iLounge

Company: Mophie

Website: www.Mophie.com

Model: Mueva Wraptor

Price: $10 each, or $20 for 3

Compatible: iPod shuffle (2G)

Mophie Mueva Wraptor for iPod shuffle (Second-Generation)

By Jeremy Horwitz

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Friday, December 8, 2006
Category: Cases - iPod shuffle

Available in three colors - clear sold individually or as part of a three-pack with blue and pink or black alternatives - Mophie's Mueva Wraptor ($10 each, $20 for three) covers the front and parts of the top and bottom of a second-generation iPod shuffle, adding a cord management system around its edges, but offers no back coverage for the shuffle's clip.

By iPod case standards - even the somewhat lower expectations we have for iPod shuffle cases - Wraptor feels only half complete. If you’re amongst the second-generation shuffle owners intending to actually wear that iPod on your clothing, you’ll be happier than the rest: its shielding of the shuffle’s front, sides, top and bottom isn’t complete, but it’s adequate, and not easy to damage or accidentally knock off the shuffle’s body, while the integrated cord manager is large enough to keep as much of your headphone cabling wrapped as you desire.

But if you’re planning to pocket or bag your shuffle, look out. Wraptor offers no scratch protection for the shuffle’s controls or back, and exposes its bottom switches, as well. Its hard plastic body is sculpted to accommodate small- and medium-sized headphone plugs, but won’t work with larger ones, so plan to stick with Apple’s pack-ins or other low-end headphones here. Similarly, recharging or synchronizing the shuffle becomes a chore because you’ll always have to take the case completely off - Wraptor’s body doesn’t fit at all in Apple’s included Dock.

Low pricing compensates partially for Wraptor’s issues. At $10 per pop - down from an originally announced price of $15 - the shell is a fair value for what you get, and the aforementioned colored three packs are available for $20. Though we’d like to see a slightly smarter Wraptor 2, this one’s not bad if you’re looking for a semi-protective, wearable shuffle shell.