Reviews

Boxwave Week: iPod Nano Case and Armband

October 24, 2005

Since there are so many silicone cases to chose from, you have to compare the different models available quite closely to see what makes each one unique and make the right choice for your needs. Boxwave has added some innovative features to their particular case, and I’ll highlight three of them in this article. In all other respects this case is quite similar to what I’ve seen from other vendors as far as quality and workmanship is concerned; what sets this one apart is a few clever touches that make all the difference.

The first should be immediately apparent—this case covers the click wheel entirely with the same material as the rest of the case, only thinner to make it easier for you to manipulate the controls on your music player. The whole point of a case is to protect your expensive electronics from harm, and this one works better than many others in that regard. The Nano is almost completely enclosed, leaving only the screen exposed to harm. There’s a small cutout in the top of the case for the hold switch, and another one on the bottom for the sync/charge port and the headphone jack.

The second improvement relates to the two small “ears” you see at the top of the case, on either side of the display.This is where you attach the lanyard neck strap, which is included with the case. I like the lanyard on its own, because it’s made of a silvery material and covered with clear plastic, which means that it is durable and very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. There is a tiny little lobster claw clasp on each end that you can attach to the case, or anything else that you would like to use the strap with. Since there are two attachments the Nano hangs nice and straight. I still wish that the attachments were closer to the bottom of the case, so that the Nano would hand upside down (and therefore be easier to use while I’m wearing it), but you can’t have everything in one package or there wouldn’t be any room for improvement.

Turn the case around and you’ll see two slits in the back. You might be wondering what on earth those are for, since belt clip attachments are typically small/round/metal thingies attached to the back of the case. The two parallel slits allow you to thread a soft gray armband through them, meaning that you can wear your iPod Nano on your arm during exercise and other activities. The strap secures with Velcro and is slightly stretchy, so that you can adjust it to a comfortable fit.

I reviewed a similar case for the 4G 40GB iPod a few months ago, but I like this design even better than the other one because there is simply no way that the Nano case can come off of the arm band and fall to the ground, even during strenuous activity. The other design used a skin case and a friction holster; while it never did come out of the arm band assembly, I did I worry about it sometimes. That definitely isn’t the case with this case, since the armband actually threads through the case. The silicone skin case would have to tear, which is fairly unlikely considering just how strong and tough it is.

You have several buying choices with this product. Obviously I chose Cosmo Pink, but there are several other colors available, namely Frosted Clear, Mint Green, Sherbet Orange, Smoke Gray, and Super Blue. Each one sells for $26.95 and includes a lanyard and the arm band. You can also get a variety pack of five different skins if you just can’t make up your mind; it doesn’t include the arm strap, but you do get the lanyard and it’s a great deal at $28.95. If you have an iPod Nano, head on over to the Boxwave online store and pick up the best case I’ve seen so far.

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