Yes, I am one of those guys. The day the iPhone 5 was released I stood outside my local AT&T store so I could be one of the first to have one. (Protip: The lines are waaaaay shorter at the carrier's store than at the Apple store. I showed up 10 til and was like 12th in line. 30 min later I walked out with my phone. Some miserable bastards camped out at the Apple store for days to get 12th in line.). With a phone upgrade available and a wad of cash burning a hole in my wallet, I proceeded to purchase my shiny new toy. The salesperson tried to go over options with me but I didn't want to hear it. 16gb! Black! Shut up and take my money! Then she asked if I wanted a case... Uh oh, I didn't have a case for my new phone! Bwah! "Have no fear!" The lady proclaimed, "we have a fine selection of cases to choose from! All at prices that reflect the fact that this phone has only been on sale for 30 minutes!" I found myself a $10 red Speck case at the bargain basement price of $40 and went in my merry way.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. That cheap piece for crap is scratched to hell, the rubber on the inside cushioning the phone has pretty much peeled away, chunks are missing from the plastic, and all after just under a year of use. Now lets be fair... The amount of wear and tear I put my phone and phone accessories is probably enough to void the warranty. Between climbing into wrecked cars, searching burning buildings, trekking through the jungle (both concrete and forest), and mixing chemicals that will probably give me cancer someday, I need one of those mil spec cases with side impact crumple zones and a steel plate on the back. Or at least a life proof or otterbox. Though those are fine cases, there's one problem... Dey's 'spensive! And unless you like bright yellow or black, dey's fugly too! So set out to find a new case that could handle what I dish out...

I found plenty of review sites for iPhone cases, a metric ass tonne to be precise. But they all seem to have something I common. Their "abuse" test is useless. Oh, you dropped your phone from 3 feet? That's good to know... If I was 3.5 feet tall. You hit it once with a hammer? Cool story bro! I can probably run a case over with my car once and it would probably hold up. Some have the audacity to claim an "abuse" test is them taking a case along with them for a week in their life as a pencil pusher. Once I realized my search was futile, I came to realize that this is actually an opportunity! I'm surely not the only one who has had this problem.

Since I couldn't find a review that actually addressed my needs, I threw caution to the wind and bought a new case. I picked up a Luna Splatter Mark case from Redbubble. I'm happy with it so far, but how well will it stand up to abuse? Well my Bronies, we will soon find out. I will be starting a new blog...

Field Reports with Firestorm will be a new type of review. It will be an atypical review for those living an atypical life. Those living a typical life need not fret. If that thing you've had your eye on can survive hell with me, it can surely meet your needs. It won't strictly be a case review blog, it will be on tech in general. Headphones, vidya games, and what have you. If it has pony on it, then it's fair game. That also means if you have your eye on something and you want me to check it out first, let me know and I'll have a whack at it.

The first Field Report will be on my new case. I'm not sure when it will be, maybe tomorrow but most likely after this weekend. Midwest Brony Fest baby! This is going to be pretty cool. Not only will it be from a practical point of view, but also a fellow brony's point of view. Lets do this...