XtremeMac Iconz for iPod (with video)

Like XtremeMac’s Iconz for the iPod nano, the Iconz for iPod (with video) are rigid plastic cases that provide full-body protection against scratches and minor bumps and shocks. Once inside an Iconz case, your iPod is completely covered except for its bottom edge and the hold switch and headphone jack on top. The iPod’s screen is covered in clear plastic; the area over the Click Wheel is thin enough that the iPod’s controls function normally.

Although the back of the Iconz is translucent like that of many “skin” cases, what makes the case unique is that XtremeMac has secured licensing agreements allowing the company to decorate the front of each case with one of a number of famous images. The standard Iconz line includes popular cartoon, comic, and movie characters: Batman, Darth Vader, Homer Simpson, Speed Racer, Superman, and Tweety. The Sport NBA line includes the logos of the Sixers, Heat, and Lakers, and the Sport MLB line includes the logos of several Major League Baseball teams — Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Cubs

The open bottom edge of the Iconz allows you to easily connect your Apple’s dock connector cable, and although an Iconz-encased iPod won’t fit in most dock-cradle accessories designed for a bare iPod, it’s relatively easy to slide your iPod just far enough out of the Iconz to allow you to squeeze the iPod into a dock. However, the headphone-jack opening on top may be too small for third-party headphones with larger headphone plugs.

As with the nano version, the Iconz is a solid offering as a case itself; for fans of the featured teams and characters, it’s also a lot of fun. –Dan Frakes