Lifeproof

OtterBox acquires rival LifeProof

If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em.

OtterBox, which struggled for months to bring a waterproof iPhone case to market, has acquired rival LifeProof, which makes one of the best -- and best-selling -- tough iPhone cases.

Colorado-based OtterBox has been a leading case manufacturer for a variety of smartphones and tablets and has quickly grown to employ 650 people worldwide. LifeProof, based in San Diego and founded in 2009 by Australian Gary Rayner, employees 250 people.

OtterBox says those 250 employees are now "members of the OtterBox family and will remain in their San Diego location for … Read more

Fifteen hot reviews for summer's hottest days

If you're still enjoying the dog days of summer, sitting by the pool drinking lemonade (hard or otherwise), good for you. But here in CNET-land, we're already gearing up for the fall rush. This week, we've had our noses to the grindstone reviewing Samsung's most lovely laptop, as well as do-it-all NAS drives, among other tech products. We had a little fun too, though, with an iPhone case you can use in that pool should you decide you absolutely have to surf the Web while you surf the waves. (You don't by the way, but … Read more

Lifeproof expands colors for iPhone case, shows iPad case

The folks from Lifeproof stopped by our office in New York and gave us a peek at some upcoming products, including new colors for its fast-selling $80 waterproof iPhone 4/4S case, a flotation accessory, and its much-anticipated waterproof iPad case, which is due to arrive in August and will fit both the iPad 2 and third-generation iPad.

The new iPhone cases are due to arrive in the next few weeks, though the orange and lime green cases (on the right) will be delayed a bit. The new cases will retail for the same price as the current Lifeproof cases (… Read more

Otterbox Armor Series: New waterproof iPhone 4/4S case coming soon

Otterbox has a teaser video out for a new iPhone 4/4S case that it says is the toughest case the company's ever made.

Set to ship June 24, the Armor Series case is dust proof, drop proof, waterproof, and apparently crush proof. No word on how much it will cost, but I'd been hoping Otterbox would have something new that offered increased protection while hopefully not adding any bulk.

Otterbox has been one of the big smartphone accessory success stories but it has faced increased competition from upstarts like Lifeproof that have put out more durable, slimmer … Read more