resistive

I first posted this roundup not long after the iPhone 4 hit stores and it's been through several updates, and now only includes cases that fit both the iPhone 4 and 4S and carry the "universal fit" tag.

Update, May 15, 2012: Added Griffin Survivor and Gumdrop Drop Tech Series.

As I've said before, how you choose to protect -- or not protect -- your iPhone is a matter of personal preference. But if some heavy-duty shielding is what you're looking for, this is the list for you.

While I tried to pick tough, protective cases that look good and don't make your iPhone too bulky, a few of the cases have more extreme designs that aren't necessarily intended for everyday use. I should also note that some of the more rugged cases can be a bit of a chore to remove and aren't friendly toward iPod docks and certain charging accessories due to how recessed the ports become when the case is on.

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A few of us here in the office have been looking for a portable Bluetooth speaker that will work in the shower. Alas, G-Project's new $69 G-Go speaker, which just became available in Target stores, is splash-resistant but not waterproof, so it might not quite fit the bill, but it's close.

The speaker comes in three colors and has an integrated handle for carrying it around. There are no built-in rechargeable battery like some portable Bluetooth speakers have, but you can get up to 8 hours of on-the-go use with four AA batteries, according to the company. You can stream music to it from any Bluetooth-enabled device, which includes virtually all smartphones and many tablets, including the iPad and higher-end Android tablets (the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet do not offer Bluetooth). … Read more

A superhydrophobic spray-on coating set to launch next year could dramatically change our perception of the phrase "water resistant."

NeverWet is a patent-pending silicon-based covering that deflects nearly all liquids and heavy oils by creating a very high contact angle upon application. The angle is much higher than traditional substrates, such as car wax (90 degrees), Teflon (95 degrees), or Rain-X (110 degrees). Liquid literally glides off NeverWet's 160 degree to 175 degree angle in a way that almost seems like computer animation, as seen in the video below.

At first glance, the mind-bending NeverWet comes across as a liquid repellent, but it is much more than that. Surfaces that are sprayed with NeverWet repel ice, corrosion, and even bacteria. The company behind the product, Ross Nanotechnologies, says on its Web site that the material does not fade in strength from blasts of high pressure. In fact, it even states that NeverWet-infused materials "have remained under seawater for over a year and reemerged completely dry." … Read more

preGame is back from the dead with two demos: Dead Island and Resistance 3. We return from our summer hiatus with an announcement on some recent changes that include the show moving to the end of the week and other things viewers can expect down the road.

The summer had its share of quality games and we summarize our past month of gaming with a few notables like Infamous 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Catherine.

Then we discuss some news regarding Nintendo's right thumbstick attachment announcement following a six months of lackluster 3DS sales. Max Payne fans can … Read more

KlearKase bills its new Kindle 3 case as the "only splash-proof Kindle case you'll want to use all the time."

We weren't quite ready to drop our Kindle in the pool, but as you can see from the video below, the transparent case can take some heavy spritzing, and what's nice about it is that it's thinner and lighter than some of the truly waterproof models out there (M-Edge Guardian, which we tried with the Kindle 2, comes to mind).

You can also buy heavy-duty versions of Ziploc bags (TrendyDigital's WaterGuard case, for … Read more

Germaphobes may want to navigate away from this page, lest they find themselves tempted to scrub their cell phones as often as their hands. Because cell phones are not only dirty, some of them even play host to what researchers are calling "worrisome" drug-resistant bacteria.

A team from the Department of Medical Microbiology at Inonu University in Malatya, Turkey, set out to answer the question that serves as the title of their report: Do mobile phones of patients, companions, and visitors carry multidrug-resistant hospital pathogens?

They cultured 200 mobile phones, collecting swab samples from three parts of each … Read more

PayPal has unfrozen the account of a group helping to raise funds to defend U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who has been charged with leaking classified files to WikiLeaks.

Accused of punitively banning the account of Courage to Resist, the mobile payment company said in a blog post yesterday that the move was instead triggered because the group had not complied with PayPal policy requiring nonprofits to associate a bank account with their PayPal accounts. Though PayPal said it typically doesn't comment on such matters, it felt it needed to clear the record in this case.

On Wednesday, … Read more

A major difference between the NGP and 3DS lies in the two devices' touch-sensitive technologies. The 3DS will reuse the original DS' resistive touch screen, whereas the NGP will have two capacitive touch areas (front and rear), of the type most tablets and smartphones use today (including the iPhone and iPad).

The 3DS' resistive touch screen requires some depression (hence the stylus), but can also respond to a finger press. The technology offers a nice level of precision (like when handwriting or pecking at small virtual keys), but certainly requires a bit of a learning curve when being used in tandem with a stylus.

With the introduction of the NGP's front and rear touch capabilities, players will essentially have another dimension of interaction at their disposal. At first glance the rear pad might seem silly, but after the insightful video to the right, we're beginning to think it might actually provide a more seamless gaming experience. The video showcases a game called Little Deviants, in which the player drags a finger across the rear panel to manipulate the world onscreen. We're excited to see that for the first time gamers can interact with a portable gaming device without their fingers blocking the screen.… Read more

If you're in the military or working in rough field conditions and need a computer upgrade, you're in luck: Panasonic has just announced the upgraded Toughbook 31, a new successor to its most-rugged Toughbook line.

With a weight and thickness that would be unappealing to anyone but those who need serious environmental armor, the Toughbook 31 comes with either an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, optional ATI HD 5630 graphics, and up to a claimed 11 hours of battery life.

A 13.3-inch LED-backlit touch-screen display has CircuLumin technology that Panasonic says will enable viewing of the … Read more