Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

OtterBox, the company behind the products we reviewed here and here, have been working to waterproof everything from your smartphone to your cigars.  Most recently, they announced cases for the Palm Treo, Blackberry, and the new second generation iPod nano.

The OtterBox 1920 Treo Case (pictured) will waterproof and protect your Palm Treo 650, 700w, and 700p models while still allowing access to they keypad, touch screen, volume, and program buttons.  The 1930 and 1940 Blackberry Cases are suitable for your Blackberry 8700c and 8700g models, and the OtterBox 1940 protects your 7200 series model.

And if you’re looking for a way to protect your shiny new iPod nano, OtterBox offers great protection that allow your nano to keep up with your active livestyle - or if you don’t lead an active lifestyle, you can sit around and dunk your iPod in the sink without damaging it!  What more could you ask for?

Read [OtterBox for Treo]
Read [OtterBox for Blackberry]
Read [OtterBox for 2G iPod nano]

Back in June we brought you a review of the somewhat sturdy, waterproof, Otterbox Laptop case. Unfortunately, little did we know that we were using a pre-production model, but our laptop found out very quickly, just kidding (about the broken laptop, the unit was pre-production).

Well SlashGear was able to check out the final model. Head on over to their site to read the full review, see this thing be rolled over by an SUV, and even enter their content to win one of the rugged cases.

Product: OtterBox Rugged Laptop Case
Price: $149.00
Rating: Very Good - 8.5/10.0
Pros: Waterproof, Rigid design, secure placement for your laptop, able to withstand a good amount of force
Cons: Have to up-size in order to fit power brick, heavy
Overall: A great choice for anyone wishing to have an extreme amount of protection for their laptop.

Design - 8.0 - The OtterBox Rugged Laptop case is a brief case that you could picture being filled with money.  It’s a rock-hard slim black case that is designed to allow you to submerge your precious laptop into water without damaging it.  OtterBox has one for 13, 15, and 17 inch screens.  If you’re wondering how the OtterBox holds your laptop securely, it has 3 choices of rubber, Velcro bumpers that will box-in your computer.  By placing one in each corner of the case, your laptop is held in place horizontally.  To take care of the vertical movement, it comes with a Velcro strap that holds it tightly down on the bottom of the case.

Features - 7.5 - For such a simply unit, the Rugged Laptop case has several impressive features.  It sports compound latches for added protection and a comfortable rubber carrying handle.  Both are just as heavy duty as the case itself so you don’t have to worry about a component failing.  The case also has clips to attach the shoulder strap.  The shoulder strap and its clips are rigid so you don’t have to worry about your computer crashing to the ground (even if your computer crashed to the ground, the OtterBox would definitely save it).  Finally the case has a key lock for added protection.

Read on for more about the OtterBox Rugged Laptop Case.

The highlighted feature of the OtterBox Rugged Laptop Case is that it is waterproof.  If you work out in the field (construction, engineering, etc.) or are a busy business traveler, this can come in handy.  The case is waterproofed through the use of a rubberized seal.  One end has the rubber and the other has plastic and when they meet, the seal is unbreakable.  If you’re not wanting to take your computer out of the case while you use it (for contractors and such), the back of the case has a removable rubber stopper so you can feed your power cable and peripheral cables on through.  Finally, one side of the case has rubber bumpers so you can put your laptop on a desk without the fear of it slipping off.

Performance - 8.5 - The Rugged Laptop Case is a high-end case.  It can withstand virtually any amount of weight or pressure (obviously to an extent) and will barely distort.  When I stood on it (165 lbs.), the outside of the case did not budge.  When I stood on the center (unsupported), the case only concaved a very small amount.

The part of reviewing the case that I looked the most forward to was submerging it in water (like the OtterBox for iPod with video).  Fortunately for my laptop, OtterBox PR sent out a notice just in the nick of time.  The email read “After engineering tests this afternoon, it was discovered that several of the pre-production cases are only water-resistant NOT completely waterproof as they will be in final production. Molds will be readjusted accordingly to reflect in the consumer product.” Therefore when the cases are released this summer, they will be fully waterproofed.

Overall - The OtterBox Rugged Laptop Case is a fantastic concept.  To have a waterproof laptop case would save people lots of money that was paid out to replace rain-damaged computers.  In addition, field workers that need to have their laptops in extreme situations will find this case quite handy.  The only real issue that I found with the case is that it wasn’t big enough to hold my power brick.  If you’re planning on getting this case, I would suggest planning accordingly so you’re not left carrying another bag with your brick in it.

Editors note - The overall rating was calculated by weighting design as 30%, features as 30%, and performance as 40%.

Looking for some waterproof headphones to go with your Otterbox? Otter Products, announced that it has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with H2O Audio. The agreement enables Otter Products to offer its customers H2O Audio’s waterproof headphones. H2O Audio’s headphones are flexible, durable and fully waterproof. The H2O Audio headphones are compatible with the entire OtterBox for iPod case line and retail for $39.95. See Web site for package deals.

By adding the waterproof headphones (in conjunction with an Otterbox), users can take their iPod to the gym, swimming, running, biking, hiking, skiing, camping, traveling or a day at the beach without damaging their iPods.

Buy [Otterbox]
via [Press Release]

Products: OtterBox for iPod with video, for iPod nano

Company: OtterBox

Website: http://www.otterbox.com
Rating: 9.0/10.0
Pros: Protects your iPod from sand, dirt, drops, and waterproof to 1m. Sports a functioning scroll-wheel, even while underwater or covered in mud.
Cons: Rather bulky for an everyday case, but it wasn’t designed for that.
Overall: This box does the job if you require the aforementioned requirements

Would you believe me if I told you that you can take your iPod swimming with you?  Come on, do a few laps, it won’t break, I promise… With the OtterBox, the iPod turns into a rugged little guy.  The clear plastic case protects your iPod when hiking, swimming, everyday life, and in the rain (waterproof headphones not included). 

I have to say, when I first took a look at the OtterBox for iPod with video, I thought that it was kind of bulky (so if you’re bringing it swimming, I’d stick to a nano).  Then I thought about how much more you can do with your iPod when it’s wrapped in hard plastic, and loved it.  If you’re not really the rugged, outdoorsy type, the OtterBox may still work for you.  I don’t really classify myself as a mountain-man or anything and still have gotten great use out of the product (rainy days in particular).  Read on for the rest of my review.

You may be thinking to yourself… “I would never submerge my $300 piece of gadgetry in water.” Let me tell you, once you do it, it’s kind of hard to stop.  When I was testing it out in the Gadgetell Labs, I couldn’t stop dunking it. I was thinking about taking a bath with my iPod but figured it wouldn’t really be necessary.  The OtterBox (for both iPod with video and nano) has a good tight seal to keep out water, beer, or whatever may come it’s way.  They claim that it’s only fully waterproof up to 1 meter below so I wouldn’t suggest scuba diving or anything of the sort.  The plastic cases also protect it from scratching (which we all know iPods are known to do).

I’d have to say that my favorite part of the OtterBox is the covering over the click-wheel.  It turns the smooth surface of the actual iPod click-wheel and makes it kind of grainy (like a laptop touchpad).  It also has a rim around the click-wheel that makes it easier to locate the buttons and kind of guides your thumb around the wheel. It is nice to be able to still use the click-wheel under water or when covered in mud, without having to pop open the case. One minor issue with the OtterBox for iPod with video is that it’s made for both the 30 and 60 gig models, making it the thickness of the 60 gig.  There’s a piece of foam that holds the 30 gig iPod in place so it doesn’t rattle around, but it is still sort of bulky.

Conclusion

The overall concept of the OtterBox is amazing.  You can take your iPod with you as you’re fly fishing or when you’re swimming laps or when you’re dunking it in the bathroom sink.  The possibilities are endless.  If this is a requirement for your everyday life the OtterBox is for you, otherwise we recommend a smaller case. The OtterBox for iPod with video and nano will run you $49.95 and $39.95 respectively.