Slappa sent the Geeks the right looking iPod mini case to review. I thought the Tangerine Swirl’s retro look was quite groovy… but how did the case stack up for protecting my current favorite gizmo, the iPod mini?
The Slappa ShockShell mini iPod case comes in six different styles including Tribal, Gridz, Mod, Flutter, Little Wing and Eden. The Geeks received one of the Mod design cases called Tangerine Swirl which puts you in a retro groov-i-tude with tangerine, black, yellow and white swirls. The Tribal style is more intense and would probably look better on a mini that plays heavy metal while Gridz works for techno and industrial music fans. Little Wing, Flutter and Eden must be marketed more towards Slappa’s women fans. Little Wing and Flutter are very similar except for the sizes of their butterflies and Eden style is called Bubblegum undoubtedly for mini iPods playing bubblegum pop. Personally, I like the Mod design and possibly the Tribal design, but I’m not a fan of the others (probably the reason they have six different designs — different strokes for different folks). The only thing I would change on the Tangerine Swirl would be changing the color of the Slappa logo at the bottom from black to tangerine.
The various designs, such as the butterflies, are actually incorporated into the rubberized body of the Slappa ShockShell so they will not rub off and should maintain their appearance.
I’m not sure if Slappa shows a crosscut of the ShockShell on purpose, but you can see the aluminum core separating rubberized exterior and the soft EVA interior from the top of the case. It just does not look as finished as the bottom of the case.
This crosscut view however leads me to the technology behind the product. Slappa is well known for protecting your digitial gear and have done so for the iPod mini in a fashionable way. The ShockShell protects your mini by using their patent pending CORE3 Protectionâ„¢ which feature three layers of protection from the soft EVA interior to a hard aluminum core to the rubberized PVC outer body.
On the back side of the ShockShell there is an Accessory Port which accommodates an included Accessories Adapter Plug (AAP). ShockShell accessories can slide on to the AAP like a belt clip for instance.
The case fits the iPod mini like a glove; however, as I inserted the docking cable and applied some pressure to the bottom of the mini, it started to come out of the case. I do not believe by simply dropping the iPod mini in the case will allow the device to pop out of the case as you have to apply pressure to the bottom.
As far as protection to the iPod mini there is a cut away for the LCD and Apple Click Wheel as well as the top of the device. While this gives access to the user of the device, these areas are unprotected. Again, I do not believe a simple drop will harm these areas but if you were to throw the iPod mini in a crowded briefcase or backpack with paper clips and pens, these areas could get scratched.
So, does the Slappa iPod mini case protect my iPod mini? Well, I put my iPod mini in jeopardy and tested the ShockShell to see if some moderate drops would kill the mini. I tested dropping the iPod mini in the Slappa case from six inches over my bed to a full three feet over carpet. Sorry, I did not try on a wood floor or concrete!. Luckily for Slappa (and me) my iPod mini came out of the tests unharmed!
Overall, like the Slappa CD Case and the Slappa DVD Case, the Geeks also like the Slappa ShockShell cases and believe that Slappa creates quality products designed to protect your digital gear. The Slappa ShockShell Case for the Apple iPod mini does its job by protecting the iPod mini in a stylish manner.
The SLAPPA ShockShell Case for the iPod mini is now available for pre-order at 15% off at the www.SLAPPA.com website. Also, Slappa is offering Gizmos for Geeks users an additional 10% discount on any order with the discount code of “gizmos”! Product will ship out this month (June 2005). Pricing for an individual ShockShell case is $34.99 MSRP while tri-packs are available for $84.99 where you can mix-and-match any styles.
Total Impact Industrial Ltd. is a manufacturer and distributor of digital storage cases and accessories for digital products that are sold under the “SLAPPA” brand name. SLAPPA products have been recognized as “ground breaking” and “the best available”, and can be found at retail outlets around the globe. Total Impacts innovative team continues to produce quality style savvy designs for digital gear, such as CD/DVD storage cases. For more information on SLAPPA, visit the website at www.slappa.com.
What’s Groovy:
Some of the designs especially the Tribal design are quite groovy.
The three-layered CORE3 Protectionâ„¢ does the job of protecting your iPod mini.
What’s Sucky:
Some of the designs just do not work for me. For instance, I’m not really a
butterfly type of a guy. Also, the unprotected areas of the top of the iPod
mini, Apple Click Wheel and LCD screen.
| Features | Performance | Quality | Value |
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| The ShockShell allows you to use the Apple Click Wheel as well as plug in cables on the bottom and top of the iPod mini as well as view the LCD while protecting your iPod mini using a three-layered CORE3 Protectionâ„¢ which absorbs the shock of a drop. |
My iPod mini survived a three foot drop as advertised, so the case performs to spec. |
It’s a Slappa product and lives up to the same quality as exhibited in the other products we’ve reviewed. | Most mini iPod cases are in the $20-$30 range and some even start at less than $10 (Belkin, xSkin, Matias, Speck, etc…) so $34.99 seems a little expensive, but if you compare these products, none of those provide the same protection. The Otterbox provides comparable protection but retails for $49.95. |
| Overall | |||
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| Overall the Slappa ShockShell for the iPod mini does its job by protecting the player from normal drops of up to three feet, not to mention that some of the designs are very groovy! |
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