Review: Otterbox's Defender series for iPad mini takes the ugly out of rugged

If you’re looking to protect your device—looks be damned—look no further than Otterbox’s rugged $70 Defender series case for iPad mini. This case certainly isn’t going to win any prizes in the “sexy and sleek” department, but it will protect your mini better than most. It’s a four-part case with a heavy duty cover that doubles as a stand, so it’s also pretty usable. Getting it on and off can be tricky, but Otterbox provides a simple-to-follow instruction video.

The Defender comes in several parts. First, there’s a slim, two-piece plastic shell that snaps onto the device. This shell features soft strips to cradle the back of your mini, as well as a thin plastic screen protector. The shell leaves all of the iPad’s ports and buttons open, giving you access to everything—there’s even a small cutout at the top for the microphone.

Next, there’s a black silicone layer that fits around the plastic shell. This piece is stretchy and flexible, so it’s easy to put on. It locks over four protrusions on the shell, and covers the mini’s Home, volume, and Sleep/Wake buttons with rubbery press-through overlays. It also features rubber flaps that cover the mini’s Lightning port, headphone jack, and mute switch. The silicone layer is well made—it’s rigid when it’s stretched over the shell, but the button covers are easy to press and the flaps are easy to remove when you want to access the ports.

Finally, there’s an additional piece to the Defender: a thick, hard plastic cover that doubles as a stand. The cover is the easiest to get on and off, as it only attaches at the four corners of the mini. It can go on the back or front of your iPad, but it seems to make the most sense on the front for added screen protection when your iPad is not in use. Inside the cover, there’s a stand that pops up and allows you to prop up your mini in landscape orientation, at an upright, movie-viewing angle, or a lower typing angle.

The Defender definitely offers protection, and it’s relatively sleek compared to a lot of other rugged cases. The two-material construction means that the case is better at withstanding drops, since the silicone layer absorbs the shock, while the plastic layer protects from dings. The built-in screen protector is a nice touch, and the mini’s screen is still responsive through it. However, since it’s not attached to the mini’s display, there is the issue of dust getting trapped underneath it.

If you’re looking for a rugged case to protect your iPad mini, the Defender series will do an admirable job. It’s not the prettiest case I’ve seen, but it looks and feels sturdy, and the extra-sturdy cover/stand combo is actually quite usable. Of course, if looks are what you care about, this is not the case for you.

Coming-of-Age Film Series Featuring 'Say Anything,' 'Breakfast Club' Hitting Theaters

It's time to go back to those angsty, awkward teenage years.

To promote upcoming film The Spectacular Now, theaters nationwide will have special screenings of some of the best coming-of-age films to ever hit the screen.

Landmark Theaters across the country, along with the Angelika Film Center in Dallas and the Los Feliz 3 Cinemas in Los Angeles, will host "The Spectacular Classics" screening series in the month of July, with one iconic film showing each week leading up the the release of The Spectacular Now on Aug. 2.

VIDEO: 'The Spectacular Now' Trailer: Shailene Woodley Takes on Teenage Anxieties

Each screening will open with a video introduction by screenwriters Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter. Audience members will also receive a ticket to an advance word of mouth screening of The Spectacular Now in their area.

The Spectacular Now, directed by James Ponsoldt, follows a charming high school senior (Miles Teller) who loves to party and has no plans for the future. But then he meets Aimee Finicky (Shailene Woodley), who is his complete opposite -- a dreamer with her nose in the books. They find themselves drawn to each other despite their differences.

The schedule is below:

Say Anything -- Tuesday, July 9
Dazed and Confused -- Tuesday, July 16
Almost Famous -- Tuesday, July 23
Breakfast Club -- Tuesday, July 30

Theaters participating are:
New York - Landmark Sunshine
Los Angeles - Los Feliz
Dallas - Angelika Dallas
Boston - Kendall Square Cinema
DC - E Street Cinema
Philadelphia - Ritz Five
Chicago - Century Centre Cinema
Minneapolis - Lagoon Cinema
Seattle - Harvard Exit Theatre

Netflix Acquires Australian TV Series 'Mako Mermaids'

SYDNEY – Netflix has acquired the exclusive first run rights to Jonathan M. Shiff Productions’ live action kids series, Mako Mermaids for the USA/Canada, England, Ireland, Scandinavia, Benelux and Latin America.

Netflix will release the series simultaneously in those markets in line with the series' Australian premiere on Network Ten on July 26. ZDF Enterprises is the series' international distributor and ZDF will air the show in German-speaking territories.

The deal includes the exclusive premiere rights (outside of Australia) to the first season, including a first-run window, as well as a second season for the same territories.

PHOTOS: From 'Arrested Development' to 'House of Cards,' Exclusive Portraits of Netflix's Stars

The show tells the tale of three mermaids who are tasked with protecting their magical Mako Island from trespassers, but are thwarted by the arrival of 16-year-old Zac. He acquires amazing powers and merman qualities. Threatened by his existence, the mermaid pod is forced to move away, abandoning the three young mermaids. In a bid for survival they must get legs, venture onto land, and take back Zac's powers -- or risk being outcasts forever.

A spin-off from the internationally successful series, H2O: Just Add Water, the 26 half-hour episode series is produced by Jonathan M. Shiff Productions, in association with Screen Australia, Network Ten, ZDF Enterprises and Screen Queensland, with assistance from Gold Coast City Council’s Business Gold Coast.

"This exclusive first-run deal, and Netflix’s commitment to the brand, is unprecedented -- not just for children’s, but for any Australian program. It is a game changer,” said executive producer Jonathan M. Shiff. “With the instant delivery of first-run series, as seen with their series House of Cards, Netflix is an exciting and prestigious platform.”

Screen Australia CEO Ruth Harley added: "This is an extremely significant deal for an Australian television program and reinforces that our children’s television sector is highly regarded internationally for the high-quality content it produces. There’s clearly an appetite for quality Australian children’s television content both at home and abroad."

Netflix is yet to launch its vod platform in Australia.

 

Mystery lurks in "Under the Dome&"; series based on Stephen King novel

Although we’re accustomed to broadcast networks using the summer as a dumping ground for programs they have lost faith in, that’s not always the case. “Under the Dome” (9 p.m. Mountain time Monday on KUTV channel 2) was commissioned specifically for a summer airing. Based on a Stephen King novel, this is a limited-run series (13 episodes) that, in success, could possibly return next summer. (Producers have sketched out a story beyond the first season.)
It’s also not the first time CBS has tried a story based on Kings’ work in the summer. In 1991 the network aired a seven-episode series, “Golden Years.”
‘‘Under the Dome” is vintage Stephen King: A large cast of characters grappling with a seemingly supernatural event when a dome descends on their town, Chester’s Mill, Maine.
Monday’s premiere offers an effective setup to the series, introducing more than a dozen characters and slowly peeling away how they are all related.
The pilot, written by Brian K. Vaughn (“Lost”) and directed by Niels Arden Oplev (the original, 2009 “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”), is filled with an array of creative dome encounters ­— a cow gets cut in half by the dome, an airplane smashes into the dome, etc. — but in the early going viewers learn little about the dome itself. Where did it come from? Can you dig under it? Presumably these are the questions “Under the Dome” will spend the next 13 weeks addressing.
The dome descends just after Dale “Barbie” Barbara (Mike Vogel, “Pan Am,” ‘‘Bates Motel”) finishes burying a body in the woods. He gets spooked driving down a road when he passes a sheriff (Jeff Fahey, “Lost”) and deputy (Natalie Martinez) driving in the opposite direction. Barbie accidently drives off the road onto a farm where he witnesses the dome descend before saving a kid (Colin Ford) from falling airplane parts.
Meanwhile, that kid’s sister, Angie (Britt Robertson), is having sex with her insecure boyfriend, Junior (Alexander Koch), who turns into a domestic-violence perpetrator, which happens kind of a lot in King’s stories.
Junior is the son of city councilman James “Big Jim” Rennie (Dean Norris, “Breaking Bad”), who seems to know something about extra propane shipments the town received just before the arrival of the dome, shipments that caught the eye of a nosey neighbor, prompting her to call local newspaper editor Julia (Rachelle Lefevre, “Twilight”) even as the neighbor admits, “I get my news online, sweetheart, like everybody else.”
That seems like a lot of characters already, but it’s really just the start. There are also characters at the local community radio station and a couple passing through town while taking their daughter to camp.
The premiere hints at some sort of conspiracy by the town fathers, but also an affliction that causes seizures in young people left under the dome. And at least one major character may be taken out by the dome pretty early on.
With Stephen King stories, it’s all about character development and plot execution. So far, the “Under the Dome” characters are just sketches and the plot is just getting started. It remains to be seen if either will merit watching for a full season, but the pilot does exactly what it should: It intrigues and makes the case for viewers to come back next week for more.

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