[Xperia Play Accessories] CZroe:
So, others didn't complain about it blocking the buttons because they aren't case designers and so you, I and others bought it unknowingly. :eek: Sounds like a good reason to complain about it. You were the first I saw complain about it on this case and I firmly believe that it's because I brought it up so many times with the Otterbox (never saw anyone mention that before I did). Even so, I had already ordered my Trident Aegis. :(

Also, they design many cases and are often trying to finish their case designs fast enough to beat others and sell to the initial buyers of that device, so they don't live with their decisions. Also, like many others didn't notice or complain, I can't guarantee that a case designer is as an average owner at finding usability issues. For example: If they were tasked with using this phone and had no personal interest in the gaming functions, they probably would not test it nearly as much and would not be as picky about it blocking the buttons. They would probably just use it like a phone for a week before moving on to the next model. That's why they rely on real-world customer feedback for "version 2."

You know why it has anything above the shoulder buttons at all? Because that's where the clips are for that side of the bottom shell. You know why they are there? Because the large clip on that side of the front frame is in the center area and they don't want them to overlap and push apart like the Otterbox Commuter series case. Now, if they had invested more thought into it, they would realise that they could put one large clip in the middle of that side on the bottom shell and two small clips offset on that side of the tops shell and completely eliminated the small piece of frame over the shoulder buttons.

For what it's forth, I *am* a case designer to the limits of my abilities. :D I identified the problems and I thought of solutions. I even modified my Otterbox Commuter! The Commuter was a bit cheaper here but mostly because the black Trident Aegis couldn't be found for less than $24.95. I insisted on a black Aegis because I knew I might be needing to modify it a bit too and I knew it would be easier to hide cuts in the black case. I'm hoping to grind the ridge along the face buttons to be flush and see if I can get the back shell to stick without the clips over the shoulder buttons.

As for audio, the exposed speaker fires BACKWARDS. Even without a case, when both fire DOWN, there is a huge difference when you place your hands down there in position to play. This reflects any sound that was heading away from you toward you. The sound is already redirected under the battery lid (take a look) so this is only that much more to muffle it if it now fires completely backwards and your hand actually BLOCKS it. Now, I may be more picky about this because I am a little hard of hearing and FINALLY found a phone that I can comfortably use speakerphone on, but there's nothing wrong with being picky! Now, you may be OK with the cut out near the headphone/microphone jack, but ask yourself: Why not cut it the extra millimeter or two to fully expose the speaker? It just seems lazy not to.

I agree that the case is far better than the Otterbox but I do believe that there needs to be a more critical focus on any case if we ever expect to trust each-other's reviews. There are plenty of faults to mention! That said, I much appreciate the easy-to-press volume and power pass-through buttons. Ideally, I'd want to see something like that for the Home, Back, Menu, and Search keys because they eventually flake paint and need protection. It's serious enough that AT&T tried to deny my warranty claim saying that Sony Ericsson would not take it back like that! A case that has been placed in a protector since day 1 should be able to protect against any cosmetic damage claims. The Otterbox sometimes made the volume buttons worse when the rubber piece would slide around them and it became unusable when I got rid of the clips on that side.

Anyway, you're not a case designer, so I advise you to stop complimenting! ;)