After an initial flood that started shortly after the device’s late 2007 release, iPod touch case releases have recently been on the dry side. Over the last couple of weeks, however, we’ve had the chance to test three new options: iSkin’s iSkin touch ($30), Gecko Gear’s Safe Case (AU$30/US$29), and Incase’s Slider Case ($35). All three of these cases offer similar levels of protection, but differ in looks and other small ways; separate reviews today offer brief looks at each.
Incase’s Slider Case for the iPod touch is, in essence, a less impressive version of the Safe Case that’s sold at a higher price. Rather than attempting to cover the iPod’s face, or provide users with any type of pack-ins, Incase offers a simple two-piece shell that’s based upon its earlier Slider Case for iPhone.
The shell splits into two pieces, one covering the touch’s top four-fifths, including the sides and bezel, while the other covers its bottom fifth. Each uses 1mm-thin plastic walls, which are glossy on the inside and finished with soft touch rubber on the outside, and nothing else: there’s no film, no stand, no belt clip, or other frills. Five colors, including black, white, rose, red, and orange, are available; the iPod touch’s screen, top Sleep/Wake button, and bottom ports are left unprotected in each version.
A two-piece, slide-open design made some sense for the original iPhone, which came packed with a special Dock that couldn’t be used with most cases, but for the iPod touch, there isn’t any need to slide off the bottom shell for docking. Whether or not you remove it, you can still drop your iPod touch into any Universal Dock, just as you could with the Safe Case and most other iPod touch enclosures.
A slightly more generous bottom hole design accommodates most headphones and Dock Connector-based accessories without the need for an adapter; you do have the option of sliding off the bottom if you find something that won’t work as-is.
The single biggest justification for Slider’s existence is its appearance. Like other Incase designs, this one’s minimalist looks offer protection for touch’s most easily damaged surface—its metal rear housing—and you get to add a little color to its body at the same time. We liked the feel of the soft touch rubber, too. But the $35 asking price for two thin pieces of plastic continues to strike us as problematic.