OtterBox Commuter and Commuter TL comparison

A few weeks ago, we reviewed the OtterBox Commuter TL for iPhone (3G or 3GS), comparing it favorably to the OtterBox Defender, which we also reviewed, back in mid 2009.

OtterBox has since come out with a set of colored shells for its original Commuter series, and a few people have asked about the difference in the Commuter TL vs original Commuter cases.

Here's a brief run-down of the differences:

Protection (outer case). The Commuter TL has an outer shell that spans the whole back of the iPhone, from top to bottom, but does not protect the sides with any rigid material, relying instead on the rubberized casing.  The original Commuter has more of a slip-case design, protecting the back and the lower 2/3 of the iPhone's sides.

In addition, the Commuter TL uses a clear plastic outer shell, which protects the Apple logo on the back, while still allowing it to be viewed if one is looking straight on at the back of the iPhone. By contrast, the Commuter has an opening slightly larger than the apple, meaning the logo area is not protected.

Colors. The Commuter TL has a single-color neoprene soft shell, and the clear rigid shell on the back. The Commuter offers a two-tone option, as seen in the picture above. The base neoprene shell is black, while the rigid protective shell is colored.


Commuter colors are sold in "kits" that contain a standard black rigid shell, plus two interchangeable color options. Kits include the following options: Blue/Yellow, White/Green, Red/Grey.

We tested the Blue/Yellow color kit, with the blue options for both the Commuter and the Commuter TL shown in the picture above. We also tested the yellow, which stood out well in most situations, including being easily identifiable when dropped in a snow drift from the freak snowstorm that came through last week.

All in all, I think the color kit combinations are a great option for those who want to change up the color or style on any given day. I personally prefer the Commuter TL better, given the single-color / clear combination, as well as the fact that the rubberized sides have a better grip in my iPhone car dock.

The great news is that OtterBox offers choices in the Commuter line, regardless of your needs and color fashion sense. More information is available on both options at www.otterbox.com

Vevo launch countdown, another major label added to the mix

In an article I wrote this morning for streamingmedia.com, I mentioned uncertainty as to whether Vevo (under its Universal Music Group / Vivendi ownership) will get to its goal of having all four major labels on board by the time it launches tomorrow, December 8, 2009.

Apparently, in an early morning tweet, Universal announced that EMI is now on board.

Also, Peter Kafka, of MediaMemo, stated that Lala.com went for about $80 million, rather than the $35 million he'd initially projected. He says appears Warner didn't get back any of the write-down that it had done a few months ago (writing down approximately $11 million of its initial $20 million investment).

Review: IntelliScanner Mini

So, based on the potential and limitations of the SOHO small office scanner from IntelliScanner, we asked to review the Intelliscanner mini.

The mini can hold up to 150 scans before needing to be connected to a Macintosh computer (OS X 10.4, 10.5, 10.6) to have its scans downloaded.

"The mini includes media software for organizing books, CDs, DVDs and video games, wine software for organizing your wine bottles, comic software for comic books, kitchen software for organizing groceries and our home assets software for organizing or inventorying items in your home for insurance purposes like furniture and electronics," a company representative stated when asked about the features of the mini.

"The mini's software, noted above, includes the web app for sharing collections online or viewing them on an iPhone as part of the publish feature. Except for the kitchen software.

The lack of an iPhone publishing feature for the kitchen software is odd, as that particular software is able to make up grocery lists, one of the prima facie reasons for owning a PDA or pocket computer.