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| Contour Showcase - Nov 26, 2003 10:24pm - review |  |
 All iPod cases are not equal. Take, for instance, the case that Apple includes with the upper-tier iPods, and the Contour Showcase. I spent the first few weeks of iPod ownership with Apple's iPod case as its only protection. Apple's case is very basic, includes a belt clip, and leaves the top ports open for headphone access. It's not bad, but it's no Showcase.The Contour Showcase, at $39.95, is the latest entry into the iPod case market. It has some unique features that give it some advantages. The Showcase was designed to, surprisingly enough, show off the iPod. And it does a darn good job of this. When your iPod is secured inside the Showcase, you can still see its face and access all the ports and controls. It fits all the new dock-connector style iPods. The Showcase looks really nice. It's built from some sort of white rubber composite, which both looks good and provides excellent support. The face is a clear plastic, with holes cut out for the touch controls. It also protects the iPod from scratches, which come all too easy. Without a good case, the iPod can quickly become a haven of scratches. One of the cool features of the showcase is its belt clip. While most iPod cases have a clip that holds the iPod upright on your belt, the Showcase's clip holds your iPod horizontally. The belt clip is removable, and can be situated either direction -- so the top of the iPod can be facing forward when its on either side of your body. In my field tests, I discovered that this case really works... or that the iPod is just really well built. I took my iPod to a volleyball game recently to spin up some music while we warmed up. Fortunately, I left it in the Showcase. Five minutes into warming up, an errant ball flew through the air and landed smack dab on the iPod, inside the Contour Showcase. The iPod and case promptly flew five feet in the air and landed hard on the gym floor. Naturally, I freaked out. However, after checking my baby out for damage, I couldn't find any... to either the iPod or the Showcase. Ever since that experience, I've been really glad to have a Showcase. Lately I've been leaving my iPod inside the Showcase most of the time. It's a very convenient way of protecting the iPod, and since the ports are all accessible I don't need to remove it from the case to charge the iPod's battery. Really the only thing I can't do while it's in the Showcase is use the iPod Dock... which I really didn't use much, anyway. The only problem I've had with the Showcase is using the touch buttons and wheel. Because of the way the Showcase is built, it can be a little tough to press the four buttons above the scroll wheel (forward, back, menu, and play/pause). The holes in the case are no larger than the buttons themselves, so if you have big fingers it's a little difficult to press these buttons. My fingers are pretty thin, so I really haven't had much trouble myself. Overall, I'm very happy with my Contour Showcase. It does a great job of protecting the iPod, yet still looks good and shows off the iPod. And perhaps most importantly, the iPod is still very functional while it's in the Showcase. The only con I've seen so far is the size of the holes for the touch buttons. I'd rate this as an excellent case for the iPod.
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