At CES 2013, OtterBox announced the Armor Series for the iPhone 4, 4S and 5, their first waterproof case in a long time. It's got plenty of padding for impact protection, including plugs for headphone and dock/Lightning port, and a non-permeable film around the speakers that can let sound out without the device getting wet. Once the tough metal clamps are in place, you can submerge your iPhone over 6 feet for half an hour, drop it from 10 feet, and blast as much dust as you want at it without any worries.
The arguably more interesting product OtterBox was showing off at the show was the Defender Series with iOn Intelligence - a new variant with an integrated backup battery and a dedicated iOS application for monitoring how much juice is left in the pack and in your iPhone. In addition to have the three layers of protection we're used to, there's also a microUSB plug to keep everything charged. There's no data pass-through, so you'll still need to take your iPhone out if you ever want to sync, but for the convenience of extra power and protection, I'd say it's worth the compromise.
The only downside is that you'll be paying a steep premium of $130 for the Defender Series with iOn Intelligence. No word on release date just yet, but it should be out sometime this spring. The Armor series OtterBox for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 5 will be available February 22 for $99.95 online and at AT&T stores. Any takers? You can get a closer look at the Armor series over here.
