Review: OtterBox 2G Nano Case

Well, OtterBox has done it again! They’ve come out with yet another splendid ruggedized waterproof iPod case designed to keep your new Nano 2G safe and secure and dry as a mummy’s backside down to 1 meter.

This case is, like all its older siblings, as boring as a good bulletproof vest. You won’t think much of it at all, and might event resent or resist the added bulk and weight (truly negligible for the 2G Nano case however), until… BANG! You’re glad you had it on.

All OtterBox’s iPod cases from the largest Videos down to the smallest 1G Shuffles provide truly unprecedented levels of drop and impact protection for your dear gadgets. The site claims, justifiably, that they’re waterproof, dustproof, dirtproof, sandproof, and drop-proof, but I can also say they’re mudproof and condimentproof as well. I’ve tested the OtterBox iPod cases in all these environments at various points in my life, and both devices and cases have come out gleaming, every-time.

My guess—but please don’t be a jackass moron and test this out–is that if something hit your iPod case hard enough to damage it, the surgical team at the emergency room trauma centre would have to cut it out of your abdominal cavity to hand it back to you. I don’t recommend using the 20Gb case as a hockey puck, but you could in a pinch. Maybe in the last game of the Stanley Cup or something if you really had to.

Anyhow, since these 2G Nano cases are out just in time for Christmas, please follow my usual advice and buy one of these puppies for your new (PRODUCT) RED if you at all intend to spend time snowboarding or skiing, or wakeboarding even I guess, while listening to your iPod.


And, yes Virginia, you can get waterproof headphones. OtterBox provides one easy option on their site, H20 audio’s waterproof headphones, that I’ve reviewed in the past. So maybe wakeboarding isn’t that out of the question after all.

All of OtterBox’s iPod cases get 95% ratings in my book, and the 2G version is no exception. $39.99 keeps your $199.99 baby safe and sound.

So, if you live life wide and large or rough and messy, buy one of these right now! Now!

…and, because not everything we own is an iPod

Review: OtterBox’s case for Treo Smartphones

“Treo: before and after”


I bought one of OtterBox’s ruggedized PDA cases for my Palm Tungsten 3 before I went of to spent thirteen months as an extreme tourist in Afghanistan a couple of years ago (see this review for my experience with the case—way to the end). Since then I’ve wondered why they hadn’t come out with similar cases for other electronic devices.

Well, now they have. They’ll soon have one out for the RIM Blackberries, so stay tuned, but all you Treo jockeys are in luck right now! Woo woo! Oh, and the HP 6000 and HP 6500 are covered off right now as well.

But, the Treo case then. It’s for the Palm® Treo™ 650, 700w and 700p models and if you think you’ll ever be taking your expensive toy anywhere rough or messy, like a construction site say, this would be the perfect if not only choice for you. Drop it, kick it, bury it in mud or pour ketchup on it, this case will protect your phone.


But so will any other standard OtterBoxes, except it’s generally pretty difficult dialing or listening to your phone through a solidly sealed box of environmentally protected bliss! No, the advantage here, as I found with the Armor 3600 and 1900, is that you can actually use your device while it’s encased. To a water depth of one metre maybe, which is certainly a lot less than the 30m or so the dive cases can claim, but that’s still pretty darned good, don’t you think?

With usable buttons, accessible screen, membranes for ear speaker and mouth microphone both, this case allows you full use of your smart phone while you’re at the Buñol Tomato Festival (30 miles outside of Valencia the last Wednesday in August) or the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. Bull stomps or tomato barrages, your phone is protected both ways with this case.

A few caveats however. The screen membrane, as it’s relatively small, might be hard for some folks to view clearly and graffiti through, at least at the edges. The opening for the Treo screen is quite tight to its actual dimensions, which can make it hard to get to certain buttons, even if you carefully place and replace your device. Similarly, the button pad works in most cases, but unless it’s fitted just so, some of the buttons might not work. Play with it, and your success might improve, but casual users have been left high and dry by this. Oh, and the blue buttons on the keypad are a bit harder to view than the usual white buttons. All things to be aware of.

Overall then, this case still gets a strong 85%. It’s good enough to use, any design weaknesses are cancelled out by the fact that it does work for the majority of cases, and its few shortcomings can be forgiven by the overall protection. If OtterBox manages to resolve the screen and keyboard issues, I’d put it up in the 90-95% range. It’s not perfect yet, but it could be.

Thanks, OtterBox! Thanks for another great and unique product!