How you choose to protect--or not protect--your iPhone is a matter of personal choice. Sure, plenty of people like to leave their iPhone naked, reasoning that any protective cover diminishes its sleekness. But the majority of iPhone owners realize it's probably a good idea to give your precious device some degree of armor, particularly if you don't like the idea of seeing your iPhone's lovely finish dinged and scratched up over time.
Going rugged isn't always pretty.
If that's the kind of heavy-duty shielding you're looking for, this is the list for you. Now, we can't guarantee all these cases will protect your iPhone--and particularly its screen--in the event it gets dropped or has a large object fall on it, but at least they give it a better chance of surviving unscathed.
While we tried to pick tough, protective cases that look good and don't make your iPhone too bulky, we should point out that a few of the cases have more extreme designs that aren't intended for everyday use. We should also note that some of the more rugged cases can be a bit of a chore to remove and aren't friendly toward iPod docks. And finally, before slipping your iPhone into any of these case, be sure to wipe your iPhone off carefully because having any bigger dirt particles wedged between your case and the back of your iPhone or the chrome trim can lead to scratches.
Click on any image to begin slideshow.
Note: The top 20 is listed in alphabetical order, not by ranking. If you don't agree with our choices or feel we missed some, please submit a comment, and we'll consider making changes in our next update of the list.
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Chrome Bags)
Chrome started with a couple of guys in Boulder, Colo., who set out to built a bag that could stand a lifetime of daily abuse. Eight years later, the operation is now based out to San Francisco, where Chrome bags have become the staple of bike messengers, students, and packrats alike. Today, Chrome also announced its sojourn into the techie commuter market with the release of two stripped-down, laptop-friendly bags: the Vega and Corsair.
Chrome Vega
(Credit: Chrome Bags)The Vega draws inspiration from the classic "musette" bags used to feed cyclists in the middle of a big race. Since weight is everything to these pros, the bags have to be minimalist and utilitarian, and the Vega is no different. It's light, tough, and can easily fit up to a 15-inch laptop.
It's important to stress the tough material used in the build: 1,000 denier Cordura material, a heavyweight nylon with a urethane coating to protect from water, abrasian, and grime. Make no mistake about it: these are some of the toughest bags you can get.
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It's always nice when a company is willing to put up its products against its marketing claims. In this case, the strengths of Olympus' Tough series of digital cameras.
Earlier in 2009, Olympus stopped designating its series of shock- and waterproof cameras with a mere SW and started calling them Tough, since the cameras were also dustproof, crushproof, and freezeproof. To prove just how much punishment they can take, it turned over a bunch of Tough-series cameras to some kids and let them have at 'em in a series of tests, which Olympus made videos of and posted to YouTube.
The "best of" video is above while the nine individual trials--including Tricycleproof and Icecreamproof--are after the break.
... Read moreIt's been awhile since we've seen a ruggedized external hard drive come to the market. The last one we reviewed was the LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive; it scored well in the speed tests and even withstood a 30-inch drop off a desk in nonoperating mode.
Iomega's eGo camo portable hard drive takes it a step higher and bumps the maximum drop height to 60 inches (5 feet), or so they report. Along with the standard read and write tests, we also took the liberty of performing a drop test to prove its toughness. The day we tested this drive, it just happened to be "bring your kids to work day," so we put those little buggers to work. Check out the video above and rest assured that if you buy this drive, you're not going to worry about its durability. This little guy took several drops and connected to the computer with no wounds to the exterior and zero loss of data.
All of Iomega's eGo line has a drop resistance of 51 inches, but the camo version has an ace of its sleeve: the "Power Grip Band" is a thick piece of rubber that swaddles the drive and allows you to drop it an extra 9 inches without worry. For those of you are constantly on the go and are looking for an external hard drive to throw in your bag, we certainly recommend the Iomega eGo Camo portable hard drive--it'll keep your sensitive data in one piece.
Check out the review for more information including transfer speed testing and a detailed hardware description.
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Skullcandy)
These headphones can beat up your iPod earbuds.
The Skullcandy G.I. headphones are the first we've seen with built-in bullet holders in the headband, as well as a zip-up pouch that holds what looks like a bottle opener. (Update: According to Skullcandy, the tool included in the pouch is a screwdriver/skate tool/bottle-opener combo.)
Available in four styles--Rasta, Desert, Camo, and CCore (pictured here)--the CCore models look like the ones to buy if you want the fewest number of people getting all up in your face and/or messing with your biz.
The ear cans cost $69.99, but the Skullcandy site says they're out of stock until at least the beginning of December.
A skater/snowboarder-friendly retailer, Skullcandy also sells a line of MP3-playing watches, accessories, and backpacks. The company also sells lower-profile earbuds, but that means you'll have to carry your bullets and bottle opener around in your pocket. Laaaaaaame.
The R7 Premium Edition comes in jet-black.
(Credit: Impress)Panasonic has added four new laptops to its Let's Note line in Japan. Though they're sold under the ToughBook brand here in the States, the shiny portables aren't exactly what we'd call rugged. They are engineered to survive a drop from 30 inches--about desk height--and incorporate a spill-resistant keyboard, but we've always felt the greatest strength of the Let's Note line has been the laptops' remarkably light weight. These new models are no exception: The lightest laptop of the bunch, the 10.4-inch R7, weighs just 2.1 pounds. The 12.1-inch W7 weighs 2.8 pounds with an integrated optical drive, while the nearly-identical T7 ditches the optical for a 2.6-pound weight. The 14.1-inch Y7, meanwhile, weighs just 3.3 pounds.
Given their tiny cases, it's no surprise that these laptops all run on Low- and Ultra Low-Voltage Core 2 Duo processors. Their base configurations also all include 1GB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive, and they all feature the silver exterior we've come to expect from the ToughBook line. (The only exception is the R7 Premium Edition, pictured here, which feature a new "jet-black" case.) The laptops will begin shipping in Japan throughout October and November, and with any luck they'll make it to our side of the world this year.
Via Engadget
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Sand Dune Ventures)
Sometimes it seems that every company wants to play the tech industry's version of Survivor with super-tough products. But rather than offering something of limited use like a USB key, TabletKiosk has ambitions to take over the whole island with a new rugged tablet computer.
The "TufTab" line, despite its Playskool-sounding name, is a reinforced version of its "eo v7110" ultra-mobile PC that's been toughed up with a rubberized case to withstand "rain, dust, humidity, extreme temperatures and vibration," according to the company, as well as a biometric fingerprint reader for additional security. As a bonus, it can run a Linux operating system for a slightly lower cost than the $1,700 sticker price with Windows software.
Other features include a 7-inch LCD touch screen, 1.2-GHz Via processor, 40GB hard drive and 1GB of memory contained in a case that weighs less than 2 pounds and measures 8.1 by 5.3 by 1.14 inches. But now you can drop it up to 2.5 feet too.
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