Lime Slip for iPod nano

Handmade products are always a little less exact than their machine-made counterparts, but there’s a fine line between quaint and cheap feeling. And Lime’s Slip for iPod nano teeters right on the very edge.

The Slip is a simple case: two pieces of vinyl sewed together on three sides with a small notch cut out of one bottom corner; you slide the nano in from the top and the notch lines up with the nano’s headphone jack. There’s no access to the front controls, screen, or dock connector port while the case is on, but the Slip should protect your nano from casual scratches. Attached to the case is a small, removable, 1-inch metal button with a picture of an iPod on it.

For the low price at which the Slip is selling, I don’t expect a work of art, but the handcrafted nature of it leans towards the cheap side. The notch for the headphone jack is functional but unattractive, and I was worried that the metal bar on the back of the button might scratch the iPod’s finish. Unfortunately, when I managed to remove it, it left a rather unattractive pair of puncture wounds in the front of the case.

There might be some who find the design of the Slip to be cool and hip, and the case is quite inexpensive, but those looking for a pouch-style case can find better deals for only a little more money. –Dan Moren