Possible iPhone 5C casing endures damage tests

The rear plastic backing that may or may not belong to Apple's next iPhone is already being tested for durability, weeks before the device is expected to debut.

Taiwan-based news site Apple Daily (via MacRumors) posted on Wednesday a brief video showing a blue plastic version -- which looks much like others that have made the rounds in recent days -- undergoing damage from metal objects. That includes being thrown into a plastic bag and shaken with keys and pocket change, as well as being aggressively scratched with a car key...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET

Beaten, twisted, sprayed and sat on: how Samsung stress tests its phones

Just treated yourself to a new Samsung Galaxy S III or a Note II but wondering how the plastic body will stand up to the rigors of daily life? The manufacturer's showing off a smorgasbord of tests its smartphones go through in the labs while being prepped for prime time. These experiments are engineered to see how sample and prototype devices fare when subjected to use and abuse -- including having their buttons mashed thousands of times, being twisted, splashed with water, and tossed in a churning pot of killer corn to gauge scratch resistance. One test even plonks a fake, denim-clad posterior onto unsuspecting phones, attempting to bend them out of shape. Sammy's hardly going to smash things in its own marketing, but you may still glean some sadistic pleasure from the video after the break -- and understanding Korean is optional.

[Source: Engadget]

iPhone 5 outperforms Galaxy S III in damage tests

Despite reports about the iPhone 5's aluminum back being easily scratched, Byte is reporting that tests of the iPhone 5 show that it is much more durable than its biggest competitor -- Samsung's Galaxy S III.

Byte cited torture tests from three different sources: PhoneDoctors, Android Authority, and SquareTrade.com. These sites did everything from dropping the phones and having a toddler toss one onto concrete, to throwing them into swimming pools. For the most part the iPhone 5 survived everything that it was subjected to. The Samsung smartphone? It wasn't so lucky.

[Source: TUAW]