Hey,

so I'm a university student and I see a lot of people around me who have iPhones with broken displays, or different smartphones, alright. It seems so strange to me. So you pay around 600€ for a phone you would have spent 60 € for a few years ago, and you let it fall down. It's just like that with young people, see ...

So, what do you recommend when we are talking about accessories? Do you think it's a matter of good habits or would you say it's a matter of good accessories? I think both about iPads and iPhones, here. When you get s Smart Cover for an iPad, do you need an additional accessory when you carry it around a lot?
I always had my cellphone in my pocket directly, no case, it fell down once in a year and I replaced it every two years, but that is many years ago. What do I do now?

How good is the much-advertised new iPhone 5c case? It looks great, but it doesn't protect the screen, right?

Greetings,
Pete

[andi*pandi]

If you are a serious clutz or have small children, get an Otterbox. My phone has been in a cheapy case for 2 years, but it also lives in a purse 80% of the time, so not as much chance to fall out of pocket or get smashed.

[ibook_steve]

+1 for Otterbox!

I am not a clutz with my phone (though I do have a 2-year-old), but I was just able to sell my 4S as basically new to Gazelle so I could get a 5S.

Also, I would never try putting a phone in my pocket. I love the belt clip.

Steve

[subego]

I've gone naked and in the front pocket since the 5, and have continued with the 5s (my iPhone is my main axe, so I upgrade every year). The 5 had one short drop and the 5s has had one short drop so far. No breakage.

That said, the thing is like a watermelon seed. One comment was "it's trying to add entropy to the universe". I only think I can get away with it because my hands are the "right size", which are small compared to the average for someone my size.

[ghporter]

I concur with the Otterbox recommendations. Two coworkers use them and they are very rugged. One coworker says she replaces the rubber outer cover every couple of months, but the chasis just keeps on chugging, protecting her phone.

I use a simple iHome slip-on cover, and my phone is usually in my front pants pocket. I have had a few bobbles and once my phone actually went from front pocket to driveway, landing on a corner. The case took the hit and the phone was unscathed.

Breaking the front glass on a phone usually takes a lot more than a simple fumble. My grad school days were only a few years ago, and I recall the very frequent sight of classmates with shattered glass and barely visible displays. There was usually an interesting (if not hysterical) story behind each fracture.

[ibook_steve]

For the iPhone 5s Otterbox, they've changed the outer rubber shell to a much tougher, less stretchy rubber. On my 4s, the rubber got all stretched out and ripped where there were thin parts to it. The 5s rubber seems much more durable.

Steve

[subego]

I just can't go back to anything even remotely "grippy". It's so nice for it to slide out of the pocket with no resistance.

[davidlfoster]

is to get a case from zerochroma. Their iPhone case is seriously robust and it has an ingenious built-in rotating stand that will allow you to prop up your iPhone any way you please. I've dropped my phone several times - even onto rock and the case wasn't even nicked. I can't give it any less than a 10 in my satisfaction. It is a bit pricey at $50 or so, but worth it. And it is nowhere near as bulky as the Otter cases.

[Bobbo]

Because I do a lot of outside activities in all kinds of weather, I wanted a water resistant/proof case for my new 5S. I thought that was going to be tricky since I also wanted the fingerprint recognition to work. I have been using a LifeProof case now for about 3 months and it does what it's advertised to do. It protects the phone and seems to be very water resistant. Heavy rains and heavy sweat have not penetrated it. And it has a special film over the go button that allows for the fingerprint recognition. That seems to work as well as having the phone naked. The case is fairly slim and has a full frontal screen protector which doesn't even seem to scratch itself, much less allowing any scratching of the iPhone's face. I am completely satisfied with this case.

[SierraDragon]

Otterbox is not a case it is a brand, an excellent brand actually. Just pick your case from among their choices depending upon how much protection you think your phone needs.

I use phones hard and a basic plastic case used to last me a max of 4-6 weeks. Then I switched to the Otterbox Commuter and the cases lasted for 2 years. With the 5s I am trying Apple's thin hard leather case and I like it a lot; it is not quite as protective as the Otterbox Commuter cases were, but it is thinner. So far so good.

I have never used any of the face-protecting films that come with the cases because IMO the Gorilla Glass is tough enough that what I need is just to protect the corners against drops to hard surfaces.I have had lots of hard drops and never broken an iPhone yet.

HTH

-Allen

[ghporter]

I should have been more precise: my coworkers have Otterbox "Defender" cases. A while back, I worked with someone who had the Otterbox "Preserver" case; she said she lived close enough to the beach, and spent enough time that close to the water, that she wanted to keep water and sand out. It survived several dunks in water, falling into wet sand, getting kicked by kids after falling into dry sand, etc. That's a little bit of overkill for those of us who aren't that close to the water all the time, but for some college students, I don't think it's quite enough...