Product: Polycarbonate MP3 Player Case
Buy it?: $30 each at Brookstone or www.brookstone.com
Best Uses: iPod case, video viewing stand
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
For as long as I have owned mp3 players, I have never found the need to spend extra money on a case for it, so I never have. When I opened my sleek and clean iPod Touch, I was suddenly plunged into paranoia every time I put it somewhere where there was even a slight chance it could be damaged. Realizing that I would finally need to get one, I searched the web for a decent iPod case, and this one caught my eye.
Is it better than other cases? Worse?
Having this iPod case for a few months in a variety of different places and situations, I have come to the conclusion that, just like most other cases, it works – well. It covers everything except the screen itself, but not to worry; the area around the screen is raised enough that regardless of how you drop it, no part of the screen will ever touch the surface. I have dropped it numerous times, and the strange thing is, the case itself does not have a single scratch on it. Somehow you can just wipe scratches off this polycarbonate material.
Still, the most useful attribute this case has going for it is its ease of removal. The case closes on a small hinge, so you just need to reverse the hinge to remove it, and this takes just a second to do. You might find this useful when, like me, you find that you cannot stick your iPod Touch into a dock without removing its case. This makes a durable, easy-to-remove case much more appealing than the flexible rubber skins that take minutes to remove and reapply.
On top of all this, it enables watching videos hands-free, a feature similar to the iPod dock I reviewed about a month ago. The belt clip, which is surprisingly sturdy, can be flipped into a landscape iPod stand, which means that you can set it down on a table anywhere, including your meal table in an airplane, and simply watch.
Annoyances…
There is only one thing that really bothers me about this case, and it stems out of its best feature. While you can easily cover and uncover your iPod with the case, it is very frustrating to try closing the case without anything inside. I am starting to get the hang of it after a month of use, but unless you do, you will constantly be fumbling with the clasps to try getting it closed. Then again, you could just leave it open… ;)
My advice:
Overall, the good vastly outweighs the bad in this iPod case. Compared to the other, under-functional cases out there on the market, this one does enough for me to write an entire review about, and that is an reason enough to go out and buy one.
***A special thanks to the very helpful people at Brookstone who made testing this product possible.