Moftware iPod nano Thong

To imponderables such as “If a tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound?” and “Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?” let us now add this eternal question: “Why does the iPod need underwear?” For underwear it has, in the form of Moftware’s iPod nano Thong for the first generation iPod nano.

As its name suggests, the iPod nano Thong is in fact an iPod case that resembles thong underwear, in this case made out of black leather. The back of the case features a pair of laces in a crisscross shape and a stretchy elastic panel. The two laces are each around eighteen inches long and Moftware suggests that they can be tied around one’s neck or waist.

When inserted into the Thong, the top of the iPod’s screen pokes out above the Thong and the bottom edges of the Click Wheel emerge slightly on either side. Your ability to control the nano while it’s in the case is limited to turning the exposed hold switch on and off and pressing the play/pause, forward, or backward buttons. The scroll wheel is impossible to use without taking the nano out of the Thong and the screen is obscured enough to make it difficult to use.

Just as with an actual thong, protection is not the iPod nano Thong’s strong point. In addition to leaving most of the top of the iPod exposed (including most of the nano’s delicate screen), the bottom corners of the nano are uncovered. The Click Wheel is mostly covered, but as that’s one of the less damage-prone components of the nano, this is a small favor.

Granted, if you’re interested in the iPod nano Thong, protection and accessibility are probably not your primary goals. And as a gag gift it may amuse. But as a usable iPod case, the Thong receives low marks. –Dan Moren