I wear my iPod all the time. Not to bed, usually, but pretty much the whole rest of the day. Plus, I'm really good at breaking my devices, be they MP3 players, PDAs, cell phones, or what have you. So having a good case that protects my iPod is essential.
"Good case" means a couple things.
First, it means a belt loop, not a hard plastic clip. Clips are uncomfortable, and I can knock them off too easily. Sit down, put on a seat belt-- suddenly the case is wandering off on its own. I need the case to actually attach to me.
Second, it's got to protect the whole iPod-- protect it from the elements, and from me. So some padding is nice.
Third, it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Even bad iPod accessories seem to be pretty pricey.
When I got my iPod Mini, I found a great case for it: a camera case. Turns out camera accessory companies have been making easy-to-carry padded cases for decades, for a market that's pretty rabid about having good protection for some incredibly expensive equipment. Belt loops are pretty standard for them. And they're cheap. (Of course, if any manufacturers of iPod accessories want to prove me wrong, feel free to send your samples to Alex Pang, c/o Institute for the Future.)
For the new iPod, I didn't want to get rid of the case, but there's a problem. The headphone jack for the regular iPods is smack in the middle of the device, which leans that you can't close the case unless there's a hole that you can run the headphones through. (The jack on the Mini is off to one side.)
So this morning I took the camera case to my local shoe and luggage repair place (in my case the Village Cobbler, in Town and Country Shopping Center), and asked them to punch a hole in the case, and install an eyelet so it wouldn't fray.
The front of the case (made by Case Logic, and available just about anywhere)
It took about five minutes.
Total cost: $12 for the case + $5 for the mod = $17 for a rugged, won't-fall-off iPod case. I think that may be cheaper than any iPod case you can get at the iPod store.
This particular Case Logic carrying case also has a small pocket on the side, perfect for carrying an extra pair of earbuds.
The case laid flat. You need to take your headphones in with the case, so they can make sure the hole is big enough. The eyelet is a kind usually used on boots.
You can't access the controls, or see the pretty screen, but this design has one other advantage: with the headphones connecting to the iPod through the eyelet, it makes it even harder for the case to open and the iPod to accidentally fall out.
[To the tune of Bruce Hornsby, "Carry The Water," from the album "A Night on the Town".]
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