iLounge

Company: Power Support

Website: www.PowerSupportUSA.com

Model: Illusion Case

Price: $30

Compatible: iPod nano (aluminum)

Power Support Illusion Case for iPod nano (2nd Gen)

By Christina Easton

Contributing Editor
Published: Monday, April 30, 2007
Category: Cases - iPod nano

Pros: An attractive, eye-catching case design. Provides considerable protection for the nano, while transforming it into a fully mirrored accessory. Includes a detachable belt clip, and is available in silver or gold.

Cons: Surface is prone to small scratches. Brightly colored nanos can show slightly through the mirrored coating.

Power Support has gone from great to golden with the latest addition to its line of Illusion Cases. We were very impressed when Power Support originally unveiled the first generation Illusion Case ($30) –- known in Japan as Mirror Case -– for iPod nanos and 5Gs, and things just keep getting better. Although not yet available in North America, the new and improved Illusion Case is more protective, while retaining its signature good looks, and gaining the option of gold or silver mirrored finish.

The Illusion is so named for its coating—a translucent mirrored film in the front and rear shell—which transforms the nano’s body into a reflective surface. Illusion’s result is a seriously cool looking, stealthy case; a two-part design with separate front and back plates that easily snap together onto the nano to create the unified reflective look. Users with colored nanos should note that the brighter nano colors, such as pink, blue and green do have a tendency to shine slightly through the mirrored screen, which gives the case a slight tinting, especially on the sides of the case where the reflective surface is not as strong. Muted colors such as black and white do not interfere with the mirrored shell.

We tested our Illusion cases over a couple of weeks, and noticed that tiny scratches developed in the mirrored coating—a common enough issue with hard cases. Although the scratches were not either large or deep enough to interfere with the screen, they were cosmetically noticeable. Additionally, when in use, the case does have a tendency to show fingerprint smudges, similar to what you would expect to find on any mirrored surface. A soft cloth or tissue can be used to remove fingerprints.

The Illusion is easy to use. Its mirrored coating gives your nano an almost completely chromed face until it is turned on, at which point the screen shines through the case’s surface, only modestly dimmed in the process. Additionally, the case does not interfere with larger accessories such as headphone plugs or universal docks, which we really like.

Illusion is actually more protective than the previous generation. It now comes with a Dock Connector protector and Crystal Film protectors for your nano’s screen and Click Wheel. Additionally, the Illusion provides full front, back and side protection. But the headphone port, Hold switch and top of the nano are now entirely exposed, which some users may mind.

The only other major omission from this generation’s Illusion is the absence of a second front shell; last year’s model let you mirror only the back side of the nano if you desired, with a clear front shell piece as an alternative to the metal ones shown here. But it still does come with a detachable rear clip, benefits from its two color choices, and as noted above includes superior film and Dock Connector protection. Overall, we were as impressed with the updated Illusion Case as its predecessor, and we would highly recommend it to our readers—Power Support again delivers a standout design.