Review: Sidewinder iPod Case by Marware
Those who aren’t afraid to part with some hard-earned cash to purchase an iPod, usually aren’t afraid to hand over a little more on accessories of one kind or another. Everywhere you look, you’ll see a vast selection of add-ons for your favorite music player—cases, speakers, headphones, docks, chargers, etc. Probably the most popular of all accessories is the case. It’s your chance to individualize your iPod to fit your personality—whether you go for one made of leather, plastic, metal, silicone, or even those molded from old LP’s—there’s something for everyone!
I’ve purchased several different cases over the 21 months that I’ve had my white iPod video. I’m always trying to find that perfect combination of form and function. I’ve purchased one with a stand so that I don’t have to hold it while watching videos. I’ve purchased a separate case with a removable clip so that I could use the iPod with or without it. The component that I’ve had the hardest time managing is the cable tangle and storage of my earbuds. I’ve purchased a retractable holder, but they only accommodate certain size cables.
So, when I saw the Sidewinder iPod case by Marware, I decided that I had to give it a try. Almost all of its features can be found in other cases, but it’s the combination of the features in ONE case that makes it stand out from the others.
The case itself is made of plastic (available in black or white) with a light non-slip texture that makes it easy to hold onto. If you have a 30 Gig iPod video, the case comes with a thin plastic insert that slides into the case to fill up the extra space—the larger iPods fit into the same case with no need for the spacer. The iPod screen is completely covered by the clear plastic window. The only exposed section of the iPod is the click-wheel. I did leave a small piece of the thin plastic overlay on the click wheel to keep dust and dirt off of it, but I had to remove the rest of the overlay because the sides kept getting caught when I tried to slide the iPod into the case.
The top of the case has a removable slide off cover so that you can get the iPod in and out. The slide-off cover has holes cut to size for the hold switch and the headphone port. I haven’t had any problems fitting any of my headphone jacks into the jack through the cut-out.
The bottom of the iPod is fully protected by a small, hinged door that opens to access the dock. The door is not the full width of the bottom—only slightly larger than the dock itself. I do wish that the door were a little wider. The docking cable that came with the iPod fits in fine, but the 3rd party docking cable that I use most often is too wide to fit. The surrounding plastic of the docking cable is too bulky to fit into the door, so the iPod must be removed from the case for it to work. To remove the iPod from its case, you must push through the bottom door to push it out of the top of the case. This does make me a little nervous as I’m afraid of damaging the dock pins with my fingernails. I’ve recently taken to using the removable top piece to push the iPod out. If you hold it at a slant on the narrow edge (so that it doesn’t slip in and damage the dock) works well.
The Sidewinder also includes two “hidden” features that are only there when you want them. On the back is a low profile stand that pops out to place the iPod at a comfortable angle for viewing videos and photo slideshows.
The best feature, and the one that gives the case its name, is the pop-out side that can be used to wind up and store your earbuds’ cord. I love being able to store my earbuds right on the case itself without having to have a separate storage solution.
I find the sidewinder to work well when I’m storing the earbuds by winding up the entire cord. The thinner cords near the earbuds themselves fit well into the small slots in the winder that hold the cord in place. The one aspect that I would change on the Sidewinder is the size of these slots. They either need to be a little larger so that they can fit thicker cords or there needs to be a couple more slots of various sizes. The way they’re designed now, I can’t store just the excess cord because the middle section (before it splits into the earbuds) is too thick to fit. My current earbuds have a fairly thin cord and only the very ends will fit into the slots, so I would imagine that many headphone cords wouldn’t fit at all.
The Sidewinder case also comes with a removable belt clip. The first time that I tried to put the clip on, it didn’t seem to come even close to sliding on as it should. Due to the slight curve in the clip, I couldn’t get it to sit flat enough against the case body for it to slide into the tracks on the case. However, once I figured out a simple trick, it went on very easily. If you flip up the video stand, the bottom curve of the clip can lie in the space where the stand normally is when “closed”. This allows just enough give and flexibility that the middle portion of the clip finally lies flush enough to slide into the tracks on the case. To remove the clip again, one must simply push a pen into a small hole in the clip to release and separate the two sections.
On the whole, I am really enjoying this case. If I could just tweak those few things mentioned above, it would be nearly perfect. Now, if I can just find a method of managing the cords to my Apple iPod Radio Remote at the same time, I’d be a very happy accessory owner!
Pros: Lots of great features—removable clip, flip-out stand, slide-out sidewinder for the headphone cord management, complete protection for the top and bottom of the iPod. Easy access to all ports and buttons. Relatively low profile when all “pop-outs” are popped in.
Cons: Adds a little too much bulk when used with a 30 Gig iPod—this could be fixed by offering separate versions for the different sizes. The hinged door for the dock is too narrow for my favorite docking cable—needs to be just slightly larger. The cord slots on the sidewinder for are too small for thicker headphone cords. Either make the existing ones larger or add a couple of different sized slits.
4 out of 5 dog cows