This new series of silicone rubber cases for the fifth-generation iPod features a white Japanese brush stroke-style artistic rendition of the Click Wheel, and a matching German color label underneath. Black is listed as Schwarzes, blue as Blau, green as Grun, and red as Rot. Each of the cases comes with a cleaning cloth, adhesive screen protector, and color-matched silicone earbud caps.
The easiest way to de-commodify the commodity silicone rubber iPod case is six letters long: add art. And though Zofunk’s new Zozen case ($27) is basically nothing more than a painted rubber sheathe with a circular swipe of white paintbrush work at the 5G iPod’s Click Wheel, it’s eye-catching in a minimalist, zen way, available in four colors, and just substantial enough to be a good iPod cover. Each case’s color is labeled on the case’s front in German, a touch that was neither intrusive or necessary, and color-matched with a set of silicone rubber covers for Apple’s packed-in iPod earbuds.
A cleaning cloth is also included in each package.
In addition to covering the iPod’s back, sides, and most of its front with rubber, Zofunk includes a clear screen protector that leaves only two small parts of a 5G exposed: top holes, and the bottom Dock Connector port. We’ve seen myriad rubber cases that cover more and better. Zozen’s rubber is on the thin side – at 1mm, it’s not easily rippable, but nowhere near the equal of cases such as iSkin’s eVo3 (iLounge rating: A-) or Speck’s SkinTights (iLounge rating: A-) – so don’t expect equivalent drop damage protection.
