#WhyNotWednesday: Verizon and MakerBot Are Offering Free 3D Printed Smartphone Cases Today Until 4PM

Smartphone cases are more than just protection for your phone – although they are crucial for saving your delicate devices from breakage, water damage, and more. They’re also, like what seems like everything these days, an expression of your personality. Favorite colors, sports teams, characters, and artists are just a few of the things you can clamp onto your smartphones to reflect you – in some cases literally, as there are some incredibly shiny cases out there. For my first iPhone, I bought a bright emerald green glittery case that looked like St. Patrick’s Day threw up. I had to be careful when I was outside with it, or the glint of the sun off my phone would blind me and everyone around me. Still, that case served me well, protecting my phone during its numerous falls, water landings, and near-crushings when I accidentally stepped on it. By the time I retired that phone, its case only had a single small chip out of the side – amazing considering what it had been through.

Not all phone cases are so lucky, though, and when one is destroyed, it can be a bit pricey to buy a new one, particularly if you’re regularly broke. This may be part of the reason why phone cases are so popular an item for 3D printing enthusiasts. Plus, they’re incredibly simple to design and easy to print, and they’re just fun. For the price of a small bit of filament, you can stock up on cases in every color, for every season, even for every day of the week if you want to. They’re a great, easy way to make your phone unique.

Today, Verizon has teamed up with MakerBot to offer free 3D printed phone cases to anyone with a Verizon phone. A while ago, Verizon started #WhyNotWednesday, a promotion in which they give away fun stuff like music downloads, chances to win autographed pictures, and more on Wednesdays. Today for #WhyNotWednesday, why not get yourself a free phone case? Just go on over to the promotion page, enter your phone number, and pick from a selection of designs and colors. Enter your phone model and your address, and MakerBot will print your case and mail it to you for free.

There aren’t a tremendous amount of color and design options, but the ones they have are pretty cool – you can pick from “minimal,” “edgy,” or “funky,” in sky blue, red, gray or mint green. Unfortunately, not every phone model is available. My cheap, archaic Samsung LG was not one of the options, although that hardly surprises me – when I bought the phone, there was only one case that actually fit the giant clunky thing; my device is understandably not one of the most popular. Cases for the most recent and popular devices from iPhone, Android and Samsung are available, however, and even if you’re not thrilled with any of the designs, they are free, and it’s always good to have a backup. The offer is only good from noon to 4:00 PM EST today, Wednesday, March 9th, so get over there now. Discuss in the 3D Printed Smartphone Case forum on 3DPB.com.