global travel: OtterBox Defender: Handsome and Heavy iPad 2 Armor

Apple's own iPad 2 Smart Cover looks great, and it doubles as a convenient stand. But suppose you want to take your iPad on a rough adventure without giving it a million scratches and scars? Heavy gadget armor maker OtterBox has put its talents to work on iPad 2 with the Defender, a burly case that may be bulky but will definitely stand up to accidents and rough treatment.

Reach More Customers with Live Chat - Free Whitepaper
Boost e-commerce sales, reduce service costs & increase satisfaction with a combination of live chat & social media. Learn how in this Netop whitepaper, "Interactive Chat Everywhere: Website, Email and Social Media for Retailers." Download now.

The Otterbox Defender for iPad 2

When I received my shiny new Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad 2, my first fear was protecting my new gadget from breaks or scratches. I know the iPad 2 is wicked strong, but I've also seen tough electronic devices fail in unexpected ways. So extra-robust protection is a must for me, and a super-protective case is right for my lifestyle.

OtterBox makes some of the strongest cases for electronic devices around, particularly for people with active lifestyles -- so OtterBox has always been on my short list.

Unfortunately, because Apple is so secretive about its new products, OtterBox had to wait for the official unveiling of the iPad 2 before it could it start its production process. Now, though, the company is cranking out a new version of its Defender Series case -- it is similar to the first-generation Defender case for Apple iPad, but the new version for the iPad 2 is 20 percent lighter. OtterBox was kind enough to send me a review unit, and so far I've been pleased. Here's what I've learned so far.

It's Thick

Turns out robust protection comes with a cost: thickness. The OtterBox Defender Series case for iPad 2 turns your svelte little iPad into a cased unit that's a little over an inch thick. But this is what I wanted, right? Superior protection for my precious iPad 2. Well, this is what OtterBox delivers. The multilayer case itself is made up of three parts: There is a front cover made up of high-impact polycarbonate, an impact-absorbing silicone cover, and another section of polycarbonate case that forms the inner frame of the entire unit.

I'll start with the clear polycarbonate inner shell, which comes in two pieces and snaps and slides together. It also includes some memory foam pads to help cushion the unit while it's in this case. After you slide this case together, you wrap a rugged black silicone jacket around the case and over the edges. The silicone jacket has to be massaged into a crack around the outer edges to ensure that it all comes together and stays together. It took me about 5 minutes to get it all connected to my liking. The other polycarbonate shell is supposed to protect against impact, and the silicone jacket provides shock and bump protection. The headphone jack has a silicone flap that you can open and close to provide access to the jack or to close it off.

Similarly, the silent and screen rotation lock button has a flap for access. The on/off or sleep/wake button is simply covered by the silicone jacket itself, as is the volume rocker button. The home button has part of the raised polycarbonate shell around it in addition to a slightly indented silicone covering.

The 30-pin dock connector port also has a silicon flap that covers and protects it. So far so good.

Handsome Ruggedness

All in all, this portion of the case is rugged and handsome. The back sides have a nice, slightly textured feel, and the front edge has a raised bezel that frames the entire unit. The whole effect is one that makes your iPad 2 easier to hold, with the grippy back and the raised bezel for your thumbs.

The backside has a concave cutout in the silicone sheath that shows off the Apple logo through the clear polycarbonate inner case. It's nice. The speaker has an ingenious half-cover that seems to allow the sound to reflect off of the inner case and back out to the user. It seems to work pretty well too.

And what about that top layer of protection? The case comes with an interesting snap-on shield. The shield will snap on the back ... or it will snap on the front. Obviously, it snaps on the front when you're using it for protection for travel. When you have it snapped onto the back it also has four small silicone rubber bumpers that provide grip when it sits on a table -- clearly OtterBox has thought through the different use scenarios for this case.

On the interior of this snap-on lid, there's an integrated stand. In one position you get a good slight horizontal incline that's good for typing and interacting with content. If you use the backside of this stand, you end up with a more vertical incline that's good for watching content like movies.

Balance With Ease of Use

Overall, the case gives you superior protection along with the usual dual-purpose stands that most users will need most often. Because the front cover snaps on and off and is not hinged, it is not quite as handy as Apple's Smart Cover, nor is it as easy or fun was to use as other cases that have folding front covers. Still, it is by no means bad -- it's simply a different kind of construction than what I'm used to.

Another viable option for cases for me that I'm still considering is a polycarbonate shell that works with Apple's Smart Cover. With this sort of setup, I would get the cool Apple cover as well as some hardshell protection. Clearly, though, this OtterBox solution would remain far more robust.

One note: The OtterBox Defender Series case for iPad 2 is NOT waterproof.

You Want Black With That?

Right now the only color option is black with the inner clear polycarbonate shell, but OtterBox says it plans to introduce more colors soon. No worries for me -- I like black. The cost is $89.95 direct from OtterBox, making it one of the higher-cost case options available. OtterBox is shipping a free screen protector too, so this helps reduce the overall cost of protecting your precious iPad 2. (I spent more than $20 on the first screen protector I bought.) The real question for you is, "How rugged do you need your case to be?"

If your answer is, "Damn strong," the OtterBox Defender Series case for iPad 2 is worthy of your short list too.