Thanks to longtime case manufacturer OtterBox, iPhone 6 owners no longer have to choose between a protective case or a battery case — they can get both in the new OtterBox Resurgence Battery Case ($99.95, affiliate link).
Specifications
- Dimensions: 6.0 x 3.0 x .63 inches (15.2 x 7.6 x 1.6 cm)
- Weight: 3.5 ounces (99 grams)
- Battery Capacity: 2,600 mAh
- Rating: MIL STD 810G-516.6 drop protection
- Colors: Black, Glacier (gray/white), Cardinal (metallic red/dark gray), Mint Ice (metallic light green/white)
Design
I have to hand it to OtterBox; they’ve successfully merged two types of cases into one. The Resurgence provides excellent drop protection and enough battery power to fully recharge an iPhone 6.
The protective case uses a tried-and-true two-piece design. The back of the case — in the case of our review item a soft metallic red color — holds the battery and electronics. The front snaps onto the back of the case once you’ve popped the iPhone 6 into it, and it’s held very securely by a number of well-designed snap latches.
All switches (power, mute/orientation lock, volume toggle) covered by pass-through duplicates that keep them full protected from drops. There are a pair of slots on the lower front on the Resurgence to pass along sound from the speakers, as well as a passthrough hole for the headphone jack. An extension cable is provided to make it easy to plug and unplug just about any headphone.
Health device of the week: Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer
This week’s focus is on a device that’s been checking my weight almost every morning since 2009. That’s a Withings Connected Scale, which also measures body fat and displays your Body Mass Index (BMI). The scale has come a long way since I first bought one back in 2009; it now also acts as an air quality sensor and takes your pulse when you weigh in. Any measurements made by the scale are transmitted via Wi-Fi to the Withings cloud, where you can either view it on a website or using the free Withings Health Mate app.
The basic Connected Scale I own has been replaced by the less capable (weight-only) Wireless Scale WS-30 (US$99.95, affiliate link), while the more powerful device is called the Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer ($149.95 MSRP, affiliate link). Both have the ability to recognize different users by their weight — in our house, my wife, one of our cats, and myself are all set up on the scale. Yes, Merry likes to stand on the scale and weigh herself, so we know that on her last weigh-in she was a chunky 11.9 lbs!
What I like about the Withings Scales is that you don’t have to do anything except stand on them for a few seconds. There’s no need to remember your weight and BMI for a day, then enter it into a spreadsheet or app. It’s all done automatically for you. If my doctor ever wants a record of my weight going back to late 2009, I can export every reading for her as a PNG — frankly, I’d rather have a .csv file.
Withings has built a very complete ecosystem of measurement devices and has made its data-collection compatible with a number of other health-related services including Apple’s Health app. I’ll talk about some of the company’s other devices in a future Health Club post, but let’s just say that Withings really seems to be one of the only accessory manufacturers that is really looking at the big picture when it comes to health monitoring.
Health Club Members! Rather than having to post your progress (or in my case, the lack thereof) on the Apple World Today Facebook page, I’ve created a new Facebook AWT Health Club group that’s strictly set up for us. You’ll need to be invited to the group; please use the email button on the right sidebar to send me the email address you use for Facebook so I can invite you.
My weekly stats: Weight: 197.1 lbs Change from last week: +0.3 lbs Steps taken each day: M-2868,T-1320, W-2472, TH-1145, F-1947, SA-2417, SU-3140 Average steps per day last week: 2187 (+140 from previous week)
Let’s hear how you did! Let’s get moving!
