protect your iPod from a swim in the lake, though. The Touch Defender case does not protect against water, though OtterBox does offer a line of waterproof boxes. But for other types of abuse and hazards, it should stand up well.

The one annoying thing about this case is what appear to be air bubbles—some describe it as looking like an oil slick—that can form between the protective cover and the screen. The company’s Knowledgebase suggests one way to get rid of the problem is to also use an anti-glare, matte-finish screen protector, which involves additional cost. I tried a non-matte screen cover and it didn’t help.

Otterbox also suggests, with a link to a YouTube video, a way to get rid of the “oil slick” using baby powder. It sounds simple. But any solution that takes a 10-minute video to explain isn’t all that simple.

The company recently upgraded its Defender case for the iPhone, so the “oil slick” appearance should not be an issue for that model.

The Touch Defender case retails for $29.95. OtterBox cases are available direct from the manufacturer and at many online stores.

My colleague, Kara, recently tried a different model from the OtterBox line for her new Blackberry. The company also unveiled its new Tandem line recently at 2010 International CES and we’ll check out and review those cases in the weeks to come.

OtterBox makes cases for dozens of popular music players, iPhones and other smartphones, PDAs and GPS units, in colors ranging from black to pink. If you can work around the “oil slick” effect on the Defender iPod and iPhone cases, it’s a wise choice to protect your valuable gear and keep it working longer.

Rocking iPhone/iPod Devices for your Home, Office & More at iHome!