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Review: Active Armor


Sun May 5, 2002 - 1:40 AM EDT - By Michael Ducker

Product Info
Details

»	Name Active Armor for Visor
»	Company Active Armor
»	Colors Graphite, Silver, Clear
»	Fact Sheet & User Opinions

Availability

»	Unknown

Pricing

»	$26.95

The tests: Findings

The first test we did was a stair test. We attempted to roll a Visor in the Active Armor with two styluses attached down a flight of stairs as if it had been dropped. Over and over we did this by just rolling it, yet the case wouldn't go far because the rubber would stick to the floor and it would stop. Eventually we kind of threw it down the stairs and joyfully watched the Visor bounce in its case, shuddering at each thud. Results: No damage at all from the multiple times we did this. Case and Visor are fine, yet the styluses did pop out a bit.

Next we did a drop test of the Visor in the case with two styluses attached going up in increments of 1 foot. We tried to drop the case on its corner each time, but it did vary slightly each time. Realistically the Visor wouldn't ever be dropped more than 5 feet. In any way we did this we couldn't get the Visor to break in a fall of 5 feet. We did however see damage done to the digitizer in the corner that the Visor fell on at the 9 foot mark. The Visor still worked, synced, etc, except that Graffiti was dead and the digitizer was slightly off. Results: Don't drop your Visor in the case at 9 feet, and if you do, get out your backup module, backup, and call Handspring. Later, my fooling around with the broken Visor while demonstrating the case to friends (who winced painfully each time I dropped it), I did fully break it, but it is my assumption that this occurred due to the weakening of the glass in the digitizer from the first break. If anyone can think of a realistic way you can drop a Visor 9 feet please be sure to email me.

I myself have severly broken a Prism from the stair roll down (it fell out of my hands when I tripped down the stairs), and thousands of users have broken their digitizers and screens from dropping their PDA.

This case does not protect against crushes. It would need to be made up of hard plastic to do this. The Active Armor does provide some protection for the screen with the hard cover however.

Conclusion >>