Carrie Scott JamBand

We previously reviewed iMojo’s shuffle Sweats, which let you wear your iPod shuffle on your wrist or forearm via an old-school sweatband with an elastic holster for your shuffle. I liked the shuffle Sweats and personally looked forward to a similar accessory for the iPod nano. Carrie Scott’s new JamBand is just such a product; although the JamBand isn’t quite as comfortable or convenient as the shuffle Sweats, it’s a good option for the exercise-minded.

The JamBand is a 4-inch-wide, machine-washable, terry cloth sport wristband (read: sweatband) with a clear, flexible plastic pouch to hold your iPod nano. Once you slide the nano into the pocket, you can see its screen and use its Click Wheel controls through the cover. The bottom of the pocket remains open to accommodate your headphone plug and Apple’s dock cable (for connecting your nano to your computer when you get home). You then put the JamBand on your wrist or forearm.

Like the shuffle Sweats, the JamBand avoids some of my complaints about traditional upper-arm armband cases for iPods: Your nano is within easy reach and is fully visible, making it easy to control, and having it on your forearm means it’s not rubbing against your torso when running. And the JamBand’s fully-enclosed nano pocket offers significantly more scratch protection than the shuffle Sweats’ simple elastic band (which left a good amount of your shuffle exposed).

On the other hand, the JamBand has a few drawbacks of its own. First and foremost, this is not an armband for the buff crowd: Although the company notes that the terry cloth will stretch over time, I found the JamBand to fit quite tightly on my forearms — and I’m the tall, slender type. In addition, because your nano is completely enclosed except for its bottom edge, you can’t access its Hold switch without completely removing the iPod from the JamBand. Finally, the JamBand has no mechanism for securing excess headphone cable — one of my favorite features of the shuffle Sweats.

Still, at $17, the JamBand is less expensive than most cases appropriate for active use; if it fits your arm, it’s worth considering for your workout listening.–Dan Frakes