[EnoughIsEnough]

I've had several BB's, (7520, 7100i, 8310) and find them to be remarkably durable.

I'm soon to upgrade from my 8310, and am deciding between the 9700 or 3GS.

I'd like your experience with the durability/ruggedness of the iPhone; since discovering the Otterbox Defender case, all my devices will wear one when appropriate.

That said, the underlying toughness of the device is important to me.

TIA.

[Cleveland]

I don't think it's that much different than any other smartphone, especially one with a touchscreen, if you drop a touchscreen phone on the ground the right way, all the touchscreens will break...

But I've dropped mine a few times and I've cringed as it fell and not a mark and I'm only supporting an air jacket case on my iPhone, which doesn't offer much protection...

From what I've seen and read the Otterbox Defender series really protect the phone nicely, I dont have one since I like the slimness of the device, didn't want to bulk mine back up, I'd feel like I was holding a Storm or Storm 2 again lol

[qbnkelt]

What type of environments do you frequent? I mean, are you in an office or are you in an extreme kind of environment such as first responder?

I would take notice of what my colleagues are using - not to be cool or go with the crowd, but to know what works there. Darwinian natural selection!!!

Apart from that, if you use an otterbox I think anything would be protected. I don't currently have a iPhone, I have Berries, but the 3GS did have an amazingly solid feel to it.

[walds11]

I carry my iPhone naked. I've dropped mine a few times. Just some scuffing on the casing and bezel, nothing else. Now I use a clear-coat full body skin for some protection.

[EnoughIsEnough]

What type of environments do you frequent? I mean, are you in an office or are you in an extreme kind of environment such as first responder?

I would take notice of what my colleagues are using - not to be cool or go with the crowd, but to know what works there. Darwinian natural selection!!!

Apart from that, if you use an otterbox I think anything would be protected. I don't currently have a iPhone, I have Berries, but the 3GS did have an amazingly solid feel to it.

My recommendation to another forum member on the OB Defender gives a pretty good description of my daily operating environment.

I haven't decided on the model yet, but if I can determine - even from anecdotal reports - that the iPhone isn't as well put together as BB's have been for me, it will strongly influence my decision.

The cost turns out nearly the same either way; HUG price on the device, OB case, and a big microSD card for the 9700 is the same as the HUG/OB expenditure for the BB, so thankfully that's not really a factor.

I do wonder how the Defender's membrane layer might effect the sensitivity/functionality of the touchscreen...

[zcyclist]

I carry my iPhone naked. I've dropped mine a few times. Just some scuffing on the casing and bezel, nothing else. Now I use a clear-coat full body skin for some protection.

my girlfriend dropped hers/fell out of her pocket while sitting in a reclining, low to the ground lounge chair. the floor was concrete, but the hight of the fall was seriously not over 1'6". SHATTERED!
funny though, about a year before she was riding her bike on a paved path. again, iphone slips out of the pocket, falls roughly 3 feet on to a asphalt bike path at 15 or so mph, iphone goes bouncing and flipping down the path, ends up with just a small scuff on one corner.
it would recommend a case for sure if you're getting an iphone. if you've dropped it and it hasn't shattered the screen than YOU'RE LUCKY, but your luck WILL run out!

[Speedv1]

+1 on Otterbox Defender.

The iPhone isn't necessarily a weak phone, but it's definitely one that is not too hard to break. I know there are people out there who run the iPhone naked and they're fine - but do you really want to drop it once and screw it up?!

Just get yourself a case and a screen protector (both make a great combo). If you're not after a heavy duty case all the time (OB Defender) then consider a switcheasy rebel, or something with a harder backing. I have both, one for work, the other for personal (I'm a student and work a lot during the summer in construction - so my OB will be on it day and night til September).

Cheers.

[anon(153966)]

Otterbox Defender is the way to go. But, also get the AT&T Anti glare screen protector, too. It prevents watermarks...

[xxxxpradaxxxx]

The scratch and grease resistant, is pretty durable.

A pocket full of keys and your iPhone? No problem.

A 10 foot drop onto cement? Well... Its gonna hurt.

One time I chucked my iPhone at someone and yes, it broke.

But I think any of my BlackBerry's would have in that situation...

[harrison0550]

+1 on the otterbox

Love the case but hate the belt clip. I dropped mine this morning running out the door late to work. Jumped in the truck and noticed my iphone wasnt in the holster. Opened the truck door and there it sat on the driveway, not a scratch on it. As far as the sensitivity goes it's pretty amazing. If I didnt know any better I would just think I was touching the iphones screen. Perfect response but again the belt clip is lacking IMO. Had a bad scare with it about a week ago when I bumped against the rail on a second story apartment it came out of the holster dropped 1 story and hit the ground. Ran downstairs and it worked but said searching for signal. hit so hard it knocked the sim tray lose, put the sim back in and viola. The otterbox is tough!

[stuaw11]

OP, basically its about as durable as any other phone out there. Its still plastic and circuit boards so dont go throwing it against the wall or kicking it around the parking lot and youll be ok with really any case.

[EnoughIsEnough]

Well, I've decided I'm going to upgrade to the 9700. It will be my fourth BB in 5 years, and I think the keyboard and multi-tasking functionality, as well as the familiar form factor are what make the sale for me.

Like my current 8310, the new one will be coming home in an Otterbox Defender; I suspect a 16GB microSD card, and possibly a Motorola S9HD headset might make it into the bag as well. I understand the 9700 uses microUSB rather than mini-, so a car charger is a certainty.

Thanks for the input on the iPhone anyway.

[BergerKing]

Here's a place you should look and see for yourself.

broken iphones - Google Search

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com