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Otterbox iPhone 3GS review!
- Thread starter nezff
- Start date
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if the paper is missing over the speakers, yes it has been fixed. I myself never heard any echo.
also, I have confirmed that the power support anti glare does correct the watermark.
Does anyone know if it has to be anti-glare style? I have the dlo anti-glare and I have no water mark, but I don't like the way my screen looks compared to naked. I don't like the grain. Would a clear protector work too?
Also I have no echo and I have the paper and the foamie doughnuts inside the case.
Anti glare works to correct the watermark.
I have never experienced the echo problem. I know a couple people complained about it and they made some adjustments. I like the paper over the speaker holes.
Dropped my phone yesterday.... again!
Landed flat, face down.
Picked it up, turned it on. Works perfectly.
Otterbox Defender. Best. Case. EVER.
Landed flat, face down.
Picked it up, turned it on. Works perfectly.
Otterbox Defender. Best. Case. EVER.
my wife dropped hers while putting it in her pocket, and it didnt have a mark on it.
I'm thinking about getting an Otterbox... I was going to order it from amazon or buy.com, but I want to make sure I get the updated version with the fixed screen cover and no echo. Has anyone ordered from either of these sites and gotten the new version? I just can't see any reason dropping $50 on a phone case. $32 sounds much more reasonable.
I ordered the Otterbox from amazon about a month ago and received the older version with the white paper over the earpiece and speakers. I have not had any issues with an echo.
I am almost positive that there isnt a screen fix. If you order it from a authorized dealer, you can just get a updated one from otterbox warranty service. It doesnt matter anyway, I have never had any echo problem. The only reason it was ever brought up is because a couple people complained. I think you would rather the paper over the speakers for protection.
A lot of people claim that they don't hear any echo, despite having an older version of the case. But from what I understood, the echo was happening on the other end of the line. In other words, when you call someone, they'll be the one hearing the echo. Maybe I'm wrong about that.
I'm really hoping they'll fix the screen issue soon. Not only the watermark, but the decreased sensitivity also. Then this would be the perfect case.
I'm really hoping they'll fix the screen issue soon. Not only the watermark, but the decreased sensitivity also. Then this would be the perfect case.
I dont have any decreased sensitivity on mine, and I have a power support anti glare on my phone.
update
thought i would post this info, or update however you want to look at it. had the case on the fone for 13 work days. very dirty environment. pulverized coal, cinders, ash, dust, heat, grime, to the max degree. took it off today as i am going into my monthly off time and thought i would disassemble and clean things up. also i was curious if anything was getting inside.
on the outside the case looks as shipped. no signs of any wear at all other than some extremely minor scratches on the case screen. but you have to hold it just right in the light to see these hairlines. smaller than hair probably.
i have not dropped the fone. most likely do to the case though
upon opening the case up i found the fone to be completely spotless. it looked the same as when installed. some lint was in the case but no dust or dirt or anything abrasive. the case did not mark the fone at all. nada.
there was some dust between the rubber cover and the hard case for sure.
i rinsed the rubber part in under water and its perfect again.
for me i dont think there is any further need to remove the fone from the hard shell for cleaning but maybe 2 times per year. the rubber i will have to remove every two weeks i think.
that said i have to also say i really appreciate the screen again with nothing over it. i.e. anti-glare and otterbox. no grain, much brighter, lovely.
and the audio is much better from the speaker.
so i am gonna run naked <?> for a few days to bask in the iphone-ness that it is. but there is no denying that my fone would look nothing as it does today were it not for the otterbox. save for the screen. i dont think the screen would have taken any wear had it been naked. but the gloss black back would be scratched. and my jacks would probably be fouled a bit.
i have issues with the case no doubt, albeit minor, but there is no way i feel there is a better case for my needs. this case is absolutely worth the money and minor troubles to me especially looking long term.
hope others find similar results to mine.
thought i would post this info, or update however you want to look at it. had the case on the fone for 13 work days. very dirty environment. pulverized coal, cinders, ash, dust, heat, grime, to the max degree. took it off today as i am going into my monthly off time and thought i would disassemble and clean things up. also i was curious if anything was getting inside.
on the outside the case looks as shipped. no signs of any wear at all other than some extremely minor scratches on the case screen. but you have to hold it just right in the light to see these hairlines. smaller than hair probably.
i have not dropped the fone. most likely do to the case though
upon opening the case up i found the fone to be completely spotless. it looked the same as when installed. some lint was in the case but no dust or dirt or anything abrasive. the case did not mark the fone at all. nada.
there was some dust between the rubber cover and the hard case for sure.
i rinsed the rubber part in under water and its perfect again.
for me i dont think there is any further need to remove the fone from the hard shell for cleaning but maybe 2 times per year. the rubber i will have to remove every two weeks i think.
that said i have to also say i really appreciate the screen again with nothing over it. i.e. anti-glare and otterbox. no grain, much brighter, lovely.
and the audio is much better from the speaker.
so i am gonna run naked <?> for a few days to bask in the iphone-ness that it is. but there is no denying that my fone would look nothing as it does today were it not for the otterbox. save for the screen. i dont think the screen would have taken any wear had it been naked. but the gloss black back would be scratched. and my jacks would probably be fouled a bit.
i have issues with the case no doubt, albeit minor, but there is no way i feel there is a better case for my needs. this case is absolutely worth the money and minor troubles to me especially looking long term.
hope others find similar results to mine.
one last ? is the sound from the phone IE ringtone/music from the Ipod drastically lower in the otterbox than with another case?
i wouldn't say drastic but for me its definitely noticeable. i actually got around it by custom making some ringtones that optimized what was available with the case and it was fine. think morse code here. but as for other audio out the speaker like slacker or something it does hurt it some.
if i am at home or something the change the case makes to the audio is no problem. in a noisy environment though i had to tweek every little bit out of the ringer.
but if i did not have a _need_ for this case i would not use it. and the audio would be one of the reasons. the reduction in screen quality for me was a bigger hit than the audio.
the audio is as good as i think it could be given the level of protection.
the screen could probably be dealt with differently.
others may differ. my ears are getting old. i work in noise and play way too much music way too loud. and have for 35+ years.... so YMMV.
I just received my Otterbox Defender from Amazon today. First impressions are overall great. I don't know about any Oil Slick problem since my Power Support Anti-Glare screen protector seems to take care of that. I also received a case with the protectors over the speaker, microphone, and earpiece, but have not made a call on it yet so I'll have to post back about any echo affect.
I don't mind the extra bulk, I have big hands so the phone fits better in them with a big case on it. I'm switching from a Candy Shell as I need more protection due to my job. I deliver and make pizzas, and I'm outside in many weather conditions, and my phone is exposed to excessive amounts of dough flour, which accumulates in the bezel etc... which I don't want to end up under the screen. Theis case seems like it will protect from that issue.
My only complaints so far are that the height of the case around the edge of the screen make it difficult to hit letters and "buttons" near the edge. Also, the screen sensitivity is a bit decreased by the case, but I'm already getting used to that.
Overall it seems that there is not a more protective case out there. I really appreciate the port covers as now I'm not so worried about a rogue small drop of water or humidity triggering a water sensor. So far, I love it. We'll see with time if that continues, and if so I might order a white one too so I can mix and match it with my black one for the contrast.
I don't mind the extra bulk, I have big hands so the phone fits better in them with a big case on it. I'm switching from a Candy Shell as I need more protection due to my job. I deliver and make pizzas, and I'm outside in many weather conditions, and my phone is exposed to excessive amounts of dough flour, which accumulates in the bezel etc... which I don't want to end up under the screen. Theis case seems like it will protect from that issue.
My only complaints so far are that the height of the case around the edge of the screen make it difficult to hit letters and "buttons" near the edge. Also, the screen sensitivity is a bit decreased by the case, but I'm already getting used to that.
Overall it seems that there is not a more protective case out there. I really appreciate the port covers as now I'm not so worried about a rogue small drop of water or humidity triggering a water sensor. So far, I love it. We'll see with time if that continues, and if so I might order a white one too so I can mix and match it with my black one for the contrast.
Hey everyone. First post here. I've been lurking for a while now, but thought I'd make the jump and sign up. Great thread OP. One of the main reasons I ended up getting the Otterbox. I received it in the mail today. Only problem is that somehow the plastic case has a slight crack in it. It's really not that big of a deal and has no effect on its use. However, it is annoying and I'd rather have one that isn't cracked. My question is, if I call them to let them know this, will they make me send it back before they send me a new one? Like I said, it still works fine and I don't really want to have to go a couple weeks without a case. It seems like they wouldn't since it's not my fault, but I'm not sure. I keep hearing how great the customer service is so I hope they can make me happy. Any ideas?
they will probably just send you a brand new one free from otterbox. just email them and you will get one soon. I have a few extras myself.
I just got mine from Amazon last week. (My initial thoughts are posted in this thread on page 6.) It has the paper? over the openings plus the foam donuts, no complaints of echos yet from people I'm talking to. The screen issue is slightly annoying but not the end of the world. I need to email them about the earphone cover not seating properly but I expect they'll take care of the issue based on comments here.
EDIT: This case has saved me already. I dropped my phone from waist level while at a large brush fire today and it skidded across the road. I don't even see a scratch on the case and the phone is still working fine.
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I just bought an iPhone 3GS 2 days ago. The clerk showed me the Otter Box and I told him I would have to go home,research the case and think about it.
Well in the end I told him I'd take one NOW and I am glad I did.
Black iPhone in Black Otter Box ..... I love the combo.
Funny thing, my iPhone is almost 3 days old and I have NEVER touched it.
I let the ATT clerk install the phone into the case and I was so impressed with how he handled the phone. I am 99.99994% sure my phone has no finger prints on it, as the clek used a microfiber cloth through the entire process.
What impressed me was the clerk asked another clerk to hand over his iPhone. My clerk grabbed for the phone and DROPPED it onto the floor, the iPhone in the Otter Box seemed unaffected.
Does the case make the phone a little bigger? HELL YEAH IT DOES and I am glad it does, I guess my big hands appreciate the increased size.
Today I went and looked at other cases ...... no way I could use any other. They all pretty much seem to be the same. The Otter Box stands out as robust and not 'just another case'!!!!
Only Issue I has was I bought a Cigarette Lighter power plug, and it would not seat into the phone because the plastic on the connector was too wide. My solution was to get a Cig Lighter - USB power adapter and use an Apple USB cable. The adapter has 2 USB ports so now my GPS and iPhone can share the same power source.
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It was raining yesterday, I put my iPhone/Otter Box in a GLad Freezer Baggie ( 1 Qt Size ) and was pleased to note that I could use the touch screen even through the Baggie !!!
i think with the Otterbox Defender you either love it or hate it....
I love my otterbox! I purchased a "slim clear" case and i never use it.... I guess it's just the security of the Defender that I just love... I thought in the beginning I'd just use it when i was in construction zones, outside landscaping or atv'ing/4wheelin.. but i found it just so darn secure ..... it's that piece of mind....
I guess in the end if a naked iPhone was able to take a drop then i'd go naked... but as we all know it's not and i'm ok with that...
i'd much rather carry an egg in a egg carton!!
great case!
I love my otterbox! I purchased a "slim clear" case and i never use it.... I guess it's just the security of the Defender that I just love... I thought in the beginning I'd just use it when i was in construction zones, outside landscaping or atv'ing/4wheelin.. but i found it just so darn secure ..... it's that piece of mind....
I guess in the end if a naked iPhone was able to take a drop then i'd go naked... but as we all know it's not and i'm ok with that...
i'd much rather carry an egg in a egg carton!!
great case!
i took off my otter box case I noticed that my picture quality had diminished a lot with the clear plastic over the camera lens... and that with the power support screen protector and the plastic screen protector on the case was also diminishing my screen quality I really love this case and I am still debating whether or not to reinstall it on my now NAKED iphone.
I noticed that my picture quality had diminished a lot with the clear plastic over the camera lens... and that with the power support screen protector and the plastic screen protector on the case was also diminishing my screen quality I really love this case and I am still debating whether or not to reinstall it on my now NAKED iphone.Question about the 'watermark'???
Are we talking about the screen cover in the Otterbox not making complete contact with the screen, and you can see 'bubbles' on the screen???
For the first few days this was not an issue for me but I installed MotionX GPS and using it outdoors the 'bubbles' can be an issue.
If that is the case, installing a screen protector on the phone before installing it into the case is the solution?????
I see reference to using an anti-glare cover.
THANKS
Other then the bubbles, I love this damn case.
Am I the only iPhone owner who has never touched his iPhone?
The ATT clerk installed the phone into the case, after removing it from the box, inspecting it and setting it up.
I feel like I should crack open the case and touch the phone!
Are we talking about the screen cover in the Otterbox not making complete contact with the screen, and you can see 'bubbles' on the screen???
For the first few days this was not an issue for me but I installed MotionX GPS and using it outdoors the 'bubbles' can be an issue.
If that is the case, installing a screen protector on the phone before installing it into the case is the solution?????
I see reference to using an anti-glare cover.
THANKS
Other then the bubbles, I love this damn case.
Am I the only iPhone owner who has never touched his iPhone?
The ATT clerk installed the phone into the case, after removing it from the box, inspecting it and setting it up.
I feel like I should crack open the case and touch the phone!
What about car mounts? I've thought about getting one but I have a Kensington Car mount (for my Navigon) and I'd not want to have to remove the case every time I get in the car. Even with a slight increase in bulk, it might be too much.