iLounge

Company: Capdase

Website: www.capdase.com

Model: Classy Leather Case
Available from shop.vinko.com

Price: $14

Compatible: iPod nano (aluminum)

Capdase Classy Leather Case for iPod nano (2nd Generation)

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By Jeremy Horwitz

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Category: Cases - iPod nano

You've seen it a hundred times before, right: a flip-open leather case that holds your nano on one side, then covers its face with a flap? That's Capdase's Classy Leather Case ($14), an inexpensive new - but very familiar - release for second-generation nanos, regrettably with several cheapening touches that reduce the appeal of an otherwise decent option for budget-conscious buyers.

You can choose from six colors - brown, white, black, blue, pink, and green - and will discover that each comes with an inexpensive-looking braided lanyard necklace. All cases save the black version come with a white lanyard, while the black one comes with a black lanyard, a difference from Capdase’s recent silicone cases, which paired the colored cases with silver lanyards instead; most users won’t care, as the inner parts of the colored Leather cases are a matching white.

In a more unusual twist, the black and white versions include color-matched detachable belt clips and non-detachable belt clip nubs, while the other versions come with small metal carabiner hooks, instead. The hooks and clips look and feel cheap; in a tell-tale sign of cost-cutting, the clips lack springs. Adding to the apparent cheapness: all of the versions are held closed with a magnetic clasping system that doesn’t look that hot when shut or opened, as the magnet sits visibly under a thin layer of leather between the screen and Click Wheel, and thanks to its position, doesn’t hold the case perfectly flat when closed.

In all candor, we’re at the point in the life of the iPod nano when the idea of “yet another leather case, only sloppy” - even if it’s relatively inexpensive - appeals very little to us, and the latest Classy Leather Cases are basically just that, and nothing more. From the uneasy fit of their magnets to their misspelled inner embossing ("The stylish leather case is desighed for Ipod nano Second Generation series by CAPDASE"), the cases look rushed, generic, and bland - not standouts in any way save for their price. There are times when it’s worth paying a little extra to get something better, and though the Classy Leather Cases will satisfy flip-open case fans with low expectations, the number of great nano cases out there leads us to recommend spending more and getting more in the process.