Ridiculously over-engineered? Or the perfect case for your iPad no matter where you’re headed? We think it’s a little bit of both. Simply put, the Griffin Survivor Case is the most protective case we’ve ever built. Tested and certified to meet or exceed US Department of Defense Standard 810F, Griffin’s Survivor Military-Duty Case is designed from the inside out to protect your iPad from extreme conditions … dirt, sand, rain, shock, vibration and a host of other environmental factors. Survivor is built on a shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame clad in rugged, shock absorbing silicone. A built-in screen protector seals your Multi-Touch display from the outside environment, while plugs seal the dock connector, camera lens, headphone port, hold switch and volume controls. The included stand clips on, then folds open for landscape viewing and typing. Survivor is independently tested and verified to meet or exceed environmental testing standards for blown rain, blown dust and grit, vibration, shock, temperature and humidity. Griffin Technology began designing and manufacturing technical solutions with an innovative flair in 1992. They have since grown to become one of the largest providers of accessories for personal computing and digital media. Griffin’s approach has given birth to some of the best known accessories in the digital entertainment and personal computer markets, including the iTrip family of FM transmitters and the groundbreaking Evolve Wireless Sound System. Today, Griffin designs, manufactures and delivers useful and fun solutions for digital entertainment and personal computing to people in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, through major retailers and online.
Product Features
- Independently tested and certified to meet conditions outlined in US Department of Defense MIL-STD-810F and UK Department of Defense Def-Stan 00-35
- Integral Display shield deflects wind and rain (Test: up to 200 mm/hr for 1 hour)
- Rigid internal frame protects against shocks and drops (Test: drop on flat concrete surface from 6’/1.8 m)
- Sealed ports block blown sand and dust (up to 18 m/sec for 1 hour)
- Silicone cladding blocks vibration (18 hrs at 20 to 2000 Hz)
Near Perfect I love the griffin survivor case. I love the soft yet grippy rubber feel. I love the integrated screen protector. I love the military grade protection that keeps it safe from the curious fingers and inevitable blunders of my daring 9 month old. This case has truly allowed my iPad to become this stay-at-home mom’s best companion.I was at first considering the Otter Box, but after reading reviews on the iPad2 version, I had my doubts that it would have the ruggedness I wanted. And it really isn’t that attractive. I also would have had to install Ghost Armor or something to protect the screen – a process that would have kept me from using my new toy for an additional 24-48 hours above the shipping time for all the protective iPad gear. Not acceptable. I have not noticed any loss of touch response from the built in screen cover either. The Survivor is also pleasant to look at. Sure, it’s not purple (everything should be available in my favorite color) but it has an elegance to its slight bulk – like the beautiful muscular definition of a dancer.The included snap on is plenty functional. I was at first worried that, like every case other than the Otter Box, it would require a desk to be functional. Needless to say, as a stay-at-home mom, I am rarely at a desk. With the stand popped open I can still rest it on my lap and type easily. Case in point: I am currently sitting on the bed next to my daughter as she falls asleep. I have not any any trouble using the buttons or accessing any ports with this case, even though they are all completely covered.Sadly, it does have its faults. It is not ideal for photographers on the go as the camera connection kit does not fit the plastic framing around the connection port. The framing does not interfere with the charging/sync cable but the camera connector pieces are wider than the charger plug and hit the plastic framing before the plug can meet the port. This is a supper bummer for me because part of the reason I got the iPad was so that I could more easily blog and post pictures of my little been sprout for family to see. With the camera connection kit I would have been able to pop the SD card into the iPad at any time and edit, post, and share. As it stands now, I’m still stuck being dependent on the desk top to sync recent pictures.The only other minor complaint, very minor, is that I think I may still want some kind of travel case for it, just to provide a hard cover over the screen in certain situations – like packing a backpack for air travel. Like i said this is a very minor concern at the moment, considering that I haven’t done, nor am I planning to do, anything about this in the near future.To conclude, the Survivor case has a striking balance between rugged functionality and sleek sensory appeal, like expertly designed kevlar lined leather chaps and jacket on a motorcycle hottie. The only way Griffin could improve on this lovely yet tough case is to widen the plastic framing around the connection port to accommodate the camera connection kit, and perhaps design an accessory snap on hard cover for the screen. This cover would of course have to be compatible with the current snap on stand. I wouldn’t want to have to take one off to use the other.
Design flaw…3 stars, could have been a 5 We wanted optimum protection possible for our Ipad2 especially since we have two toddlers. After much review of different Ipad2 cases, my wife and I decided to go for the Griffin Survivor. Having served active duty in the Marines, I pushed for this product because unlike its competitors with almost similar protective design, only the Griffin Survivor has port covers! so come sand, rain, wind or shine this was going to be our be-all and end-all Ipad2 case. Well, at least that was the plan. The silicone that connects the bottom port cover is TOO THIN. A week after I started using it, the bottom port cover broke. Thinking that I may have received an anomaly, I contacted Amazon and immediately exchanged it for another…that ones bottom port cover BROKE FASTER THAN THE FIRST ONE(about 3 days). “You’re only as strong as your weakest link,” maybe I was unlucky with this product compared to others but this was my experience with the Griffin Survivor and with protection compromised, I cant recommend at this time. I will buy this product again once this design flaw is addressed.
rushed to market? but great item –BE SURE TO READ UPDATE AT END!!—I like this device, just not as bad as I really would like to; the plastic screen shield on it seriously detracts from its utility. Before writing this review I waited a few extra days to let my finger grease coat the screen shield, hoping to enable a smoother interfacing, however still no differance! my finger gets caught from the friction produced by the shield and finger. That is one thing otterbox always did well on was it screen guards. Besides the texture, the screen guard sits on top of the screen to high, creating an “air pocket” sensation. The texture and air pocket serious affects game playing and seriously hampers the ipad experience (finger on smooth glass). Even after a week of usage, both these issues are still very annoying.Another issue with this product is its stand. Simply, it sucks. It falls over very easily and you cannot use it to set the ipad up in portrait mode. I leave the stand off to lessen the overall weight.BTW the material used has the same “toughness” of otterbox’s OtterBox Defender Series Hybrid Case for iPad 2 (APL2-IPAD2-20-E4OTR).This prodcuts shortcomings wont prevent me from recommending it, but I will suggest that the MSRP of $70 is WAY to high, $50 is what I would consider its price ceiling (Ipad $42 for mine).UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!! after about 4-6 weeks of use my suspicious are true, the dock connector’s rubber flap is junk!!! its tearing, its very thin and gets alot of use (usb sync cable). Bummer..Ill still leave it rated as 3-star item, but in order to get my money’s worth I think an item like this should last at least a year!!! I guess ill see how long the flap can withstand the forces against it…UPDATE…12/26/2011After about 6months of use the rubber flap hasn’t deteriorated anymore than the initial tear…prob more due to my care than the material design…. also the plastic screen protector was only a annoyance the first few days of having it, I havent had any issues with it since the initial break-in period… eventually, I stopped using the stand, it just sucks…… THIS IS WAAAYYYYY BETTER THAN THE OTTERBOX CASE!!!!!
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