Lime Flip Case for iPod nano

Lime’s Flip Case for iPod nano is a bit of a paradox. The designers seemed to have paid a great deal of attention to how their case looks and feels from the outside, but they didn’t seem to spend much time working on the inside. The result is a case whose construction seems uneven.

The case itself, which uses the familiar flipcase design, is constructed from a stiff material covered in a khaki-color fabric. The front of the model I tested featured a seemingly inebriated cartoon sheep drawn in a Japanese anime style, but other designs are available. Like most flip cases, the front flipcover opens to reveal the interior of the case — in this model, a pink fabric. The bottom half of the interior sports a clear plastic sleeve into which you can insert the nano. The sleeve is clingy, so for best results, you squeeze the sides of the case together and slide the nano in. The bottom of the sleeve has a notch cut out of it for using the dock connector or headphone jack. It’s a little difficult to remove your nano, but squeezing the sides of the case makes the task easier. As with most flipcases, when the case is secured shut, via a small strap with a metal snap, you can’t access any of the nano’s controls, either on the front or the top.

Unfortunately, the tension of the sleeve on your nano causes the back of the case to bow outwards when the nano is inside, which makes the Flip Case both bulky and somewhat unattractive. Clearly, Lime is concerned with the aesthetic styling of the Flip Case; we just wish the company had paid as much attention to its construction. –Dan Moren