I’ve finally found a reliable case for my iPod Touch. That was a happy result of my recent two-week trip to Orlando, where I put Otterbox’s Defender to the test.

Previous cases from other makers were a disappointment — too flimsy, not protective enough or a poor fit for my second-generation 32GB Touch. (Many retailers sell cases designed to fit only 8GB and 16GB models as being fine for the 32GB, which isn’t always true.) (See comments below.) The Defender offers three layers of protection: (1) a thin membrane to protect the touch screen, (2) a hard plastic shell, including protective bumpers on all sides, that completely encases the Touch and (3) a soft silcone skin that feels comfortable to hold but also helps absorb shocks if dropped. All buttons are fully accessible through the case, and there are tight-fitting silcone plugs that offer easy access to the headphone and sync jacks. 

Really, the only problem I had was that the protective layer over the touch pad adhered unevenly to the screen, creating random dark splotches that were visible even when the screen was lit. I kept trying to wipe the screen and case clean using the iPod wipe cloth, but it didn’t help. So I contacted Otterbox. “This sounds funny, but before you put your device in the case, rub your palm across the screen,” suggested company exec Kristin Golliher. That not only sounded funny, but completely counter-intuitive. Here I was trying to keep everything as clean and meticulous as possible before putting the Touch inside the protective case, and she was telling me to just smear my greasy hand across its face. It worked.

“It’s the natural oils of the skin that keep the plastic from sticking to the screen,” she explained. “Your hands should be clean but you don’t want to wash your hands just before doing it. You can also try wiping it along your cheek to pick up the oils from your face.”

Well, there you go.

The Defender for 2G iPod Touch retails for $30, but a Google search quickly turns up online retailers selling it for well below $20 — putting it in line with (and making it even cheaper) than the many poor alternatives I’ve tried. The Defender series also is available for other models. Otterbox also sells the vitamin-fortified, higher-priced Armor series — apparently for abusive travelers, construction workers and maybe even demolitions experts. But the Defender met my needs and exceeded my expectations. 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 8:12 am and is filed under Mobile. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.