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My first iPod was a 30GB iPod Video. I wasn’t exactly careful with it, and it soon became heavily scratched. I also never got around to getting a case. Now that that iPod has come and gone, and I am on my second iPod, I made a pact to treat it well, and get a case early on. After getting my iPod nano 3G about a month ago, I got a little lax about the case and didn’t purchase one until now. After much personal debate, I went with the Digital Lifestyle Outfitters HipCase over the Speck Runner. There were a few reasons why I went with the former, ranging from better feel, and what hopefully will be better protection.

When choosing my case, one of the biggest things I was looking for was protection without hinderance to function. With my choice, I can sleep soundly knowing I could drop my newly-enclosed iPod from a decent height onto a formidable surface and it wouldn’t suffer any visible damage. On the other hand, I did have to sacrifice a certain amount of functionality. 

The case’s main material is leather (it feels fake, but that’s not much of an issue). One thing I noticed immediately was how comfortable the case was to hold.  The surface is soft, yet not slippery, and the outside is fairly heavily padded. On the inside layer of the case, there is some sort of solid material to give the case a bit of structure. The belt clip is also very helpful in securing your device to your person. As for the design aspect, my satisfaction ends here. My only two complaints are due to the fact that the iPod is held in place by a piece of leather covering the bottom, thus denying any possible access to the dock connector without removing the device from the case. Also, there is a relatively thick plastic cover that goes over the screen and click wheel, thus making the click wheel considerably harder to scroll with. Other buttons are not obscured. 

The case is a decent one in terms of functionality, as well. The flip cover feels very firm and well built, and magnets hold the flap down securely when not in use. My only functionality complaints are noted above, and have to do with the covered dock connector and overly protected click wheel.

Overall, I am quite happy that I purchased this case. Other then the covered dock connector (which isn’t much of a big deal, as I don’t plan on dropping my Nano while it is plugged in) and the thick cover on the click wheel, this is a great case. It will protect from drops and scratches, along with many things you can and cannot throw at it. And, most of all, it looks really, really good.