New Gadget 2011

The first thing a gadget lover usually does after purchasing a new tablet is to protect it from scratches and bumps. Recently I purchased the Blackberry Playbook. It's a sturdy 7 inch tablet that came with a neoprene sleeve in the box. But I was looking for something a bit more heavy duty. I needed a case that could protect it while I used it and be able to survive a drop. That's where OtterBox comes in with their Blackberry Playbook Defender Series Case.

The case comes in 3 pieces:

1) Front piece that has an integrated clear protective membrane that works well with Playbook's touch screen.

2) Back piece that has a clear protective membrane over the back camera.

3) A cover piece that can be snapped on the front or back of the case.

The cover piece is made up of hard plastic and can be placed in front or back of the case. It has 4 strips of grip on the bottom to prevent it from sliding on the table. The 2 pictures above show the cover piece on the back of the case. It has a sliding door to expose the back camera of the Playbook.

The above picture shows the cover snapped onto the front of the case. The cover is actually slimmer than the case itself which allows for the Playbook's speakers to be exposed while still having the cover on. That's great if you want to leave music playing while fully protecting the Playbook.

Another great feature of the cover piece is that it can be used as a stand as well. OtterBox has added in a X shaped hinge mechanism that allows the Playbook to be propped up on 2 different angles.

These 2 angles are great for viewing on the desk. Only thing is that it's not angled low enough for comfortable typing.

The front piece with the clear protective membrane does attract fingerprints and oils from the fingers. This photo is taken with a month's usage of average 2 hours a day.

OtterBox was nice enough to provide flaps to cover the 3 ports on the bottom and also the audio jack on the top right edge.

The buttons on the top are completely covered. The cover actually makes the buttons easier to push since one of the complaints about the Playbook is that the buttons are extremely flush and hard to press.

The audio jack has a cover as well, which takes some digging to pop out. I actually won't mind if they left the audio jack exposed since it would make it much easier access instead of always digging for the flap. The microphone hole is exposed next to the audio jack and also on the left side of the case.

Both speakers are exposed too. The OtterBox case curves up a bit on the edge and channels the audio pretty well.

The front and back pieces are made up of high quality polycarbonate shell and covered with silicone skin. And silicone loves dust! What surprised me is the little amount of dust I had on the case. I was expecting more after a month's usage but it seems to be pretty clean with only minor traces of dust. This OtterBox case is not waterproof because of the exposed parts of the case.

One thing about the OtterBox case is that it makes the Playbook look and feel huge. But I like it that way. The OtterBox case actually made it easier to hold the tablet and the extreme protection makes it feel sturdy. The case is priced at $69.95 direct from OtterBox. It's totally worth it for complete protection of the Playbook.
source: The Gadgeteer