This case consists of a hard shell that the phone sits in, a flexible,transparent key pad wrap around, and a silicone cover that wraps around the hard shell. In detail: the key pad has side and bottom flaps that wrap around the Blackberry and cover the key pad completely. You can leave it off if desired. Next, the hard shell is a two piece assembly that snaps into place. It and the silicone cover that will surround it has holes and slit sections that fold back to expose MOST jacks, buttons, etc of the Blackberry. They do NOT allow you to use the Desk Charger because the two contacts at the bottom two sides of the Blackberry are covered and have no access port through the case. The upper mute and lock buttons do, however, work through the case. Everything else , microphone, headphone jack, mini USB jack, etc. is accessible. The hard case includes a built in window that covers the screen (it is not a traditional screen protector but rather a piece of glass or plastic that is part of the hard case ). The hard case also has exterior raised areas where the silicone fits over to help lock it in place. Finally the silicone is very flexible and you fit it over the hard shell, fitting over the hard cases' raised areas and aligning a few tabs in the silicone case that fit into the hard shell. The Blackberry is now completely enclosed save for access jacks.
The case is not too bulky for my tastes and should provide reasonable protection from drops, bumps, etc (I haven't had to test that out yet). It does slip into my pocket fairly easily and because of the silicone has some friction that will keep it from sliding around. The case includes a separate holster that you can use with the case if you want. Its hard plastic like the hard shell and covers half the phone (you put the screen side facing the ratchet belt clip and the silicone back forms the exposed other side of your holster. The holster has a small magnet so the Blackberry can turn off when fully placed in the holster. The Blackberry is held by two side round extrusions of the holster that fit into two round recesses in the hard shell. The flexibility of the plastic holster presses the two round "buttons" into the hard shell and keeps it in place somewhat like snap buttons. The bottom of the holster completely surrounds the Blackberry by about half an inch to also help keep the Blackberry in place. My unit is fairly new, but I didn't experience any tendency of the Blackberry being easily knocked out, i.e. the holster seems to securely hold the phone.
I would say the whole thing looks pretty sharp, with or without the holster. If you could get to the charging contacts* and place this in a desk charger so as to make use of bedtime mode (a bed side clock while charging) I would give it five stars.
* You can also charge by the mini USB jack OtterBox Defender Case for BlackBerry Bold 9700 (Black)
Update: October 4, 2010 from a letter I just sent to Otterbox..
Dear Otterbox:
I am writing to let you know of another defect in your Defender case for the Bold 9700 by BlackBerry.
Please do not send a replacement. It will be discarded and not installed.
When I purchased your case, I had previously been using Zagg's Invisible Shield for my devices. I purchased the Defender both from the advertised design and as a result of word of mouth endorsements for Otterbox and your overall reputation.
As much as I liked the hard core techy look of the Defender, there is also some hassle factor - dismantling to do a battery pull, blowing talc "air" on the screen at cleanings to avoid the watermark on the screen, etc.
I could put up with all of this, but not with the numerous defects.
First, there was the holster, then a cracked window, then the tabs on the case breaking from the pressure of the holder clips. The last straw was a repeat of the last, making the holster completely unusable.
I have thrown out the latest broken case and the holster you just sent - along with all of the parts and silicone sleeves I was keeping as spares.
Did it escape your attention when you designed this that cases are not supposed to be intricate systems demanding constant care, repair and other attention - that they should just protect the phone and not be given a second's thought otherwise?
Also, looking over your site and other reviews about the 9700 Defender, it is obvious Otterbox cut corners in its design. For the little money you might have saved, you must have lost it in the warranty claims. In my case alone (pun intended), you have sent numerous parts free of charge including shipping - including at least 2 but maybe even as many as 3 complete replacements. There is no way you could have made any profit from your sale of this to me at this point.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend you on to others given my experience. I will in all fairness agree that Otterbox stands behind its products - but that is only half of the equation. The other half is making a product worthwhile to stand behind - and this case Otterbox failed. Since it is the only product of yours I have tried, I would be loath to try another product of yours without giving another manufacturer a chance.
In this situation, I am ordering a Zagg screen shield and have dusted off my BlackBerry cheapy free holster.
Sincerely,
Adam Lamar
Burbank, CA
Original Review:
I just received my own case today, having bought the Blackberry Bold about 2 weeks ago. It is my first experience with an Otterbox product.
First, The case is like nothing else I've seen. And there appears to be a significant improvement over the Defender for the Blackberry Bold 9000 Series - there is now a clear film shield that fits in place very well and very easily over the keyboard, leaving an opening for the electronic touchpad. Otterbox got rid of the film for the screen and replaced with a clear, hard polycarbonate screen that is affixed to the polycarbonate portion of the case. So NO worries about screen clarity, bubbles, etc. Once everything's together you can't even tell anything's there.
The case assembled fairly quickly.
Use: I like it - the buttons were all premolded out on the inner film, so it's about the same as not having the shield. The trackpad takes a bit of getting used to in the "up" direction. Otterbox accounted for this by cutting into the polycarbonate part a bit, but you can still feel something. It's not bad, but just something you have to get used to.
The side buttons I find actually much easier to find and use with the extensions Otterbox made on the silicone skin - so here you have an improvement over the original blackberry.
The top buttons for Lock and Standby/Mute also have silicone extensions and easy access.
The only drawback I could find in the case itself is no immediate access to the battery/SIM compartment, but to create such access I think would have severely compromised the protective quality of the case. There's a program called "QuickPull" I tried that simulates a full battery pull - but it does not work on the 9700 version yet. That was my own experience, and all other reviews I read indicated the same. So hopefully, until QuickPull resolves this, you will have to get by with the soft-reset by pressing alt-shift-delete.
The sound, screen resolution, etc are perfect.
Holster - there is some controversy on this if you search online for reviews. Otterbox made a change from their original sleeve design to a dual-clip that the phone ratchets in and out of - so you can't really slide the phone in, you have to go in diagonally and snap in place. Also - VERY important - the screen must be facing in toward your body - not outward - they did this on purpose for another layer of protection.. Fit seems snug enough to me but I was able to deliberately pop out the phone by "accident". I can see where users of previous models would be less than pleased by the change. I prefer to wear the phone in a horizontal rather than vertical position. I'm sure this will help prevent accidental bumps that could dislodge the phone. It is so new, I'll have to wear a few days and will follow up on this page. I am not thrilled with the holster design, but it might be ok. I am going to keep my eyes open and if Otterbox ever does update the holster with their original design, I'll probably pick it up. Either way, in my own opinion this isn't bad enough to pass on the case or even the holster.
Cheers,
Adam Lamar
Updates:
1) Have worn around for about a week now. The phone has NEVER popped out of the case by accident. I personally like wearing it horizontally because of the bulk of the phone with the case, comfort, and better control taking the phone in and out. Maybe this makes a difference?
2) I found a watermark does appear on the hard screen. I also ran across a video on how to get rid of it - and it works!
[...] - Bold 9700 - Blackberry - 9700 - Defender'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
