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Nice! And thanks for the full explanation plus pics. I'm sure that'll help a lot of folks, here.The problem isn't an alignment issue, it lines up perfectly. It's more of a fit issue. In order for the lower portion of the case to have integrated rails in them for the top portion to attach it, they had to make it slightly wider than the width of the Torch. What this does is create an overhang of sorts over top of the charging port.
This partially blocks the top part of the micro usb plug and prevents it from sitting in tightly. My quick and easy solution to this was to take my Dremel to the top of the usb plug for a few seconds and file it down slightly at an angle.
12-05-10 05:45 PM - I thought about that awhile & decided to give it a shot. I probably could have gotten it a little cheaper on eBay than I did on Amazon, but Amazon let me pay for it with my credit card bonus points. Free is always better.The problem isn't an alignment issue, it lines up perfectly. It's more of a fit issue. In order for the lower portion of the case to have integrated rails in them for the top portion to attach it, they had to make it slightly wider than the width of the Torch. What this does is create an overhang of sorts over top of the charging port.
This partially blocks the top part of the micro usb plug and prevents it from sitting in tightly. My quick and easy solution to this was to take my Dremel to the top of the usb plug for a few seconds and file it down slightly at an angle.
12-06-10 01:15 AM - I now have several different cases, all of which, by themselves, have some fault. So, here's a comparison of sorts.
1) AGF GRT:
Plus: looks nice, uses it's own slider to attach to itself instead of to the phone
Minus: bulky, charger port opening not as easy to use (some may want to mod the charger microusb plug housing), back very smooth & requires something like an eGrips pad if you're concerned about sliding on table & desk surfaces, top buttons exposed & may be scratchable.
Info: can be found on Amazon & eBay at about 50% cheaper than other sales sites.
2) OEM Holster or pocket case:
Plus: Good protection when the phone is in it, slim, allows the good looks of the phone to be evident.
Minus: no protection when out of the case, part of the top of the phone is still exposed while in the case.
Info: also can be found on Amazon & eBay at about 50% cheaper than most other places.
3) CaseMate Barely There:
Plus: not sure, I don't own one.
Minus: said to have issues with the slider piece being thin & easily breaking if dropped (unconfirmed by me).
4) Otterbox Commuter Case:
Plus: Good protection for the body (plastic outer shell with a rubber inner liner), the liner includes cover for the top & side buttons, plus usb & earphone ports), no issues accessing any of the ports.
Minus: said to be bulky (actually no larger than the AGF GRT), slider/screen frame is thin & said to break easily (unconfirmed by me), bottom edge of the screen frame slightly intrudes over the keyboard top; like the AGF GRT, the back is smooth enough to benefit from an eGrips pad attached to the back.
Info: also discounted on Amazon & eBay, best prices can be found on eBay.
5) "El Cheapo" found at HARD RUBBER CASE COVER FOR BLACKBERRY TORCH 9800 NEW - eBay (item 270649347638 end time Jan-12-11 00:48:46 PST) :
Plus: Good protection while smaller than the other hard cases, hard rubber gives good feel & grip, inexpensive, has a microber cloth & a screen protector included in the package, the screen/slider frame is thicker than the others (less likely to break & better screen protection); while the screen frame is thicker the bottom is shorter, so there's no intrusion over the physical keyboard; did I say cheap? ($3.57 & free shipping)
Minus: I tend to switch cases a lot, finally broke a tab on the screen frame (only adding slight flex to one corner); the frame height requires the user to adjust in accessing the trackball & buttons below the screen, the top buttons are exposed like the AGF GRT & open to possible scratching if the slider moves, earphone jack is partly blocked for some plugs.
Info: As cheap as the price is, their own site ( www.cbdbestone.com ) allows "membership", which knocks another $.25 off the price. Either place, you can easily buy 3-8 of these & keep replacing them, for the same price as one unit of any of the others.
Note 1: The screen frame from "el cheapo" works with the Otterbox case. And the rubberized texture is matched enough by the textured parts of the plastic Otterbox body casing & the exposed button & port covers of the rubber liner, that it all looks like it's intended to be together. And the combination of the right screen frame, the rubber lining around the phone & covering all the buttons & ports, plus the hardshell body casing, it adds up to the best overall protection for your Torch. And, depending on where you get the Otterbox, you can keep total cost down to about $15 plus whatever the shipping is for the Otterbox.
Note 2: For me, the phone is unprotected if the screen can be scratched or shattered easily. I still have a package of multiple dry install protectors that I got for my 8525 & also worked well on my Treo Pro. And they're too small for my Torch.
The dry install protector that ships with the "el cheapo" case is clear & shiny & looks like it should work OK. Mine had a couple of paper tabs to help with holding for installation. But one of those was so stubborn about coming off that it would have required a knife blade &/or a wet or soapy cloth to work it off. That had me looking at comments & reviews.
My final selection was the BestSkinsEver wet install screen protector. It was easy to put on & inexpensive -- all they include is one sheet of 2 protectors & a set of instructions for $5.99. Their assumption is that most houses will have either dish detergent without additives or baby shampoo without additives, so they can cut the cost. I found a place to get 3M handkerchief sized microfiber cloths for $1.98. And they assume that their customers will have something similar to a credit card that can be used as a squeegee. As I said, installation is easy. I had a couple of very minor glitches along the sides that no one else would notice & probably wouldn't have occurred if I was more experienced & followed instructions more closely.
Overall it looks great and all at a savings of $7-17, plus shipping. There is a very slight "orange peel" effect not noticeable in the screen area when on, only slightly when the screen is off, only slightly on the black border, & all only in the right lighting -- otherwise unnoticeable.
Note 3: The eGrips pads I mentioned are available for various devices, in various shapes, sizes & combinations of shapes. If you are good at placing one time glue-on strips, you can get some discontinued pads as cheaply as $2 on their site. And one of those each, centered properly, is all that's really needed for the AGF GRT & Otterbox cases.. My likelihood of perfection called for solid black to more readily hide a slight misplacement. A generic Blackberry set of 2 strips, 2 1x2 pads & 1 1.5x2.5 pad ran for $13, leftover pads usable for other small electronics.Last edited by kraski; 12-18-10 at 01:34 PM.
12-18-10 01:25 PM - As my Note 1 says, mine's Otterbox back, "el cheapo" (there's no name on it anywhere ) screen frame, BSE screenprotector. Never thought of putting a protector over the camera lens & flash. I guess "perfect" depends on experience & your particular tastes. Which is why my "perfect" (although perfect) is different from your "perfect".
Have you noticed any changes to your picture quality after putting the BSE protector over the lens?Last edited by kraski; 12-18-10 at 02:42 PM.
12-18-10 02:39 PM - OK. Last first. So, you have the whole skin set then. I've seen a lot of positive things about skinning the whole phone. I avoided that because I figured I'd be just far enough off to make it look lousy.
Now, back to the beginning of this message. I took no offense. That's why I included the huge smile. Although I've never understood how an ugly green thing can be taken as friendly.
The last time I looked at something showing that many teeth, it was trying to bite me. 
And after parenthetical "although perfect" we need a new emoticon that sticks out to one side to indicate tongue in cheek. But my point was that, even with two of us who seem to have a decent handle on what works & what doesn't, the end result isn't necessarily going to be the same. In the thread where I did my initial review of the "el cheapo", I thought I was making a good case for getting one. The very next message in the thread was from someone who had been ready to buy "el cheapo", but my review changed his mind. Apparently one or more of the negatives I mentioned was sufficient to push him in the direction of the AGF GRT. Whatever works.
BTW, I made up "el cheapo" because of the price. The case is so generic that there's no name or logo on it. So, I had to name it something.
And I'm looking forward to your future comments & responses. You're one of those people I know I'm going to learn something from, whether I decide to use it or not.12-19-10 12:19 AM
