iLounge

Company: Mr. Smith

Website: www.thejimi.com

Model: Jimi nano-case

Price: $20

Compatible: iPod nano

Mr. Smith Jimi nano-case

By Jeremy Horwitz

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Category: Cases - iPod nano

Available in six colors, Mr. Smith's new Jimi nano-case (also called the Jimi iPod nano case) is proudly proclaimed to be made in the United States from recycled plastic, with 1% of sales invested in the environment. Its front faceplate pops off and is interchangeable - assuming you buy additional plates - and your nano can be inserted right side up or upside-down relative to the case's integrated rear belt clip. A mirror window on the rear lets you see part of the nano's back.

A couple of iLounge’s editors are big fans of Mr. Smith’s non-iPod products, but this one didn’t do quite as much for us. Protection remains a critical factor in iPod cases, and the Jimi nano-case does a relatively poor job of covering your nano - it shields the sides and parts of its front and back, but leaves holes elsewhere on the top, bottom, front and back, including both the nano’s scratch-sensitive screen and the aforementioned holes on its mirrored back. These are said to be there to let you use your iPod as a mirror, but that’s not a good “feature” in our view - it’s an omission, somewhat akin to touting the lack of screen protection as a way to guarantee unmitigated enjoyment of the iPod’s menus or photos. Worse yet, even though the case’s bottom hole is large, it’s shaped in a way that keeps oversized Dock Connectors and headphone plugs from connecting properly. Apple’s smaller parts thankfully work without a problem.

For the price, there are numerous other simple plastic cases out there for the nano, most of which are considerably more protective than this one. Unless you really like the colors and are willing to spend some extra cash to buy extra front plates, the Jimi-nano case is merely OK, a shame because we like the company and think its environmental angles on this case were worthwhile.