OtterBox Defender Case Review by Bill Foust

While at WES I was able to stop by the very busy OtterBox booth and snag a free Defender case for my BlackBerry Pearl – easily the best freebie at the show. I mean, there was lots of great swag, but this one was actually something I knew I would use. I’ve had it for a couple weeks now though, and I just have to share my experiences with it.

First, it’s worth describing what you get. The case itself offers 3 levels of protection for your hand held. At the bottom is a thin sticky vinyl “keyboard condom” that covers the keyboard, screen, and camera. In fact it pretty well covers the whole thing except the sides. The only part not covered is the trackball, which of course, must be free. Around that goes a hard plastic case that provides the real strength and protection. Around that is the soft rubbery layer that covers the side keys and adds a lot of comfort while holding it. Lastly, a new holster is also provided; complete with requisite magnet.
 

Now obviously adding all this stuff is going to make the device thicker and bulkier then without it, which is why the holster is included in the package. Surprisingly though, I really liked the new size and feel. I wasn’t just was OK with it, but actually LIKED it. One of my complaints with the Pearl all along is that the thing is too damn slippery, and my Pearl has all the banged up corners to prove it. For Curve owners this might be different, but I liked the feel of the rubbery case and I liked the slightly larger size. As if to prove the point, I haven’t dropped my Pearl once since using the new case.

Now there are a few small negatives (and one really big one), but the bottom line here is that the case just plain works. The vinyl cover doesn’t seem to interfere with the screen, camera or my ability to thumb type.  The side buttons work and the sound quality from the speaker isn’t impacted at all that I can tell. (The speaker holes are covered with a fabric of some kind).

So what didn’t I like? The hated the bottom section of the hard plastic that frames the screen. The hard plastic part of the case has a ridge that completely frames the screen. You can see in the picture above that is shaped slightly to make room for the trackball, but even this shaping interfered with my ability to use it. Every time I went to scroll the trackball up, my thumb hit that ridge. It felt like trying to use your mouse on a desktop that was too small and constantly running off the edge or hitting the keyboard.

Now those guys at OtterBox must have had a good reason for putting it there, but I couldn’t see it. That thing just had to go, so I whipped out my trusty jigsaw one evening and cut it off.

 

That was all it needed. That change took it from 3 out of 5 to 4.5 out of 5 for me. I just couldn’t see myself using it long term before and now I don’t think I will stop using until I get a new hand held.

Nothing is perfect and there are still a few negatives though. For me, the vinyl covering the screen is just OK. There are still small bubbles that I can’t seem to get rid of and that I notice. Also, the side buttons seem a little harder to push, but the biggest negative left is the fact that doing a battery pull is suddenly a lot harder because you have to disassemble all three layers of the case. Still, these are not showstoppers for me and generally love the way it looks and works for me.