Over the past two weeks, we’ve been flooded with clear hard plastic iPod cases — eight for the third-generation iPod nano alone. Highly similar from product to product, we’re covering all eight in comparative reviews today, pointing out their few differences as appropriate. In the order we’re covering them in, there’s DLO’s Shell ($20), Griffin’s iClear ($20), Tunewear’s Tuneshell ($20), DLO’s HybridShell and MetalShell ($20 each), Speck’s SeeThru ($25), Gecko Gear’s Ice Case ($25), and Contour Design’s iSee nano V3 ($25).
DLO’s Shell is this comparative review’s starting point because it is the most basic, and typical, of all of the designs here.
It consists solely of two pieces of clear hard plastic—one for the third-generation nano’s face, and one for its sides and back. They snap together with four clips, two each on the left and right sides, and like all of the other cases here, the completed Shell covers all of the nano except for its Click Wheel and bottom, which provides full access to the nano’s Hold switch, Dock Connector, and headphone port. The case is fully compatible with Universal Dock-equipped iPod accessories, as well as oversized headphone plugs, but does not work with other Dock Connecting accessories that have larger plugs than Apple’s own USB cables.
Gecko Gear’s Ice Case sells for a $5 premium, but stands out because of two slight differences in its styling, and its more aggressive collection of pack-ins.
Like SwitchEasy’s Biscuit cases, Ice Case has a sculpted Click Wheel cut-out with side dimples to allow for slightly smoother finger motions on the touch-sensitive surface. It uses four side pins—longer than DLO’s—to attach its front to its back, and like Tunewear’s Tuneshell has two holes on its lower rear shell for attachment of an included lanyard necklace, here made from white fabric. Gecko Gear includes a tape-like, two-piece Cick Wheel protector, which actually works and looks good, as well as a headphone port adapter, Universal Dock Adapter, cleaning cloth, and a film cover for the nano’s back.
