So I have wanted one of these for a while now and went on and read a LOT of the reviews here on Amazon. To be honest some of the poor reviews had me a little worried! But I am leaving this review to ASSURE you that nearly ALL of the negative reviews were definitely coming from operator errors (if you get my drift) and people who didnt have ANY idea what they were buying...

Clearly the Defender series is going to be a little beefy. Which I would HOPE is why your looking at this sort of case! For a big-bad iphone defending case! and that is JUST what you get! So the reviews on size I feel are unfair, based on the fact that you should have known its a sturdier case. (I find this NO problem for the protection it provides. Being a girl, I couldnt fit an iphone in my pants pocket to begin with, so its not an issue...And I would like to stress its not THAT big.

Some people (a good number) have complained about a hole on the top being for the headphones being on the wrong side...This is NOT the case people! You must open the flap to use your headphones...The hole is for the MICROPHONE! So do not fret. There is NO issue there...just people simply misunderstanding the product.

I read multiple reviews where people complained about being able to charge or undo the bottom flap, etc. Ok. It is silicone people. soft, flexible silicone...So NO you DONT need to completely take apart the cover to charge your phone. You simply lift that flap and plug in your phone. There is NO issue with it closing, because its not supposed to be closed OR completely open while charging...Again, silicone does not hinge... In fact, I am charging my right now with zero issue. All the flaps are really easy to open and close and I see no issue with them being flimsy, or too firm either.

I saw one or two people say they thought it decreased the sensitivity of the screen. I have not had that problem. As long as you get the right model and it fits well there is no reason for it to have any effect, it is just a regular old screen guard just like any other you'd buy on the market and shouldnt (and wont) effect the use of your screen. The people who complained that it messed up the lightness of the screen may have had it set to auto, and I know mine sometimes in certain light decides to stick with a darker back light setting than I would prefer. So once again, I am sure this is something that one could adjust in the settings of your phone, and not be a problem with the case.

So in conclusion, this is an AWESOME product. If you are looking for a really tough case, that looks great and you UNDERSTAND that a thin, one sided, snap on case will not be very tough...then this is for you! Please note that a LOT of the negative reviews come from people's misuse or misunderstanding of the product. NOT the product itself. I cant say how happy I am with this product and I am SO glad I went ahead regardless of those negative reviews.

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This product has two major issues:

1. While it's description claims it has a 2 Amp port and a 1 Amp port, the reality is that it has bridged the two ports and it can only source 2 Amps total. It is not capable of delivering 3 Amps combined like the description implicitly claims and could never simultaneously charge an iPad and a smart phone. (UPDATE: The technical details section now indicates more clearly the 2A total, which is appreciated.)

2. The 2 Amp port appears to be using the Apple protocol for USB power, so that port will only provide 0.5 Amps to most other devices.

The upside of this is the 1 Amp port somewhat over delivers, and can source 2 Amps if nothing else is connected and 1.5 Amps if the 2 Amp port is sourcing 0.5 Amps for a non-Apple device. Thus this product can support one-high power non-Apple device (in the 1 Amp port) and one lower power device (in the 2 Amp port).

Now some more background/details...

First, a little background on USB charging for those who don't know:

The USB power spec is for 0.5 Amps at 5 Volts... or 2.5 Watts. This was great up until the last couple years when devices have gotten really power hungry, particularly smartphones and tablets and to a lesser extent dedicated GPS's. Some of these devices use over 2 Amps, particularly the tablets like the iPad (or in my case the HP Touchpad).

Manufacturers of these devices therefore had a dilemma. If they had their devices pull more than 0.5 Amps, they risked damaging the power source, which could be a computer, that was only prepared to source 0.5 Amps. Thus the manufacturers have used tricks to determine whether their device is connected to an unknown source, at which point they purposely only draw 0.5 Amps, or to the dedicated charger that was provided with the device, where they can draw all the power they need.

There seem to be two common tricks used. The first is to short the two data-wires together in the charger. This is what most non-Apple devices do. Since a computer or older device wouldn't have done this, the device can assume it is safe to draw all the power it needs.

Apple seems to have taken a different approach, one that I don't fully understand but know can be seen by the fact that the data lines are neither open nor shorted when the charger is plugged in, and is more sophisticated and probably superior, because I suspect it allows the device to know exactly how much power it can use.

While Apple taking a better approach might be nice in concept, it's created chaos in the USB charger product category. What is the non-specific charger to do? They can't support both.

This device chose to go the Apple route for the 2 Amp port. I don't own any high-power Apple devices, so I can't say for sure, but I suspect this unit performs well with Apple devices. Using electronic equipment I was able to draw 2 Amps when putting a fixed load on this USB charging port. However, when I connect any of the 3 high-power devices I have (HP Touchpad (2 Amps), Motorola Triumph Android phone (0.85 Amps) and the LG Optimus Slider (0.7 Amps)), none of them drew all the current they could have, because they were expecting a shorted set of data-lines.

Luckily for my purposes, the 1 Amp port on this device uses the data-line shorting method. As such, it was able to deliver all the power my Triumph and Optimus wanted. However, for some reason, even when it was the only device connected, it would not fully charge the HP Touchpad at the 2 Amps it could have, because for one reason or another, the HP Touchpad rejected it as a high power charger.

To be honest, this surprised me because it was able to source the 2 Amps the Touchpad claims it needs and the HP Touchpad charger has the data-lines shorted. So I'm not sure why this didn't work.

Thus this device gets 3 stars (UDPATE: 4 stars) because it can source the current it claims (minus the somewhat deceptive 2A + 1A notation (UPDATE: Which is now more clear in the technical details)), would likely support an iPad like it claims, but falls short in other regards noted elsewhere.

For non-Apple users, or even more so mixed users (say an iPad and an Android phone?) this device is superior to the other device I purchased, the "Kensington K33497US PowerBolt Duo Car Charger" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PU01M4/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details) because on that device, NEITHER port works with non-Apple devices (although it performed better power-wise, see my review over there for details).

I've ordered two additional devices:
- "Ultra Compact High Output Dual USB Car Charger - 2.1A Output" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00470C35E/ref=oh_o01_s00_i00_details)
- "Bracketron Universal Dual USB Car Adapter (UGC-298-BL)" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0056VNVV8/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details)

Hopefully one of the two of them will be able to deliver to their specs for my devices.

UPDATE: I've increased my review to 4 stars for two reasons:

1. The changed technical details text makes it more clear its total power capacity.
2. Of the 4 models I purchased, it's one of the two I kept and it's the only one I kept in unmodified form. That's got to count for something. :)

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I like to buy the best products out there, which normally means I buy the more expensive items. But come on, this is a piece of plastic to protect my iPhone 4 screen. I have only bought a screen protector once before, for my toddler's iTouch, and had bubbles all over the screen. So I thought these screen protectors were all garbage. But after getting a big scare by accidentally putting my iphone in my pocket with my car keys, and getting a very light scratch on my screen, I thought I'd give these screen protectors another try.

And again, I thought I'd try some of the cheapest at Amazon, because, well, it's just a piece of plastic. If I was wrong, I was only out a buck or so, and could then go and buy the expensive screen protectors. But this time, I researched around and read some blogs, and found out dust is the culprit for bubbles. Taking that advice, I followed the directions and was able to put the screen protectors on 2 iPhones bubble-free! Here's what I did:

1. I chose my desk as the place to do the application. I wiped it down with an all-purpose cleaner, then wiped it down with a damp wash-cloth. I also did this during the day, with bright sunlight coming into the room. Do not try this at night, I don't think it shows all the dust hitting the screen.
2. Turn off your iPhone. You want to make sure the screen stays black, it's much easier seeing dust.
3. I then used another damp wash-cloth (if you squeeze it and water comes out, it's too wet. It needs to be barely damp), and wiped down my iPhone, front and back.
4. Then I got the little piece of cloth that shipped with the screen protectors and wiped the screen down until it was as clean as I could get it.
5. The iPhone was laid down on the damp cloth so it wouldn't rock and slide as i was applying the screen protector.
6. Peel off "Side 1", and start by lining up the camera hole and the ear hole. Then slowly lay down the rest of the protector on the screen, making sure no bubbles form as you go. You will get some, but if you do it right, they will only be near the edges.
7. Once it's laid down, then take a fingernail and apply gentle pressure from the center of the screen towards the edge. Basically driving the bubble out from underneath the screen protector.
8. The last step, peel off "Side 2".
9. Done!

Should only take about 5-10 mins. But it's so worth it. I bought the matte version of these and it's a nice improvement.

So my initial assessment that screen protectors are garbage is wrong, my technique at applying the screen protectors was garbage. A little bit of homework on the Internet, dust control, and I got a quality result. I highly recommend these screen protectors from this seller. I'd buy them again!

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Protecting a $200 phone is quite a formidable task and a lot of cell phone case companies do not seem to understand protection. They strive for style, design, and aesthetics. To me, this is all nonsense. Otterbox understands the principle of protection better than any other company making these types of products. Fuction is what I am looking for and and this company produces fuctioning cell phone cases. These 4S generation cases share an improved design, mainly with the camera area. I think people were complaining about shadowed pictures and video due to the tight camera cut out. They widened it to ensure the new 8MP camera with not be hindered by a design flaw.

First, the defender technically provides more protection than the commuter and also comes with a handy holster with a clip. However, the defender is bulky and the port covers do not stay as well as the model for the 3GS. Also, I am not a fan of the defender because of the screen protector it comes with. Eventually, particles of dust or grit will work their way into your case and be sandwiched between the screen and the hard plastic film. Then, friction from your finger will scratch the screen up pretty bad (this happened to me). To make matters worse, I put a Zagg shield on it and it basically fused with the screen protector on the defender. I needed to pry the phone off the case and, while doing so, lifted the glass of the phone, creating permanant air pockets in my screen. Not a good scenario at all. The anti-glar films sold at the apple store, however, work fine because they have a smoother, less sticky surface. I would not reccomend this case at all, though, without these screen protectors because without a screen protector, air bubbles will form and distort your view and scratches on the screen will occur. But, if you work construction or another potentially hazardous job, this case with the anti-glare screen protectors may be a better choice then the Commuter series of cases.

The Commuter, on the other hand, offers a balance between versitility and protection. With this case, I can use my Zagg shield and is not peeled up by the case like many do. Also, I love the soft shell on the inside and the hard shell outside. The soft inner allows the port and button covers to be attached to the case and function propperly. This also helps absorb shock. The hard shell allows the phone to slide in and out of pockets very easily, even out of tighter jeans. In addition, it has a much thinner profile than the defender but still provides adequate protection. The ports are still protected from water and it can take a tumble. I've dropped my 4S about 4 times with this case on it, on hard surfaces from pretty significant hieghts (5 feet or so on some) and the case barely even shows it let alon the phone wrapped up inside. Also, by flipping the phone face down, the exposed inner rubber case prevents it from slipping if you needed it to stay put, for instance, in a car. For the average person, the commuter is the superior choice.

However, both cases with the lighter colored silicon soft shells, like white and grey, get dirty easily. They even get stained from dye in jeans. Not a huge deal to me, but might be to some. Overall, these are the two best cases on the market for the iPhone and believe me, I have researched and read up on them all. You must simply decide what your needs are for a case and make your decision.

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***WATCH OUT for Counterfeit Products!***
As 1 of the Top Seller on Amazon, some counterfeit products are appearing claiming to be Rearth brands. We have NOT distributed any of our
iPhone 5 products to resellers. PLEASE do not purchase from other sellers other than Rearth for your purchase to be protected by our warranty.

Attention Happy Shopper:
For customers who are concerned with the fitting issues from the few product reviews, our cases have been tested to fit the new iPhone 5.
Due to the mass production of our cases, we've taken action to improve our quality control and confirm a 100% fit. Also, the open top and,
bottom allows an easy access to all ports while still covering the corners. We understand your concerns for protecting your new iPhone
and we ensure our SLIM cases are designed for minor protection with a sleek look and feel with the perfect fit.

***Available in LF White, LF Black, LG Yellow, LF Orange, LF Green, LF Blue, LF Pink, SF Matte Black.
Also get our Ultimate Clear screen protector for the best clarity
with NO LOSS of HD Resolution.***

Rearth offers a simple 1 piece hard case that features our elegantly slim design, Premium Soft Feeling (SF) exterior,
and offers protection against bumps and scratches. Using our new dual coating, Rearth's cases are
two times more durable, and last twice as long. Installs in seconds and allows for full access to all functions/ports.

Why Wait? Get your hands on a new Rearth case that is slim and stylish.

Product Type: Premium Ringke SF (Soft Feeling) SLIM Hard Case
Model: Apple iPhone 5
Carrier: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, GSM, CDMA, International, Unlocked

Benefits
No more worrying about scratches. The advance coating let your case resist dust, dirt, and oil stains.
Adds ZERO bulk to your device. Tight Fit for less worries about case coming loose.
Easy to take your device in/out of your pocket.

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First of all, if you want to protect your iPhone, this is a terrific case. If you want sleek and flashy, keep looking. Don't get me wrong, I like the way the phone looks with the Otterbox on it but there just are not any sequins or monograms.

This is really two cases in one, or, a case with a rubberized cover. When you open the package, you will notice a plastic "clam shell" case that you snap over the phone. The second part of the case is the rubberized cover which wraps around the phone. The negative BUT NECESSARY results about this case is that it will double the thickness of the phone and make it heavier. This case includes a shield that protects the screen so no need to buy those expensive screen protectors. The only exposed area of the phone are the holes for the speakers, microphones, and camera lens.

When I first put the case together, I thought the same as the previous reviewer that the earphone jack hole was in the wrong place. That assumption is incorrect. The hole on the top of the phone is for the secondary, noise-cancelling, built in microphone. The earphone jack is intended to be covered when not in use in order to keep dirt from getting into the hole for the jack. Just like the power cord and mute switch, the flap has to be opened in order to plug the earphones in. Speaking of flaps, they are a necessary evil when it comes to total protection. Putting them back in place requires a bit of patience but it is not a big deal.

All of the functions of this case are protected. Each button, the volume, power, and control button are under the cover. The screen is also under a protective rubber shield. I was concerned that the interface would be hindered but everything works well even with the added layer between my hand and the screen/buttons. The buttons are quite responsive and the screen taps, scrolls, etc, seem to work just as well as they did before I installed the case.

A huge bonus about this case is how my telephone reception IMPROVED. Getting my first iPhone was becoming a very frustrating experience due to a very high amount of dropped calls. For some reason, getting that barrier between my hand and the phone itself has dramatically improved my reception resulting in virtually no dropped calls. I definitely like the feel of my phone much better with the case than I did with no protection at all.

Lastly, you may be surprised to find that this case may change the appearance of the color of your phone. My phone is black but the plastic case is white. From the front and side views, you would think my phone is white. It is not until you look at the back side of the phone that the black shows through the hole for the apple logo.

The only thing I do not use or particularly care for is the holster that comes with the phone. I am using a leather pouch and prefer it instead of the snappy, hard holster. (Just a preference, not a knock) I recommend you look at the Otterbox at a retail store like AT&T before you buy it sight unseen from Amazon. The store I viewed them at was selling them for $50 and I purchased mine on Amazon for $32.60.

Good luck!

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