Contour, the maker of the Showcase, have launched the iSee – a completely clear case designed with the thought that people want to show off, not cover up, their iPods. They provide hard protection yet allow total access to controls, dock connector port and the headphone and firewire ports on the top of the iPod. They retail at £25.99.
First impressions
The iSee comes in 20GB and 40GB sizes for the 4th generation iPod. It consists of a clear plastic case with a cut-out on the click wheel, over the top ports and 2 narrow slits down the sides for attaching the belt clip. The bottom of the case is made of a semi-transparent flexible plastic with a dock port flap. It can be removed to insert the iPod and connects to the rest of the case with catches either side. The belt clip is white plastic and spring mounted and attaches so that the case is held horizontally when worn on a belt. Tiny plastic blobs on each back corner keep the iSee slightly raised off a hard surface to prevent scratching – a nice touch pre-empting foreseen complaints.
First impressions were good – the iSee was seamlessly moulded and well rounded. It didn’t look tacky like so many hard cases, including even Contour’s earlier offering of the Showcase. The only let down was the plastic bottom – it tarnished the overall smooth appearance of the case. However once the iPod was inserted this ‘flaw’ didn’t appear so obvious.
Look at me
The iPod was slid into the iSee and securely latched in (the bottom piece is conveniently labelled with ‘back’ so that it isn’t put together incorrectly). It was held tightly and didn’t rattle around, plus the bevelled cut-out was exactly aligned with the click wheel. Top loading devices (iTrips, iTalks) could be connected with no obstructions (the case is covered at the top only round the edges), and the charger cable could be connected via opening the dust cover.
The iSee looked good on the iPod. The plastic was very clear and so didn’t obscure the screen and the trademark iPod white was still apparent. The case wasn’t exactly elegant, but it was definitely more subtle than other hard cases such as the Matias Armor or the Contour Showcase. The iSee is designed for impact resistance and so needed to be fairly substantial to provide any sort of shock protection.
The belt clip worked well for attaching the iSee to transport it, but wouldn’t be recommended for any kind of vigorous activity as it is not amazingly secure. The horizontal positioning of the iPod with the clip may upset those who want to keep the vertical status quo, but actually made the iPod’s screen easier to see.
Getting the iPod out of the iSee was a bit more of a challenge (ladies beware: nail breaking alert) and involved a blunt tool and perseverance. But at least it showed that the iPod could not fall out of the iSee accidentally.
Now the bad: as we used the iSee more it started to scratch. It got long sweeping scratches on the inner surface, which led to slight scratching on the iPod’s delicate exterior. Probably if the iPod was never taken out of the case the scratching wouldn’t be so pronounced, but it was necessary in order to use the dock. This is quite a substantial failing and one that Contour are apparently aware of. The provision of a thin plastic film such as the TrendyGeek Pod Shield or something similar to the stickers provided with the Power Support Crystal Jacket would prevent the scratching.
Conclusions
The iSee performed ok overall, with good impact protection, secure casing and attractive appearance. Its failings were quite substantial as far as the scratching was concerned, but as long as the iPod is not forever being inserted and removed the problem can be curbed. The price seems fair as it is a quality, well made product, but maybe if the scratching issue is taken into account the price could go lower.
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