Product: Griffin Outfit case for iPod nano 5th generation (Black Translucent)
Company: Griffin
Contact: Default Contact
Price: $24.99 (but found as low as $17.99 on Internet)
Pros: Very easy to take phone in and out of case. iPod can stay in case when docked to clock radio or stereo. Dial is not covered. iPod can remain in case when taking a video. Texture on plastic provides good gripping.
Cons: Case does not provide much protection for iPod if dropped. Screen is not protected at all. Black translucent color doesn’t look good with my bright pink phone. Hard plastic case appears to be type that could easily crack or break. No way to clip an iPod in this case to a belt, clothing or arm band.
Lack Luster
by Susan Fison, AAUG Member
Conflict of interest disclosure: Griffin provided this case free to me for the purpose of the review.
I have purchased multiple cases for both my iPods and iPhones with quite variable results. For my old iPod nano I purchase a lovely leather case and then realized there was no way to clip it to anything. Then I purchase a great little case with a strong clip which had an alternate arm strap. I loved the case, but it had a major flaw. If I plugged in my attachment that allowed it to be a radio, I couldn’t close the velcro strap on the bottom and the ipod kept falling out of the case. I also couldn’t put it in a dock when it was in the case.
When I purchased an iPod Nano 5th generation it had a built in radio so I didn’t have to worry about hanging to plug a cord into the docking socket. I purchased a Nike arm band case that turned out to be a disaster. I nearly broke the phone trying to squeeze it into the case. The plastic covering on the dial made it nearly impossible to operate. When I took the case it back to the Apple store, even the salesperson had an almost impossible time getting it out of the Nike arm band. With the arm band attached it was not possible to use a clock radio or stereo dock.
When I returned the Nike arm band case, I bought a Z cover silicon case with both plastic clip and arm band attachments. Although the silicon case had a good grip, it is very difficult to remove and the top is already torn. The plastic clip is not a spring type and doesn’t hold very well. It is so flimsy, that I expect that it will break and the silicon tear is getting larger. I also tried to return this case to Apple, but had thrown away the packaging material, so they would not honor my return.
Rating Summary of Griffin Case: Scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being Poor and 5 being excellent
Protection for iPod if dropped: 2
Non-slip grip: 4
Case allows dial to be responsive: 5
Easy and quick to take in and out of case: 4
Can be installed in clock/radio or stereo dock without removing from case: 5
Durability of case: 2
Ability to attach arm band: 1
Sturdy clip for attaching to belt or clothing: 1
Cost: 1
Protect iPod dock from moisture: 1
Compact: 5
Lightweight: 5 Can take videos without removing case: 5
Can use iPod without removing from case: 5
Attractive: 2
I couldn’t really tell what the Griffin iPod case was like until I was able to extract it from from the difficult to remove packaging. When I saw the Griffin case on the AAUG table, it appeared that the case was purple, but it turned out to be dark gray and was very unattractive on my pink iPod. Although the two-piece design of this case makes it easier to put on than a one-piece silicon case, I am concerned that the Griffin case could easily be broken. I like the fact that I can use all the features of the iPod and put in in a dock without removing it from the case. For me, the most important feature of an iPod case is a sturdy clip that will allow it to be attached to clothing. There is no easy way to add a clip or arm band to this Griffin case. In my view this case is very expensive and has very little value.
