Vaja leather cases

iPod nano case

Price: $34 (base)

The iPod Nano is one of the coolest MP3 players ever designed, if not the coolest. Its pencil-thin appeal is marred by just one thing - its predilection to scratches. These things scratch, and they scratch easily. In fact, they are scratch prone. Scratch central. Scratchy.

So, a good protective case is a must for any Nano owner. Some like silicon cases, some like plastic, almost no-one uses the rubbish thing Apple includes in the box. Being able to use the click wheel without taking the iPod out of the case is a bonus, as is easy access to the dock connector.

Vaja's case ticks all those boxes. Made in a matching tan leather, it has a protective film that covers the screen and, for $6 extra, has a protective covering for the click wheel that still lets you use it without any problems. The unit slides in from the bottom and leaves access to the dock connector, whilst there's a cut-out for the hold switch at the top. If you so choose, you can get this specced up with a belt buckle-popper-thing adaptor.

The iPod fits in snugly and we have no complaints about the design of the case. It is, again, high quality and eminently useful. We wouldn't advise getting the belt clip - the whole point of the Nano is that it's slim enough to fit into a jacket or jeans pocket. This slim leather case preserves the sleek lines and adds a little bit of upper-class swank to an otherwise common item.