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It has been a little while since the BBGeeks team has touched base with our friends over at OtterBox. when we were contacted by our other friends at Themes4bb.com and asked if we wanted to set up an NCAA brackets contest, OtterBox was the first company to cross my mind. I knew they would be pumped about the contest and they have always been willing to hook us up with their latest products for review.

I thought to myself, how cool would it be to get a few of their new cases and give them away as prizes to the dedicated sports fans/ followers. One quick call later and they OtterBox cases were on their way to my office and soon to be in the hands of a few lucky winners.

Opening the (Otter)Box

Oh yeah! This is like Christmas in April!

After tearing through the packaging and filing the packing slips for future reference I was greeted with three – yes three OtterBox cases. (Shout out to Kristin at OtterBox – that was very generous)

The first case is for the BlackBerry Bold, second case for the BlackBerry Curve and the third case is for the 8800 series BlackBerry.

When it comes to OtterBox cases, the majority of the line is branded as the “Defender Series”, with an additional style of case being made available for new Bold owners. The Bold case is available in two styles. The “Defender Series” and the “Impact Series”.

The model that was shipped to us for review is of the Defender variety which offers a more robust device protection over the skin-like function of the Impact Series.

Testing out the OtterBox Bold Defender Case

The OtterBox Bold Defender Case is made of a sturdy plastic shell (specifications indicate this is Hi-Impact Polycarbonate), a silicone skin and a thermal formed clear membrane. There is also a holster included for your convenience which is made of the same Hi-Impact Polycarbonate as the shell case.

The clear membrane is formed to lay perfectly over the Bold screen and keyboard. It actually wraps over the top of your device and provides additional protection for the back of the Bold. The thermal forming is evident in the area that covers the keypad as it has individual space for each key and a slot for the trackball to peek through.

The silicone skin protects against bumps and dings that your BlackBerry is sure to experience in it’s lifetime. Providing an excellent level of shock absorption, the skin fits snugly around the device while maintaining access to the essential ports with a handy silicone flip tab. I was worried about the flip tab a bit so I have reassured myself by giving it a good pull. Unless your dog gets a hold of this case, that tab is not going to break.

The third component to the OtterBox Bold Defender Case is the hard plastic shell that wraps around the entire device. This thing is seriously tough. I bet you could go up against a tank with this thing and come out ok. That being said, I didn’t actually get to test this case out against a tank because my co-worker is a pansy who thinks I will break his new phone. I am giving him a pass though because he just had a sweet black bezel put on there last night – and that was like his Christmas in April – I couldn’t possibly ruin that for him.

Putting it all together

Before assembling the OtterBox casing, be sure to give your BlackBerry a good cleaning. If you have any dust, dirt, oil or grease on your screen or keyboard it will be trapped in there for good – or until you remove the case that is.

The first step to assembling the OtterBox Bold Defender Case is to carefully place the thermal formed membrane over the screen and keyboard area of the Bold. Be sure to align it so that each key is sitting comfortably in it’s own pocket and that the trackball is peeking through the pre-cut hole. Once you have aligned the keys and trackball, the screen should be perfectly aligned and all that is left is to wrap it around to the back of the device.

The second step to assembling the OtterBox case is to clip in place the hard plastic shell. The hard shell is actually two separate pieces that come together to form an all encompassing hard shell. The back piece is solid and nicely branded with the OtterBox logo. The front piece has cutout areas for both the screen and the keyboard. Not hard to tell which goes where.

Finally, after positioning the membrane and fitting the hard shell around the device it is time to add the silicone skin. This easily fits over the hard shell case and fits perfectly, giving the impression of a compact yet durable level of protection that was previously unattainable with other BlackBerry case solutions.

My impressions

It is no secret that I am a big fan of the team over at OtterBox. I loved the first case I saw and nothing has happened to make me change my mind thus far. Therefore, my impression of the OtterBox Defender Case for the BlackBerry Bold is quite high. It is clear that the design team took into account the sleek styling of the Bold when crafting this case. Despite it’s protective bulk, the case maintains a sophisticated look and feels quite comfortable in the hand.

The case, as usual makes it slightly difficult to keep your BlackBerry in your pocket so if that is your preferred method of transporting your device you may want to look at another BlackBerry case option. That being said, if you are using your BlackBerry in an environment where it is likely to get bumped or dinged, this case is a no brainer. Ideal for anyone working in nature, construction or anywhere they are exposed to the elements on a regular basis.

The lucky winner of the NCAA March Madness contest is going to be a happy camper!

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