+4 iPhone Case of Protection

Though this blog is mainly about my hobbies, after today's events, I simply could not resist this post.  While it is a bit of a tangent, the topic is not completely off base.  My hobbies are definitely on the geeky side and what geek does not have a love affair with their smartphones?

I saw my life flash before my eyes this morning.  I filled the dog's bowl full of water and knelt down to place it back on the floor.  As I was doing so, apparently my thigh pushed my iPhone holder off my belt.  It was like I was watching a slow motion action scene.  *queue the music*  The phone and holder tumbled from my belt and landed on the floor by the bowl.  Then somehow the entire unit bounced six inches back into the air, turned a somersault, then landed squarely in the center of the doggie bowl.  The sequence was so cinematic that I think I saw drops of water rain down upon the floor and explode into thousands of smaller droplets.

OK, so maybe I am being rather dramatic.  But the truth is there, interlaced as it is with my embellishments.  No matter which version you choose to believe, the fact of the matter was that my phone was now floating in the dog's water bowl.  Once I recovered from my shock and disbelief, I quickly fetched it from the pool of death.  Though the case has protected my phone from many accidental drops over the past year and a half, I thought this was finally the end.

I pried the case apart and dried off all the components.  After a moment of silence and a quick prayer to the patron saint of cell towers, I depressed the home button and to my amazement and relief, the home screen greeted me.  Through the sheer quality of my iPhone case and my not-so-quick thinking, I avoided disaster and managed to keep more money in my pocket for games and miniatures instead of buying another phone.

So the point of this post and story is to sing the praises of the Otterbox Defender case.  Since I work on the water and out in the elements, I purchased this case the day I bought my phone.  Though it is a bit clunky and certainly takes away from the sleek and sexy form of a naked iPhone, it has more than saved my investment on numerous occasions.  I am VERY tough on phones.  I drop them constantly and over the years have lost more than my fair share overboard and into the ocean.  But this case is different.  It protects the phone like a paladin in full plate.  And though I knew it would keep salt spray from damaging the unit, apparently it can survive short excursions into the water.  I cannot recommend this product enough.

 You may be asking why I am proclaiming the virtues of a case that fell off my belt just by bending down.  Good question.  Just the other day, I damaged the belt clip through a freak accident.  I will not bore readers with the story but I will say that it was not the most graceful move I've ever attempted.  Let's just say I definitely rolled a one.  This morning's mishap was not the fault of the clip itself.  It was clearly operator error.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scogle/1260802219

So...if you have a smartphone and are 1) active outside  2) work or play around the water  or 3) frequently fail fairly simple skill checks then the Otterbox Defender case is for you.  Just keep in mind that your Charisma may drop several points due to the clunky nature of the case.

Note:  I am writing this review without any compensation from Otterbox or any other entity associated with the company.  I have had a good experience with the product and simply want to share my thoughts with those that visit this blog.