Experimental set-up
Of course, as with any test, there is the chance of failure. I was not about to risk submerging my PDA before I was absolutely certain of the veracity of the manufacturer's claims. I did, however, need the Otter Box to weigh the same as it would with my device inside. This is because Otter Products also made the surprising claim that the box will float. I could see the Otter Box alone managing to achieve buoyancy, but with the somewhat heavy handheld device inside, it was hard to imagine.

Therefore, I needed to find a stand-in for my PDA that would weigh exactly the same and be about the same size. Not owning a scientific scale myself, I decided to visit the deli counter at the local Super Fresh. There I met a very nice lady named Jill who was happy to let me weigh my handheld on the lunchmeat scale. It weighed about half a pound. I then asked her to please slice me a half pound of Lebanon bologna. Showing great skill with the deli slicer, Jill managed to hit .5 lbs right on the nose.

Experimental procedure
To test whether or not the Otter Box would float with .5 lbs of Lebanon bologna inside, all I did was toss it in my tub. Sure enough, they were right. The box floated, as you can see in Figure C. I felt confident that if I were to put my PDA in an Otter Box and then go sailing, it wouldn't be lost to the depths should it fall off the boat.

FIGURE C


The Otter Box floats, even with your PDA or its weight in bologna inside. Roll over picture for a larger image.

To thoroughly test the box's waterproof quality, however, I wanted to put it through some real world conditions. This would be the only fair measure of its abilities. For this, I took the Otter Box on a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure to see how it would stand up against the drenching power of the Log Flume ride. In Figure D, you can see the Otter Box being put through its paces.

FIGURE D


The Otter Box faces the ultimate soaking as it descends the mighty Log Flume. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Once again, the Otter Box lived up to its billing. The interior of the box stayed completely dry, though the same couldn't be said for me.

Crush proof
Otter Boxes are designed to be crushproof in order to keep your valuables safe, even under pressure. According to Otter Products, the Otter Box is "made with a fiber-glass reinforced ABS resin that is virtually indestructible." Again, let's see about that.

They were right about its ability to float and keep out water, so my expectations were high. Now, they say the Otter Box has been pressure tested to depths beyond 100 feet. However, at the moment I don't have any way of getting my Otter Box, my Lebanon bologna, and myself 100 feet below the ocean surface. That's okay, though, because what we're testing is whether or not the Otter Box is crush proof, and to illustrate, Otter Products claims their boxes are so strong, you can drive a car over them.

I call that a challenge.