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iPhone 3G Defender Case
See it at Amazon.com for $74.19Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
All I can say is WOW this case is Awesome
(5 out of 5) by A. Hart on Aug 21, 2009I have waited to purchase this case for my iPhone due to some of the reviews. I did not want a "muffled sound" nor did I want things looking like "Water Marks" on my screen. I did not want any of my buttons being compromised like the silent buttons. I went ahead and ordered the Otter Box to find out for myself and it's nothing like the reviews explained. I went to the apple store first and purchase the AntiGlare Film for the iPhone 3G which is about $14.95 for a 2 pack. This film makes for a clear screen when assembling your Otter Box on your iPhone :O) I assembled my Otter Box with NO water marks or oily marks I didn't have to wipe it across my face either lol. Much to my surprise ALL my buttons are accessible even the silent buttons. Case is NOT bulky for me and I happen to be a GIRL, it adds character to my phone plus you can actually see the apple on the back of the phone. In short I love this case, I have 3 other case-mate cases and a Speck case and this is my favorite compared to the Otter Box the others have NO PROTECTION at all. I am a type A personality so I like to have my things just so... I do not like my phone to have scratches or show signs of damage. This is the perfect case for me Thanks Otter Box for the Awesome job on the case!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Otterbox cases are like insurance for the uninsurable iPhone.
(5 out of 5) by Danielle R. Favreau on Oct 23, 2009 (St. Louis, MO USA)I purchased the OtterBox Defender Case for my 3GS, then purchased one for my friend's 3GS after having such exceptional experience with it.
He is a paramedic / fireman and unintentionally abuses his phones because they sit on his hip and he moves around a lot against huge pieces of metal. The night I brought the OtterBox case to him at the station he was getting out of the back of their new (very high up) ambulance and the iPhone fell from the holster (he had it horizontal and it caught on the door on his way out). It fell over 6' onto a concrete floor and was absolutely perfect.
Though I hadn't dropped my phone in the case up to that point when I saw the fall his phone took I knew I picked the right case. I haven't experienced any of the issues with tunneling or echo, but I tend to use the headphones or my Jawbone for calls. The only negative I've found, and it isn't really a negative but you must use OEM cables that have rounded edges because generic square edged cables will not fit into the charging area of the case.
*** For the Oil Slick Issue ***
- You'll need a can of air, a lint free cloth (face cloth or sock), a screen protector (optional), and some baby powder.
- Take your OtterBox case out of the packaging and put around a teaspoon worth of baby powder (or talc) onto the inside of the window of the hard part of the case, this seems very odd but trust me it works.
- Swish the baby powder around until it coats the entire window of the front of the case. It should look dusted white.
- Dump off the excess.
- Use the can of air to blow out as much as you can.
- Finally, use the cloth to wipe everything clean.
- When you're done it will look like you didn't do anything. You may have a wee bit of residual baby powder here and there inside the case but don't worry about it.
Once you're done wiping the case off clean your phone front and back to get it nice and smooth and put the screen protector on, this is a nice additional layer of protection but it isn't necessary.
Now put the phone in the case.
Once you seal it all up you'll see that there is no oil slick effect and no powder residue.
Works perfectly every time.
He is a paramedic / fireman and unintentionally abuses his phones because they sit on his hip and he moves around a lot against huge pieces of metal. The night I brought the OtterBox case to him at the station he was getting out of the back of their new (very high up) ambulance and the iPhone fell from the holster (he had it horizontal and it caught on the door on his way out). It fell over 6' onto a concrete floor and was absolutely perfect.
Though I hadn't dropped my phone in the case up to that point when I saw the fall his phone took I knew I picked the right case. I haven't experienced any of the issues with tunneling or echo, but I tend to use the headphones or my Jawbone for calls. The only negative I've found, and it isn't really a negative but you must use OEM cables that have rounded edges because generic square edged cables will not fit into the charging area of the case.
*** For the Oil Slick Issue ***
- You'll need a can of air, a lint free cloth (face cloth or sock), a screen protector (optional), and some baby powder.
- Take your OtterBox case out of the packaging and put around a teaspoon worth of baby powder (or talc) onto the inside of the window of the hard part of the case, this seems very odd but trust me it works.
- Swish the baby powder around until it coats the entire window of the front of the case. It should look dusted white.
- Dump off the excess.
- Use the can of air to blow out as much as you can.
- Finally, use the cloth to wipe everything clean.
- When you're done it will look like you didn't do anything. You may have a wee bit of residual baby powder here and there inside the case but don't worry about it.
Once you're done wiping the case off clean your phone front and back to get it nice and smooth and put the screen protector on, this is a nice additional layer of protection but it isn't necessary.
Now put the phone in the case.
Once you seal it all up you'll see that there is no oil slick effect and no powder residue.
Works perfectly every time.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Great case; lose the screen protector; belt clip is fine
(5 out of 5) by John Herath on Jul 29, 2009 (Raleigh, NC United States)I was wary to purchase this item when I read some of the other reviews on how difficult it was to remove from the belt clip and how terrible the screen protector is. I have some other otterboxes, so I bought it anyway. The case is excellent protection. (I have dropped mine at least 10 times on asphalt and concrete with no problems.)Since you can't get insurance on your iPhone, this case will save you some hassle.
I'll address the screen protector and belt clip concerns specifically.
First the screen protector. Don't waste your time with this piece of protection. It is glued in with something similar to rubber cement. Just push it out from the outside and peel off the glue. Get a regular static screen protector and apply it prior to loading your iPhone into the Defender case. (You'll never get the bubbles out of the screen because you can't "squeegee" the pre-installed screen protector onto the screen from one end to the other.)
Belt clip. I have the opposite experience with my belt clip as some reviewers - I wish it held the phone more securely. (If anyone out there wants to trade, let me know.) I am actually here because I am ordering another belt clip in hopes it holds more securely. I thought it might be the phone part of the case, but I tried a friend's clip with my phone and it is just the belt clip. I guess there is a little variation in the manufacturing. My point is, don't be dissuaded by the reviews complaining about the difficulty removing the phone from the belt clip. Simply pinch the phone on the sides of the top, and pull it away from you using the bottom of the clip as a hinge. Very easy. If it's not easy enough, 30 seconds with your wife's toenail file (don't get caught!) and you can file a little off the nubs on the belt clip that match up with dents on the phone side of the case and hold the phone. This will make the phone easier to remove from the case.
One word of caution: You cannot use any form of dock with this case! You also cannot use the old (side pinch) style of USP connection. The hard plastic case surrounds the connection and will not allow the phone to dock with speakers, alarm clocks, charging stations, etc. So, you'll have to remove the phone from the case to use these accessories. If this is something you would like to use every day, go with a case that has a removable bottom. The new USB plug that comes with the iPhone 3G/3Gs will work just fine.
I'll address the screen protector and belt clip concerns specifically.
First the screen protector. Don't waste your time with this piece of protection. It is glued in with something similar to rubber cement. Just push it out from the outside and peel off the glue. Get a regular static screen protector and apply it prior to loading your iPhone into the Defender case. (You'll never get the bubbles out of the screen because you can't "squeegee" the pre-installed screen protector onto the screen from one end to the other.)
Belt clip. I have the opposite experience with my belt clip as some reviewers - I wish it held the phone more securely. (If anyone out there wants to trade, let me know.) I am actually here because I am ordering another belt clip in hopes it holds more securely. I thought it might be the phone part of the case, but I tried a friend's clip with my phone and it is just the belt clip. I guess there is a little variation in the manufacturing. My point is, don't be dissuaded by the reviews complaining about the difficulty removing the phone from the belt clip. Simply pinch the phone on the sides of the top, and pull it away from you using the bottom of the clip as a hinge. Very easy. If it's not easy enough, 30 seconds with your wife's toenail file (don't get caught!) and you can file a little off the nubs on the belt clip that match up with dents on the phone side of the case and hold the phone. This will make the phone easier to remove from the case.
One word of caution: You cannot use any form of dock with this case! You also cannot use the old (side pinch) style of USP connection. The hard plastic case surrounds the connection and will not allow the phone to dock with speakers, alarm clocks, charging stations, etc. So, you'll have to remove the phone from the case to use these accessories. If this is something you would like to use every day, go with a case that has a removable bottom. The new USB plug that comes with the iPhone 3G/3Gs will work just fine.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
My iphone owes its life to it.
(5 out of 5) by Wicho on Jun 5, 2009I cracked the screen of my first month-old iphone. I clumsily dropped it on the sidewalk with only a rubber slip-on case that I had purchased on the day I bought the phone.
I learned from my mistake. I have had my second iphone with an Otterbox Defender case for 10 months. It has flown from a bed, dropped from a shelf, fallen from a desk and rolled on the sidewalk. No damage. The phone works perfectly.
I usually carry it in my pocket. only use the clip when going to the beach or hiking.
This product is definitely not made for showing off the iphone. It is for protection.
I show off the case :)
I learned from my mistake. I have had my second iphone with an Otterbox Defender case for 10 months. It has flown from a bed, dropped from a shelf, fallen from a desk and rolled on the sidewalk. No damage. The phone works perfectly.
I usually carry it in my pocket. only use the clip when going to the beach or hiking.
This product is definitely not made for showing off the iphone. It is for protection.
I show off the case :)
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
OtterBox Defender Case
(4 out of 5) by mr cub on May 25, 2009 (Denver, CO USA)This is an outstanding case but be aware that it's quite bulky. I'd recommend this case if your iPhone is subjected to tough conditions or your are prone to drop your iPhone. After using it for a couple of weeks, I went back to a more sleek case simply because the ratio of safety to carrying convenience doesn't fit my lifestyle.