iLounge

Company: RadTech

Website: www.Radtech.us

Model: ClearClip

Price: $17.95

Compatible: iPod shuffle

RadTech ClearClip for iPod shuffle

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By Jeremy Horwitz

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Category: Clips and Guards - iPod shuffle

Pros: A simple clear iPod shuffle belt clip that improves a bit upon a poor predecessor.

Cons: Pricey and not superior to other, better designs we’ve reviewed.

Back in April, we reviewed a poorly made clear plastic iPod shuffle holder and plastic clip called ShuffleClip, made by a small company with the same name. At the time, we noted that it “strikes us as a product released quickly to capitalize on perceived demand for a cheap belt clip option for the iPod shuffle.” Its problems were fairly serious - in our review summary, we noted that it “has rough edges, is flimsy, and doesn’t hold [the] shuffle firmly.” A shot of the original ShuffleClip is below.

Since then, we noticed that ShuffleClip’s site was shut down by Apple, but that remaining orders for the product had been fulfilled. Amazingly, there’s a second chapter to this story. RadTech apparently became involved with the product sometime thereafter, and worked to polish up its flaws. The new company strengthened and polished the plastic a little bit, improved its grip and clip a little, and raised its price by another $3 to $17.95.

All of this means that the new product, ClearClip, is marginally better than its predecessor, as well as more expensive. There’s no need to dive into the details beyond to say that we’re no longer concerned that this design would snap in our hands, less concerned that it would scratch an iPod shuffle, and more concerned that the new price makes the option less attractive than most of the other iPod shuffle clips we’ve looked at.

There are substantially nicer belt clips available in the same price range, such as DLO’s Flip Clip (iLounge rating: B+). This is now an okay product, hence our okay (C level) rating.