Been using the Otterbox Defender lately on my One (M8) since I work as a mechanic and my phone has a tendency to get dropped or run into things. I've also been using the holster so the screen doesn't get sweaty and covered in pocket lint. I began to realize that I very rarely took the phone out of the holster without then turning the screen on so I decided to make it automatically happen. I bought these and drilled a 1/4" hole in the holster (see photo) in the place where the dot view cover's magnet would be. As far as I can tell, the magnet can go in 1 of 2 places. Either where I placed it or on the point opposite of it (above and left of the clip pivot as opposed to below and right in the picture I've attached). So far everything is working as expected, phone activates when removed from the holster and shuts its screen off when It is replaced. It doesn't interfere with the case being used as a kickstand as far as I've found. You can see in the one photo where the belt clip is rotated that there is a hole where the magnet was inserted that could be easily filled with a black epoxy to make it less obvious but the clip covers it so I didn't bother. I could have also painted the magnet black rather that use a black sharpie on it to make it match the rest of the holster better. Just thought I'd share.
Cool idea , I use the Otterbox for mine as well . Never thought of doing this sort of mod . Good work
SouthernEvo said:
Cool idea , I use the Otterbox for mine as well . Never thought of doing this sort of mod . Good work
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If you want some more detailed instructions I could take measurements on where to put the magnet, just didn't feel like it at the time. It was late and I was tired.
If you could post measurements that would be awesome
Here you go. If you carry on the left side, youll need to flip the case but it should be the same measurement. The magnet sensor in the phone is on the left side just below the center line.
Related
http://www.calculatorsource.com/tp-pda.html
It looks like it might work given the fact they will custom build it..
The longer flap also has a piece of plastic inside to help protect the screen.
Looking for some feed back. I may order one to give it a shot..
Thanks Kevin
Looks like it would work well, and has the right price (if you don't want leather).
Ok..I ordered one in a horizontal layout with a belt clip. I will take some pictures and post them when I get it. About 2 weeks.....
hs1333a said:
Ok..I ordered one in a horizontal layout with a belt clip. I will take some pictures and post them when I get it. About 2 weeks.....
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Hs1333a, has it arrived? Looking forward to your picture
edit: could'nt wait, so have gone ahead to place my order too.
Not yet...They told me it shipped from the mfg on or about 1/16 so it should be here any day. I will get some pics up as soon as I get it...Hopefully it's well made and practical..fingers crossed.
Thanks Kevin
Ok...I just got the case and it's made very well. The only thing that wasn't done to my spec was that I asked for a metal spring clip for my belt instead of the belt loop. I have a call into the mfg about correcting this. I went with the dimensions of 5 1/4" x 3 7/8" x 5/8" Horizontal Layout and that allows enough room to have the keyboard attached as well. I'm going to see about having one made up using a smaller thickness of about 3/8" this should make for a nice snug fit for just the device. Any questions give a shout..
If anyone is interested I would go through the mfg directly.
The Pouch Inc
www.thepouchinc.com
1-800-727-6824
Just an update..The Mfg called back and they were very polite and helpful. Because of the mishap with the belt clip they are going to send me another case. I changed the 5/8" to 3/8" on this one to get a tighter fit. I never expect anything for free and since I'm changing the original dimensions they are only charging me half price for the new unit, which I feel is fair.
New case with belt clip
I just received the updated case with the belt clip and smaller width(thickness). The unit fits in nice and snug. The material they use stretches so it keeps everything in place. The case is pretty nice and very well made.
Thanks Kevin
Did you order the thin case with a hard flap to protect the screen from impact damage when not connected to the keyboard?
I like the spring clip, but without any covering I've always found that they really scratch up the belt after using it for awhile. Is the other option the belt / clip web strap?
Can you post a picture of the bigger case with the complete device with keyboard attached. I'd like to see how bulky it looks.
Thanks
hitch said:
Did you order the thin case with a hard flap to protect the screen from impact damage when not connected to the keyboard?
I like the spring clip, but without any covering I've always found that they really scratch up the belt after using it for awhile. Is the other option the belt / clip web strap?
Can you post a picture of the bigger case with the complete device with keyboard attached. I'd like to see how bulky it looks.
Thanks
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Here's a couple of comparisons of the two cases. The tinner one also has the flap with the plastic on the inside to help protect the screen. The bigger case has the belt loop and I believe the other clip is a locking buckle(see pic).
All in All I like the unit without the keyboard and it fits great in the thinner case...
The picture 2nd from left on above post is the unit with keyboard in the larger case
Got my official HD2 flip top case today... it's ok, but doesn't clip closed securely. Fit round the device and camera is good but just let down by the catch.
Would not recommend as when it pops open, the clip tends to sit right onto the speaker and pressure would likely cause damage to the screen/ speaker.
I'm surprised to hear that. althought I'm using a Piel Frama iMagnum at the moment, I really like the PO S511 Case..!! the one I have closes really good, I worried about that as well but the end of the closing/catch is just big enough so it won't fit into the speaker.. maybe you can try to bend it a little so it will close better..
I find the design rather brilliant, the way it follows the tappered design of the HD2, I mean the bottom part of the case is just a little bigger then the bottom of the HD2 and the top flip fit's precisely inside the screen, and offers great protection for your screen when it's in your pocket of you open jacket and you might accidently hit something. I liek the way it closes, you can open and close it easily with one hand and because it has no snaps it lays flat on the table and makes it about the least bulky flip case you can find.
Also, call me weird, but it smells exactly like a p-dair case when it's new, I would not be surprised if they where made by them for hTC.
I have only seen pictures of this case, and I am curious as to how it works. Is the device itself somehow strapped or mounted to the case so that it doesn't fall out when the case is flipped open?
Overlord Yuri said:
I have only seen pictures of this case, and I am curious as to how it works. Is the device itself somehow strapped or mounted to the case so that it doesn't fall out when the case is flipped open?
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it makes use of the smart tapered designed sides of the hd2.. the sides of the case are slightly bended inwards so the HD2 slides in like a V-groove untill it hits the slightly upwards bended connectors of the flip on the bottom. althought it clamps pretty good by itself, it's prevented from sliding out by the hole in the back, that's perfectly placed for the camera, speaker and flash, and the camera kinda locks the device inside the case.. it's all very smart designed for such a simple case.
I'm using the same case.... seemed v tight to start. actually it's a perfect fit, and I mean perfect... and the clip is secure without being over-tight. I'm amazed at the precision, but, being leather, i can believe that there may be variation & some may not be as good a fit??
I just received mine and I am loving it. The original pouch was always a hassle to take the phone out and it was a two handed operation. Now I can quickly flip open and close the case with one hand. There seems to be two variations of this case. When mine arrived I was surprised to see it was trimmed with grey stitching. The web site I ordered it from had picture of it with Yellow stitching similar to the original pouch.
micaman said:
I just received mine and I am loving it. The original pouch was always a hassle to take the phone out and it was a two handed operation. Now I can quickly flip open and close the case with one hand. There seems to be two variations of this case. When mine arrived I was surprised to see it was trimmed with grey stitching. The web site I ordered it from had picture of it with Yellow stitching similar to the original pouch.
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it's great isn't it. yes, mine is dark brown with grey stitching while I ordered a black one with grey stitching.. (from the pictures) The one with the yellow stitching is the same as the original puch.. (at least as mine). Still looking for a black one..
Well after a good review by another user here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1892017
I decided to buy the brown one last week, I had it this morning and tried it immediately. The case looks professional and feels nice to the touch. I thought the only complain I have is that it has no ridge on the inner side of the flap to stop the Nexus from sliding front/back when positioned in landscape mode.
But I discovered a flaw that plagued the earlier Poetic and other similar cases from amazon, in that the magnet is so strong, it put the device in standby mode when folding the front flap all the way to the back.
Watch th video here:
That's strange, my case does not do that? I can upload a video if you want?
I don't know...it's a shame as the case is really lovely but that's the first thing I noticed after I put my nexus on the case. Please do try it with yours.
nm8 said:
I don't know...it's a shame as the case is really lovely but that's the first thing I noticed after I put my nexus on the case. Please do try it with yours.
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I tried it earlier and I could not get it to turn the screen off, I was mimicking what you were doing. Maybe ask the seller and see if they can send you a replacement?
spooke said:
I tried it earlier and I could not get it to turn the screen off, I was mimicking what you were doing. Maybe ask the seller and see if they can send you a replacement?
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cheers, will contact them about it.
im getting a refund for the case and I get to keep it too. I have compared the magnet location on this case and it is a little lower than the magnets on the other cases that I already have. tried relocating the magnet but it still has the same issue so my guess is the magnet is quite strong.
nm8 said:
im getting a refund for the case and I get to keep it too. I have compared the magnet location on this case and it is a little lower than the magnets on the other cases that I already have. tried relocating the magnet but it still has the same issue so my guess is the magnet is quite strong.
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Ah that's good. I guess my case's magnet must be in a different location to yours as it works fine on mine.
Obviously nobody should have to modify a case they bought advertised with a smart function to get it to work the way it's supposed to, but for anyone dealing with a case that shuts the screen off if the front flap is folded all the way back because the magnet is too strong, I have a quick/cheap/easy solution if you don't want to mess with returns/replacements:
You can tape a little piece of metal between the case and the back of the Nexus in the same area as the magnet. This should stop the magnet from turning the screen off when the flap is all the way open and touching the back of the case.
I did this for my ASUS travel case. I taped a magnet to the front flap so I could use it as a smart case, but the magnet was too strong and kept turning the screen off when folded back. I added the little piece of metal and now it works perfectly. For the metal I just I cut a small square out of a tin can lid a little larger than the size of the magnet I was using. I just used a tin can because it was the nearest piece of thin metal I had, but anything small and thin enough that the tablet will still fit in the case while sitting on it will work. The tape will keep the metal in place and protect the back of the Nexus 7 from scratches. Haven't had a problem yet. It's not the most polished looking solution in the world, but you can't even tell it's there unless I remove the Nexus from the case. Just throwing it out there for anyone having magnet issues.
Melarsa said:
Obviously nobody should have to modify a case they bought advertised with a smart function to get it to work the way it's supposed to, but for anyone dealing with a case that shuts the screen off if the front flap is folded all the way back because the magnet is too strong, I have a quick/cheap/easy solution if you don't want to mess with returns/replacements:
You can tape a little piece of metal between the case and the back of the Nexus in the same area as the magnet. This should stop the magnet from turning the screen off when the flap is all the way open and touching the back of the case.
I did this for my ASUS travel case. I taped a magnet to the front flap so I could use it as a smart case, but the magnet was too strong and kept turning the screen off when folded back. I added the little piece of metal and now it works perfectly. For the metal I just I cut a small square out of a tin can lid a little larger than the size of the magnet I was using. I just used a tin can because it was the nearest piece of thin metal I had, but anything small and thin enough that the tablet will still fit in the case while sitting on it will work. The tape will keep the metal in place and protect the back of the Nexus 7 from scratches. Haven't had a problem yet. It's not the most polished looking solution in the world, but you can't even tell it's there unless I remove the Nexus from the case. Just throwing it out there for anyone having magnet issues.
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Cheers, I alreay tried a few sheets of aluminum foil, but it did not help, and
the Nexus did not fit snugly because it was too thick.
I'm looking forward to cheaper altearnatives of this one (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008NMCPTQ/ref=cm_cd_asin_lnk) which looks like it has the best design, and offers the best protection.
Didn't see one of these for the Note 2, so here we go:
The Shellster comes out of the box looking nice, very nice. Looks like it cost way more than $15-20. The case itself snaps onto the phone very, very snugly. It's on there to the point that getting it off involves so much pressure that you feel like you're going to break the phone, and it will probably drag across the volume rocker as you go. Kind of scary to do to a new phone.
The holster itself lacks and kind of clip to keep the phone in, but that's not a huge issue because of how tight a fit the cased phone is in there. It feels very snug and secure against your waist. The belt clip on the holster has a metal slider inside that allows it to prop the case up as a holster in either landscape or portrait orientation. It's a very nice touch. The belt clip can be rotated along a 180-degree axis to fit the phone more comfortably to your waist--a big help when your phone has a 5.5-inch screen!
All that said, there are some very real problems with it. The case does not have any protection along the top of bottom of the phone. The holster does, as it extends slightly above the top and has a plastic loop on the bottom for the device to rest in, but not the case. The case does have a raised bezel, but not by much. Given all that, I do not believe that the Amzer Shellster offers much in the way of protection in a fall.
The second big issue, and the reason mine is being returned, is poor build quality. Earlier today, less then three days worth of use on the case, I bent over to pick something up. I am not a big guy; bending over shouldn't generate a ton of stress. The holster was aligned so that it rested horizontally along my side, as opposed to resting straight up and down. As I bent over, I heard a snap, and the holster had fallen off and hit the concrete floor of my garage, with the belt clip still on my waist. Luckily, my phone was out of the holster at the time, so there was no damage. All the same, a product breaking under normal conditions three days after getting your phone just stinks of terrible build quality to me. Because of that, I can't recommend the Amzer Shellster case to anyone. Poke around on eBay or Amazon, and you'll find other holster-style cases for considerably less money. They might be of similar quality, but at least you're only breaking $8-10 instead of $20, right?
Pictures attached:
1. Phone lying on its back, case attached. See the thin strips on the side? That's the case.
2. Back of phone, bottom. Access to the S Pen remains easy.
3. Back of phone, top. Nice, raised case protects the camera and LED.
4. Top of phone. Shows the complete lack of protection up there, as well as how little of the case is up front to keep the screen from being damaged while lying face-first.
5. Damage to the holster itself, with the belt clip that popped off.
Thanks for sharing. I thought about getting one of these, but I could see that it lacked protection for the top and bottom of the phone (based on YouTube videos for other phones). Plus, as you mentioned, the hard plastic cases have the tendency to scratch phones, especially when removing them. Thanks again.
I completely agree with you in your review. I have used only seidio cases and holsters on my past 5 devices. Unfortunately, they just were not ready and shipping and I did not trust this giant phone to being in my pocket bare. I ordered the amzer case and holster and was able to get it this past week.
First thing I noticed off the bat was how tight an initial fit it was getting the case onto the phone. Was afraid I was going to crack the case or damage the phone. I was very unimpressed with the back texture of the case. It is waaaay to slick for my taste. Compared to the bare plastic of the phone, it feels like it wants to slip out of my hand holding it one handed. As you stated, there is NO protection on the corners of the phone. Top or bottom. A fall from any height that lands on a corner will have nothing protecting it.
I also noticed a huge amount of flex in the belt holder. it is made of very thin/cheap plastic. Trying to quickly take the phone in and out of the holder is more of a two handed job. Sadly, I am returning it and getting the seidio. They are finally in stock.
My advice, avoid the case. While it is inexpensive, it just will not do a good job of protecting the phone and the belt clip is just about useless.
Damm I just ordered this from expansys 2 days ago.. waiting for it to come now.. Wish I would have seen this before.. To late now.. I had this case for my Galaxy Nexus and I was happy.. That is the reason I reordered it.. Well I guess I will see what happens when I get here
Edit: got the case yesterday. I like it.for 15 bucks you can't beat it
removing Amzer Shellster case
Can you explain describe how to remove this case frome Note 2
Good review and good info. Looks like one to pass up.
I have this case since a holster case is a MUST on my list. And I do agree with OP with his concern (my clip also comes off one time but I can re-attach it without problem). But the first issue could be resolve with using another case with the holster (I did the same thing with my Note 1). Currently, I am using this Cruzerlite case with the holster without problem (a bit tight but get the work done). Therefore, it's not that bad as a cheap solution until I found better alternative.
Double 0 7 said:
Can you explain describe how to remove this case frome Note 2
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Slide a fingernail between the case and the side of the phone at a corner (power button side is "easiest"), force the two apart. It honestly feels like you're going to break the phone in half.
I got my new Otterbox Defender case from AT&T today. Only paid $42 with shipping and tax so that wasn't too bad.
I weighed it against my Seidio Active case and holster and the Otterbox with holster weighs 12.5 ounces and the Active case with holster is 10.5 ounces if anybody was interested. Removing the clear plastic protective cover from the Otterbox lightens it by 0.15 ounces or about 4 grams.
I will say this thing feels like it will take a lot of abuse before the phone will break. That is of course, unless the screen is hit by a direct impact that the case can't deflect. Remember, there is a lot of screen area so anything protruding like a rock that makes initial contact with the screen will probably break the screen. No case will stop that.
Things I don't like about the Defender whether I knew about it when ordering or not......
yeah it adds a lot of bulk but not too bad. The volume up and down buttons are not very responsive but I suspect some electrical tape on the inside of the case over the phone buttons should help with that. The power button is actually a little too responsive for my taste. It is very easy to click the power button which sucks because the volume buttons have to be pressed hard and the thumb is usually over near the power button when operating the volume buttons. This leads to easy power button pressing.
The plastic case creaks like a wooden floor in a turn of the century house. What the hell is all of this about. Whether you squeeze the case side to side or twist the phone slightly. I suspect it is the outside case rubbing against the inner hard plastic case. I will try some baby powder on that. Still, the case does not have the rigidity that I was hoping for. If you manually twist the phone case at opposite corners the thing flexes way easily.
I called myself from my home phone, walked away and left the note 2 on the counter. I did not hear any echo from either phone as others have reported. This may show up later thought. If the phones are close together then echo can be present.
The plastic protective cover that comes with the case is garbage. Plain and simple. Yes there is a gap between the plastic and the phone screen. Very annoying. I took the plastic off within a few minutes. I have my own screen protector on it anyway.
I like the charging port and headphone port being covered with the rubber plugs.
When the case is put in the holster there is little leeway where the holster snaps into the detent in the phone edge. Several times I have found that the phone had to be adjusted a bit in order for the case to snap into the holster firmly. This may be a problem down the line or I might just modify it so that this makes a positive connection more easily.
This isn't really a comparison between the Active case and the Defender but I thought I would point out a few things.
I don't like having to use the Defender holster as a kickstand for the phone. The Active case has a built in stand in the case.
I do like the protective lip around the screen of the Defender which is made up of the softer outer shell and the hard plastic inner shell. The outside is not soft and gummy like silicone (like the Active) but a little harder. Kind of like a hard rubber but not as hard as a standard hard plastic if that makes any sense. It has a good feel to it. If the Defender is laid face down the hard lip does nothing to keep it from sliding. If laid on its back it resists sliding a little better depending on the surface. It is the opposite with the Active case. The Active has the silicone lip on the face and keeps the phone from sliding around if place face down. If the Active is placed on its back it will slide because the outside part is hard plastic.
The camera has a nice cutout with a lot of plastic protruding around it. The only way this camera lens is getting damages is if something goes right into the cutout and hits the lens directly. Getting to the stylus is very easy.
Ok, I did take the outer cover off and rubbed some baby powder to the inside. The creaking noise is diminished but still there.
I will try out the otterbox for a while and see how I like it. I work in a factory so it is highly plausible that this could fall off of a 12 foot ladder onto concrete. If I worked in an office I would not be using this case most likely.
I really like the look of the Active case in red much better than the otterbox. Fortunately, I place practicality over fashion generally.
Either way, I will hang on to the case and see what happens. Considering that both of these cases have similar MSRP (prices) the value is definitely in the Otterbox as far as material and engineering. The Active case needs to have a little more engineering and firmer material around the screen. in order to ask as much money as they do.
My biggest issue with the Defender is two fold:
1) Face it, this is an UGLY utilitarian looking case hiding our sexy thin phone. They did NOTHING to add any sex appeal to this case. It's like putting a bikini model in a full length raincoat and buttoning every snap.
2) The plastic screen protector feels cheap, scratchy and provides too much drag on the s-pen.
I got my commuter a few hours ago. It's pretty nice looking, the buttons aren't too hard to press, the cutouts are perfect, and it comes with a screen protector which I choose not to use. I couldn't ask for more from it. I also feel like it's very protective and would survive a 6 ft drop (even though im 5 ft).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Note_2 said:
I got my commuter a few hours ago. It's pretty nice looking, the buttons aren't too hard to press, the cutouts are perfect, and it comes with a screen protector which I choose not to use. I couldn't ask for more from it. I also feel like it's very protective and would survive a 6 ft drop (even though im 5 ft).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
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I haven't had the opportunity to hold the commuter series for this phone. Most of the cases for this phone need to be ordered since nobody seems to have anything in stock for this phone, around where I live, and I live in a decent sized city.
I got the commuter for $35 shipped on amazon. 3-5 day shipping, ordered Wednesday and got it earlier today even though it was expected tomorrow to friday! I tried to buy one closest to me for a decent price and the seller accessory net did great.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
I too have the creaking issue with the Defender. Mine(two of them) also creak and crackle. The plastic part that snaps together does not snap tightly thus causing some play which in turn causes the feeling that there is movement underneath and the creaking sounds. I got a replacement on the first one for this and the second one they sent also does this.
Otter customer service is great but the product right now imo is subpar
It is probably going to creak because it is suppose to flex... that is the whole point of the case absorbing impacts.
My biggest gripe about the Defender case is that dust makes it way in between the case's plastic screen protector and the phone's glass screen. It enters at the Home button mostly and at the top opening for the sensors. I have to open the case at least once a week and wipe out the dust. It's mainly fabric debris from my jeans pocket so I don't think it's anything scratchy.
honestly i hate my commuter case,its to damned fat,but when i drop my 700$ phone ,im happy, strange how that works
oddly enough, the only time I have dropped my Note 2 is when I used the otterbox Defender holster. If the phone case is pushed back and down in the holster when inserting , then the holster tab doesn't fully lock into the notch in the case. I thought I had it snapped in and it fell about 42 inches, I have a 36 inch inseam, and hit the concrete floor. Of course, this is a walk in the park for the Defender case so naturally there was no damage or marks on the case at all, and I wasn't worried about it when I picked the phone up.
My Active case has a much better spring loaded latch design so it is impossible for this to happen.
I actually got my knife out and made a little adjustment on the case notch so this won't happen again.