The internet was created so people could write inane articles. Just browse through our archives and you will see some glowing examples. But just because I’ve written some pretty inane articles myself doesn’t mean I can’t excoriate someone else for doing the same. That’s another reason the internet was created: so we can rip other people to shreds when they say something dumb. So with the proper apologies to and disclaimers for Jamie Condliffe at Gizmodo, the bit about not encasing your phone is just silly. Well, at least the way that he tells it. 
In the article he makes just two points. First, that a case is unnatural — even ugly. “Putting a case on your phone is a little like painting your Ferrari with rust-proofing paint, then wrapping it in burlap,” he writes. “Sure, you’re less likely to scratch it. But you obscure every beautiful detail of the bodywork.” There are plenty of things in this world I can’t stand, and poor analogies is one of them. No, your smartphone in no way resembles a sports car — not even the Porche Design P
9981. It is more like a brick with buttons. Only the brick contains valuable electronic parts, and those electronic parts digitally store important information. In other words, it’s pretty important to protect your smartphone. While some cases are solely intended to protect against scratches and minor dings, most cases serve a greater purpose. They absorb some of the shock when the smartphone hits the floor — because we’re all clumsy in some ways and we all drop our phones from time to time. Some of them provide protection so that if you drop the phone on its face you don’t get a spiderweb crack on the screen. As we discussed just last week, there are some seriously heavy duty BlackBerry cases. They will some day save your device, when without a case it would have been toast. The second point is a bit more absurd: it’s not worth it. You only have the phone for two years, he argues, and then you upgrade. Phones don’t have much resale value, either. Bravo. Those are perfectly obvious points. They’re also beside the point. If you drop your phone in that two-year window — which is no short amount of time — then guess what? You’re either 1) stuck without a smartphone until you upgrade, or 2) forced to pay full retail, which is around $500, for a new phone. Neither of those sounds attractive, and neither makes me think it’s worth skimping on a case. Here’s the gem: “If you’re a real worrywart, the money you save by not buying a case go towards insuring your phone in case you drop it on the tarmac or it gets stolen.” Apparently Mr. Condliffe does not have insurance on his smartphone. If he did, he’d know that it costs quite a bit these days; Verizon is charging $11 per smartphone. You know how much an OtterBox Commuter case for the 9900 costs? Less than two months’ worth of insurance. Of course, during the life of your contract you’ll pay $264 for insurance. That’s not to say you shouldn’t get insurance; it’s to say that the cost-savings of a case doesn’t remotely compare. It seems pretty asinine to suggest that others ditch their cases because you find them offensive. Some people like to protect their electronics, especially when the replacement will cost more than the original. But hey, when the cool kids at Gizmodo say something, we should all listen. Except not at all.
1 comment… read it below or add one
Of all the phones the BlackBerry is the one who needs protection the least. I drop my BlackBerries on a weekly basis and they never stop working. They are ultra robust. The only time I ever destroyed one of my BlackBerries was when I dropped it and a car run over it. And even then parts of the display still worked and announced 13 unread messages.