Expert's Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Contour Design’s iSee nano V2 is a transparent polycarbonate case for your second-generation (2G) iPod nano. It provides full protection for your iPod while leaving the controls easily accessible and your nano fully visible.
Getting your iPod in and out of the iSee V2 is, literally, a snap. The case comes in two halves; pop your nano into the back piece and then clip the front on. Once clicked shut, the case is very secure; I had no worries about it coming open by chance. The one catch is putting the silicone Click Wheel protector into place. The directions are less-than-precise about how the protector works: You want to get it so the larger of the protector’s two lips is on the inside of the case, while the smaller lip is on the outside. Once you’ve gotten it aligned correctly, the protector should stay in place. It would be nice, however, if the protector was somehow affixed to the case.
The iSee nano also includes a removable belt clip and a rubber insert that products the bottom-mounted dock-connector port and headphone jack; this insert can fold back to allow you to plug your headphones in while keeping the dock-connector port protected.
My gripes about the iSee nano are few: besides the difficulty of getting the Click Wheel protector aligned correctly, the only other annoyance is that the rubber dock-connector/headphone-jack protector has a tendency to fall out, especially when using it at the same time as headphones. The lip at the bottom of the case also makes it difficult to use third-party dock-connector accessories, and you won’t be able to dock your nano when it’s in the case. (Dan Frakes had the same complaints in his review of Contour’s Showcase nano, which features a similar rubber insert for the bottom of the case.)
Overall, the iSee nano’s strength lies in, well, its strength. The polycarbonate shell is extremely tough and resilient. When your iPod is in the case, the only exposed part is the hold switch, which is recessed below a notch in the case. The removable belt clip is made mostly of metal and its twist-and-click method of attachment makes it very sturdy (and allows you to orient it in any of four directions). If you’re looking for a protective and usable case that still shows off your nano to good effect, the iSee nano V2 is an excellent choice. –Dan Moren