[James2008]

I'm looking for a case that will tightly fit onto my 8300.

I need a case that will push the battery door into the phone. My keypad doesn't work properly unless the battery is depressed into the phone's motherboard.

I've sort of fixed the problem by putting in some foam between the battery door and the battery. If I jam the door on, the door pushes the foam into the battery, which in turn applies the needed force to the motherboard and I have a working keypad.

This is fine, except that if I whip the thing out of my pocket, grip it too tightly, wedge it between my shoulder and ear, or whatever, the battery contacts are sometimes lost, and my phone reboots.

I'm thinking a hard case might eliminate the above problems, because it would provide some added rigidity to the phone and absorb some of the impacts.

Any suggestions on a case that will lock on tightly to the 8300? Main criteria are comfort, cost, size, and usability of phone features while case is attached.

[Grampy]

I would suggest using the $$$ you would spend on a case and get a new BB that works like it's supposed to. If this is not an option, try the cases at seidio.com.

I love my hard case from them and the battery door and belt clip as well. Not cheap, though, but worth it.

[James2008]

Well, a new phone would be over $300, I think. And a case that would do the trick might available for as little as $7. Check this case out, for example:

2 LCD +BLACK HARD CASE FOR BLACKBERRY 8300 8310 CURVE - eBay (item 120280280857 end time Jul-08-08 17:05:37 PDT)

Anyone used that, or a comparably inexpensive eBay special?

[MBW]

Is an Otterbox case too thick?

[James2008]

The Otterbox cases sound like they add quite a bit more bulk than I'm looking for, yeah.

And considering how dodgy my BB is, I'm not interested in protecting it for too much longer, either - it'll probably be a new device for me soon enough. So the Otterbox is a bit pricier than what I'm looking to spend.

For the duration, though, I still need something that'll push the battery door up into the phone and prevent me from jostling it out of place.

Surely someone's used something like the eBay case linked above - it wouldn't be for sale if people weren't using it.

[CashMoneyBrown]

I think T-Mob has a clear case that covers everything but the keypad. I think I saw it in the store for like $10. I think it is made by speck.

[CourtneyBrooke]

the seidio case is nice but i got a different brand off of ebay that is identical in size and look to the seidio. it's made by cellet.

[MBW]

How about one of those rubbery skins from Boxwave?

[James2008]

The thing about rubbery skins is they don't seem to snap on very tightly and/or apply very much pressure to the case. Gripping the phone tightly while skinned might cause the same problems as unskinned.

The cellet case - do the two halves tightly attach to each other?

What about the Seidio? And no thoughts on the eBay one? Am I just going to have to risk a whole $7 on this *without any feedback whatsoever* !?!?! ^_^

[003402]

I have used seidio with great success. many others have too. it snaps tight to the phone and is pretty solid. I like the "rubberized" feel to it too.

R2

[kmccarthy]

Like someone mentioned in a post above, I use the hard clip on case offered through t-mobile. Only $10 and it is made by speck. I love this case, I feel it really protects my phone and when spending 300 dollars on a phone it deserves to be taken care of.

[PKIronMan]

See if you can borrow a Seidio for a few minutes and check that it works. What you describe doesn't seem like something a hard case would help with. It will be rigid but it's not going to put further pressure like the foam did.

And consider BlackBerry Repair Shop - A full line of RIM BlackBerry repair services and BlackBerry parts for all BlackBerry handheld devices if you can't rig this and can't toss for a new BB.

[mikee1680]

Have an Otterbox Defender. It's HUGE!

[WFLDEng611]

Define HUGE, are we talking fishing story huge? I am looking at an Otterbox for my 8830, but I am concerned about the bulk. I realize it adds some bulk to the phone, but I don't want 8703e bulk, been there done that.

[matthiasj]

I've got a Seidio Hybrid Case on mine and the back piece that is rubber and has the speaker hole. I also got the belt clip and it is the best I ever made, it fits great & looks great

[James2008]

Originally Posted by PKIronMan

See if you can borrow a Seidio for a few minutes and check that it works. What you describe doesn't seem like something a hard case would help with. It will be rigid but it's not going to put further pressure like the foam did.

Well, I don't really need the case to apply any more pressure to the battery door, really. The foam I've put in does the trick.

The problem is that the battery door moves slightly sometimes when I grip the phone tightly or move it into or out of my pocket. If the case was tight enough/solid enough that any gripping/sliding on the phone wouldn't mess with the battery door, I'd probably be in business.

Any retail stores that might carry display models of the Seidio?

I had a BB expert look at the phone, and he said that the motherboard is bent slightly. He didn't know how to fix it, and was surprised that the foam works.

Thanks everyone, btw, for the suggestions!