Review: Nite Ize Crocs o-dial Case for T-Mobile G1

Yep, you read that right. The same crocs that exploded onto everyone’s feet a few years back are now available for your T-Mobile G1. Offering the same unique design and styling, the Nite Ize Crocs o-dial Case will definitely stand out in a crowd and catch many a glances.

How does it perform? Does it offer much protection? Is it useful?

Read on for the rest of the review!

Design

To many ardent fans, Crocs are well-made, uber-comfortable unique shoes that cater to their tastes. To many others, Crocs are simply the most horrendous creation, fashion disaster of a fad ever. There seems to be no middle ground with the Crocs footwear line. You either love ‘em and wear ‘em or hate ‘em and want to burn ‘em. It’s that serious.

And we could get into the intricacies of the design here on Android Central but we don’t want to bore you with the fashionista details. Just know that the Crocs o-dial Case is a very accurate rendition of the footwear. The perforated holes, thick rubber, and ‘handlebar’ ankle support all translate over to the case and the overall shape is consistent. In all, it could be easily mistaken for a 3 year old’s pair of Crocs.

But the Crocs o-dial case isn’t just some shoe posing as a phone case—this version comes with a belt clip, a neck lanyard, and accessory sleeve (for credit cards and ID, presumably). Though the protection isn’t padded or especially thick, the phone remains safe and secure inside the case.

Usability

I found that the Crocs o-dial case matched the G1 especially nice because the case hugged the dimensions of the G1. Though I was initially wary of placing my G1 in the case, I found that the “handlebar” ankle support mechanism fastened the G1 like a seat belt. There would be no easy way out for the G1.

Of course, buying the Crocs o-dial case is simply asking to receive compliments and criticism, it’s entirely unavoidable. When people see that your phone case is akin to Crocs their first question is, “Is that a croc?” and then upon closer inspection “Whoa, is that a Croc phone case?!”. Amazingly, there were no negative comments about the Crocs case, in fact, most were giddy to see Crocs manifest into a phone case and found it borderline hilarious. Even though I chose the more subtle color of black, I couldn’t help but show off the Crocs o-dial case.

Obviously sticking to the unique design of Crocs makes for some limitations. This isn’t the ideal solution for anyone looking for over-the-top protection because it doesn’t offer any buffer by way of padding. Also, you can’t really use the G1 while it’s inside the case. The accessory sleeve for credit cards/ID cards is a great touch.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I found that the uniqueness of the Crocs o-dial case for T-Mobile G1 certainly outweighed its limitations. I think defining the Crocs o-dial case as a holster would better fit the product and that strictly looking at its shortcomings would be missing the entire point. The Crocs o-dial case is a fun, unique and conversation-starting case that offers adequate protection but does make for good usefulness. I would recommend this case to both Crocs lovers and haters alike.