Mac Geekery

It’s happened to every owner of a black iPod. You get it, you ogle a bit, you take off that thin sheet of plastic covering the front, and then 20,000 scratches magically appear within minutes. Guaranteed.

Thus, iPod covers are gaining in popularity these days, over and above the popularity they enjoyed for older iPods because you’re actually using the screen on today’s iPod for photos and video and so forth. It’s important that it’s not marred.

So, iFrogz purports to have a solution to this problem. Seal up the iPod in a silicone case and covers and keep it from the outside world. There’s the Screenz protection screen that sticks on the front of the iPod and is completely removable, which also comes with a decorative sticker to cover the wheel. Then comes the Wrapz silicon cover for the entire iPod, with the obligatory holes for the screen, wheel, dock connector, hold switch, and headphone port. For even more protection, you can cover all but the headphone jack with the Bandz band that fits snugly around the entire Wrapz package, locking it into place and protecting the unused ports (you’ll usually have headphones in to cover that port).

How does it hold up?

The Good

codepoet: The complete iFrogz package covers every inch of the iPod, and does so very well. The Wrapz package comes with a belt clip held on by a metal screw that doesn’t look like it would strip very easily. The material used is very grippable and makes for an iPod that I feel is entirely protected. I’m tempted to believe this adds a measure of shock absorption, but I’m not crazy enough to try.

Also, the belt clip is a nice addition to the whole package. If you use it, just screw in the retaining screw and clip it on. If you don’t use it, clip it off and unscrew the retaining screw. It’s easy to get it into either configuration.

JC: I love the fit and finish. Unlike the rubbery, high-tack silicon I’ve seen in some other cases, the silicon here is very soft, has just the right amount of tack to it, and has a nice, solid feel to it. I’ve been abusing this thing like crazy and it hasn’t deformed, stretched, or otherwise surrendered any of the qualities it arrived in.

The Geek

codepoet: Many items that protect the iPod and involve a sticky cover for the front wind up leaving residue on the front of the iPod or involve odd application techniques. This one is straightforward for application and completely removable and reusable in every form. Few places think about returning a unit back to the original form, so that’s a welcome consideration.

JC: As fate would have it, my 4G iPod died a few days before we recieved our samples, so I’ve been dutifully testing out what the codepoet was too wussy to do himself. My intention was to see how much, if any, damage the iPod would take from a three-story fall. Sporting a frowny “Sad iPod” icon still visible, I gave it a toss from my balcony. My apartment is on the second floor, but the building is on a hill, placing my apartment more than twenty feet above ground. I let the iPod tumble end over end as it fell and it landed squarely on an end and bounced. Aside from picking up some loose grass, it did not warp, bend, dent, or scratch.

Miraculously, the long fall appears to have fixed my iPod. I fixed my Sad-Faced iPod by throwing it off a twenty-plus-foot high balcony in an iFrogz. Kids, don’t try this at home.

The Bad

codepoet: Overall, however, I’m not going to keep using this product. The reasons are quite varied, unfortunately.

• I have an iPod video 30GB that I chose for its slimness. The included case for video solves the thinness “problem” with a large silicone insert that pads the back of the Wrapz case to make it the same thickness as the iPod video 60GB. This completely defeats the purpose of my buying the 30GB.
• The whole package resounds of an example of adding parts to solve a problem rather than engineering around them. The screen protector has a hard time getting the bubbles out, so there’s a part to help remove the bubbles. It has a huge bubble where the wheel is, so there’s a cover for the wheel. The 30GB unit is too thin, so they add a piece to make it bigger and fit their product. The case leaves ports exposed, so a band is added to cover the exposed ports. You could think of this in one way of saying “Well, they include everything you need to do it right” or you could say “they include a lot of things to get it done right because it’s not able to do it right without some effort.”
• The hold switch is covered by the Bandz part, and even without the band on it takes a good-sized fingernail to get to the switch and flick it.

JC: While the iFrogz didn’t add significant bulk to my 4G iPod, actuating the hold switch with the case on is a royal pain unless you have decent fingernails. My big ol’ man-hands had trouble with this, and my wife has no nails at all, so this was a small issue.

• I use this iPod in the car mostly, and neither versions of the AirPlay nor iTrip will work while the iPod is in this case.
• I had no trouble affixing the Screenz protector, as the air bubbles over the iPod and screen worked out very simply. However, it is neigh impossible to remove the bubbles that form over the touchwheel. If you’re using one of the iFrogz touchwheel covers, it doesn’t really matter, but none of the available wheels really strike my fancy. I had wondered why they would offer wheels that mimick the iPod’s existing wheel, and now I know.
• With the 40GB iPod installed, both holes for the wheel and display warp slightly, leaving an oval opening for the wheel and a not-quite-square portal into the display. The effect is not enough that my wife even noticed, but I occasionally show OCD dysfunctions and it drives me a little nutty.

Conclusion

codepoet: If you don’t mind the extra bulk, want some stylish protection for your iPod, and are willing to deal with the limits of a surrounding case to get to your ports, then the iFrogz is a very nice package. I really wish my way of using the iPod fit in with this product because it’s quite stylish and very nice. I do like that it gives a good grip on the iPod when it’s in there, but then I remember the engineering hacks that doubled the size of my iPod to make it work and the glow is lost.

JC: Overall, I like this case. If my iPod continues to work after the drop (how weird is that?), I’ll keep using this case as it’s easily the best fit-and-finish I’ve seen in a case. However, I would make two small changes. I would fashion the top and bottom to allow the attachment of accessories like the iTrip and AirPlay, and I would shorten the Screenz to cover just the screen, and find some other way to attach the snazzy Wheelz.