People getting both are doing so probably because they don't want to see little scratches or dings on their phone after minor falls that wouldn't warrant a replacement under warranty.

I'm getting the TEP plan myself along with a silicone case.

 

Here is how I look at it. If you plan on selling the phone in a year, then get a case. The case will keep the phone in "near perfect" condition until you sell it. I also like the silicon cases because they are not so slippy. Less likely to drop it and it stays where I put it.

So if you like sticky feel and plan on selling the phone, a case is a must have. This is not about destroying the phone, but about get as much resell out of the phone as possible.

 

TEP has a $100 deductible. so you might as well try and postpone that as long as possible.

 

Exactly, a case is more for protecting the aesthetics of the phone, it in no way will protect you from damage all the time. It may help with minor bumps, falls, and drops, but what if you drop it flat on the screen? It will still get damaged. Cases are cheap enough that there is no reason to not get one for the little protection that it will give you. Then you have the Sprint insurance in the event of major damage.

I for one have always used both a case and the sprint insurance on all of my phones.

 

Case -
Pros: Cheaper in the long run, easy to install and use, fairly effective.
Cons: No guaranteed protection if you drop your phone, adds a bit of bulk to phone.

Insurance -
Pros: Problem or damage to phone and you can get it replaced, easy to add to account, peace of mind.
Cons: Have to pay a deductible each time it's used, a tad expensive if you never use it, usually get a refurb, have to set back up your phone from scratch, potential lost data.


I'm a "case guy" personally....

 

I thought the deductible was only for things such as water damage. I know for malfunctions with software or hardware, there is not a deductible, I am not sure about physical damage though...

I guess I am not all that familiar with TEP.

 

Cool, I guess I had a pretty good understanding of it already. Thanks for clearing it up.

 

but basically that means if you drop the phone and you dont have the case on and it breaks then yes, you will have to pay.

 

Ding ding ding! They're not gonna replace my phone because I dropped it and got a bunch of little knicks in it!

 

Both for me, you can never tell what can happen.

 

both for me also. my blackberry bold is still in perfect condition due to the sillicone cases. plus it is new since i got it before my services was turned off so it has no scratches, trackball is still white, and its unlocked...now i just have to pay off the balance and sell the joker on ebay to get some cash.

 

a case won't protect it from being lost or stolen

 

Life insurance or airbag? I'll take both.

 

+1. Any case or guard I get will only be for cosmetic purposes. I've had TEP on all my phones since I can remember (back when it was only $4 per month), so I don't know any different and it's just simpler to deal with that (for me, personally).

 

Very cute analogy.

Insurance doesn't cover cosmetic damage so pretty much that is what you are doing with the case on top of extra protection.

But to the OP. You aren't going to crack a screen dropping it from 2-4 feet on carpet. I just did it twice to check

 

I would think health insurance or airbag?

Both for me, but if the cas makes it too big. bye bye

 

As mentioned above, even with insurance the replacement phones aren't cheap.

Also, most cases will have JUST enough of a lip to prevent the phone from falling flat on the screen. I also hope that they have just enough lip that the phone won't rest on the camera lens, although I don't think that will happen.

 

With the premium data plan, after 3 months we will qualify to be premium users, correct?

Premium members get the eligible upgrade price after a year, correct?

That means a years from now we will be able to buy the next hot phone for ~$200. If you are able to keep the evo in near perfect condition by using a case, you'll easily recoup that much...it's like getting a free upgrade every year.

 

I did this from Instinct -> Pre and now doing it from Pre -> EVO, so yes.

 

I for one can say GET THE INSURANCE. I am a current bberry user and a believer in the tep program; its kinda like having a condom I'd rather have one and not need it than need one and not have it. I am pretty rough on phones been through 7 in three yrs and the tep has covered all of them. I've only had to pay the $100 once because I lost my phone. Just recently ( three weeks ago) i had my bberry replaced for a bad keypad. Got a whole new phone and the best part of that was it didn't affect my upgrade eligibility so now I'm sitting on a brand new bberry waiting on my evo.

Definitely worth $7 a month