Installation, Testing and Comparison

The installation is very simple. Just slip your finger under the edge of the clip and pull up. The case opens up to about a 45 degree angle. Once open, at the base of the case, there is a standard mini stereo plug (1/8), which plugs into the iPod nano. Then slide the nano onto the plug and the case is ready to be closed and used.

The Otterbox iPod Nano case does add some height and width to the unit. As compared to to a Video iPod, you can see the Nano and case have the same depth, while the Nano is taller in its enclosure by a few centimeters.

The belt clip is very secure. It has a curved inward lip which will catch onto most materials it latches onto, including belts and pants. There is absolutely no concern about it falling off while clipped to your side.

The lanyard is another option for wearing the The OtterBox for iPod nano 1st Generation Case. I prefer the belt clip, but the lanyard provides enough length to sit comfortably at the level of the breast bone.

Testing a product like the Otterbox involves a leap of faith, because you hope they stand up to their claims or else in this case, I may end up with a damaged iPod nano. The first test was the drop test. Since most people wear their iPods at belt or chest level, I felt a four foot high drop onto a wood floor was reasonable. After two drops and a few skips of my heart, both the case and iPod were no worse for wear.

The next test was the water test. I first tested the cases ability to withstand a bath by using the card board iPod nano insert that came packaged with the enclosure.

After five minutes of floating in the water, the card board was dry to the bone.

Now it was time for the true test for the OtterBox. I put my nano in the case and placed it in the sink. Unlike the card board, the nano provided enough weight for the iPod and case to sink under water.

Once again, I waited five minutes and removed my iPod nano. Happily the iPod was dry and in perfect condition. Phew!!!