Customer Reviews

Speck ToughSkin Case for iPod nano 2G (Black)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

While I have been generally happy with this cover, I do think it is a bit over-designed. There will be individuals subjecting their iPod Nanos to severe impacts who may realize value from this product. Yet, I actually believe most silicone or leather covers will suffice, no matter how abusive the abuser is. For some, the particular appeal of the ToughSkin design may be cosmetics. In fact, it would pair nicely with ruggedized Nextel phone.

One may ask, what could be the problem with an extra thick cover? The biggest annoyance is its interference with the control surface due to the thickness of the rubber. The circular edge on the main opening is beveled to add clearance, but it is still difficult to control the player, especially when inside of a pocket.

What strikes me a bit odd is the ToughSkin does not hold the Nano in position firmly enough. The player shifts occasionally, which then misaligns the main opening. Clearly this is a design flaw.

Despite its shortcomings, the ToughSkin is a nice protector. The notched rubber will absorb severe shocks. In addition, it has some nice extras. Much like a cell phone holder, it comes with a swivel belt clip. Unlike many Nano covers, there is an integrated screen cover. In the end, considering the pros and cons of this accessory, it is a bit overpriced - much like all iPod accessories.

Pros
Extremely rugged
Belt clip
Integrated screen protector
Easy to hold on to

Cons
Too thick around control surface
Expensive
Doesn't hold IPOD firmly enough

While I love my nano and it's sleekness and diminutive size, it's a really fragile little item. Even in a leather case, I never felt like the thing was truly protected, especially the screen.

This thing fixes all that. I no longer have to baby my nano. I toss it in my pocket with keys and my cell phone and never worry about it. It's that tough. You can literally (and I'm not recommending this) drop your iPod from waist height on to concrete and it'll just bounce slightly. The screen is protected by a thick piece of plastic with a rubber ring around the back so that it doesn't scratch your iPod.

Another reviewer said the nano moves around in this case. Either he has a non-standard or defective case or his nano is not 2nd gen. My nano does not shift in this case; in fact it's rather difficult just to get it in or out, but I consider that a benefit because the only thing holding it in there is friction. As far as the click wheel being hard to access, I suppose if you have really large thumbs it might be an issue, but to me it's more convenient than ever because you can so obviously tell where the wheel is in your pocket. Also note that unlike many iPod cases with belt clips, the nub that holds the belt clip is entirely removable for pocket use. Very few cases do that and you're left with an unneeded protrusion.

This case just looks cool too. I was fiddling around with it standing in line one day and the guy behind me was obviously checking it out. He leans over and says "what is that like an armored iPod? I didn't know they made those". No, sir, they don't, but you can armor it yourself.

One caveat: mine came covered in that rubbery "grease" that some products seem to come with (think brand new tires--run your hand over it and it's got a greasy feeling). It comes off on your hands and is just generally slimy. It's easy to fix though: I washed mine in the sink with warm water and hand soap. Done; no more greasy feeling. I haven't heard this mentioned in other reviews so I'm not sure if they all come like this.

I hope they offer replacement screen protectors for this because I plan on using it for the life of the iPod, although the protector has no scratches yet after a few weeks of use.

Another negative is that you cannot use this with a dock, but that's an issue with lots of cases and I just use the cable that came with the iPod.

I love this case. I'm no longer afraid to let my iPod hang out in my jacket pocket, ready to use when I want it.

Hangs on my belt. Never gets scratched. Still works.
Cann't ask for more than that.

Nice product, looks good and it protects the ipod. I'd give it 5 stars if the belt clip hadn't broken after 6 months. The clip is made of plastic or acrylic covering a steel clip. The problem is that the steel does not reinforce the part that you pinch to open up the clip. So after a few months of daily use it developed a stress fracture in a straight line just above the steel part of the clip. There is no way to fix it and the only thing to do is purchase another one which I won't do until the design is improved. Too bad, because otherwise this was a very handy addition to the ipod.

This looked like a really good design at first, but then my nano kept working it's way out the bottom slit and I constantly had to push it back in.

Another result of this is the protective clear screen cover that guards the nano screen would also work it's way loose. It's not built in to the rubber surrounding it, but is kept in place by the pressure of itself against the nano.

Returned it and got the Griffin clear plastic cover instead. It doesn't have a belt clip or the rubberized bumpers like the Speck does, but I can live without it.

This Toughskin product for the Apple ipod nano 2G really works great and looks great. It looks like it will be very shock resistant with the large integral bumper lugs throughout the design. The ipod fits like a glove and no slipping is anticipated. The supplied transparent protective display screen cover is easy to install and will be easy to keep clean with the removable design. Just load in the ipod and then load in the screen protector. All of the controls and connections are still easily accessible. No problem with accessing the release buttons on the ipod cord connector plug. The belt clip design worked out great, it fits belts, and can easily be clipped to a shirt or pocket. The swivel design of the clip allows the ipod to remain in the vertical position, a big plus. The clip looks pretty rugged and should last for a long time. The belt clip is removable, another big plus if just placing the ipod on a desk or in a pocket. This is a good product and should be considered especially if your ipod will be exposed to dangers that could damage it by a simple bump into something or a drop could occur. One of my better purchases.

The one thing I learned while loading the ipod into the Toughskin sleeve is to make sure the lock out controls button is activated on the ipod to ensure that the malicious key combination of "menu" and "select" are not held down simultaneously causing ipod shut down and requiring a reboot sequence of switching the lock out control on then off then holding the menu and select button down simultaneously for 6 - 10 seconds to reboot the ipod. This took a little while to get straight with help from the Apple support web page. But everyone already knows not to do this, right?

Shipping went good with standard USPS. Thanks Amazon.

Let me put this simply. I was walking out of my room on the second floor, and my ipod was in this case when it slipped off of the books I was carrying. It fell through the stair railing and smacked into the hard wood floor one story down and bounced twice before coming to a stop. I ran down to rescue my precious ipod, and when I pushed the play button, it turned on as if nothing happened! I continued listening to it that whole day and it was perfectly fine!


I keep my ipod in my backpack along with other school supplies that always bounce around and scuff each other. This skin is very durable and easily protects against all that. Though I recommend this skin for anyone who travels a lot with their ipod, I must say there is one down to it. The part that attaches to the belt clip has a large plastic disk on the inside that rubs against the back of the ipod. This eventually leaves an ugly imprint. Therefore, if you buy this product, either take the plastic ring out, or put something soft between the unit and the ring to prevent the damage.

I love this thing!

This was great! It really feels heavy duty and now I don't constantly worry about hurting my delicate little Nano. I am able to plug in everything I need to into my Nano (i.e. headphones, charger, etc) which I was not able to do with a previously owned case. Highly recommended.

Fair warning, if you are one of those tight-butt and elitist Apple/Mac snobs who take pride in the stainless steel reflection of your ipods... this product is NOT for you. The smears it causes are difficult to get off. I don't care that much... the ipod still does what I bought it for.

However, after a few months of taking it in and out (because it won't fit in any ipod appliances with it on), the rubber loses shape and the protective screen begins slipping and moving around. That's why I gave it just three stars. It won't last more than 6 months.

On the bright side, aside from perhaps stabbing it with a knife, your ipod is safer in this rugged protector than in anything else on the market. I've dropped it from on top of the stairs and it protected my ipod. I don't suggest you do this, but if there is an accident, this gives your bank account the best chance of recovering.

I leave my Nano in the ToughSkin pretty much all of the time.

It is very protective, and makes the nano a little bit larger, which feels better in my hand. It comes with an optional built-in belt clip, which is how I usually secure it when I'm walking or running. I've used the belt clip to attach it to my waist, my pocket, and to my knapsack. It has worked well for all of the above.

The belt clip has an easy to use quick release mechanism, which I often use to see what the display says, when I want to choose a new song/podcast to listen to.

Nothing covers the wheel, so the controls work normally.

At the bottom, the ToughSkin is open, so I can plug it in to my computer, or plug the Nike+iPod device without having to remove the ToughSkin.

Overall, I'm *very* happy with it.