The new iPod Nano may be the most adorable tech gadget ever. It’s so tiny and cute! Most of the time, that’s great. I love being able to slip it in my pocket or purse and forget it’s there except for the sound flooding through my earbuds.

However, the sleek form factor has a downside. One of my favorite uses for my Nano is workout music, and there’s just nowhere to put the thing. No clip, no strap, and holding it in a sweaty hand gets gross really fast. Most of my running shorts don’t have pockets, but even if they did I’d worry constantly about my Nano slipping out.

Apple thoughtfully provides a solution in the form of a sport armband. So does USB Fever. Guess which one retails for $30 and which one for $12. Is going off-brand a bargain, or do you get what you pay for?

USB Fever makes their sport armbands in red, blue, green, pink, and grey. Here’s the box I got:

All right, the hologram “3″ sticker (covering up a “II”) is kind of ghetto, but you don’t buy these things for the packaging.

The material is soft, light, and foam-like, with a microfiber-esque texture and a tiny bit of stretch. Clear plastic covers the entire front of the iPod. There’s roughly a foot of armband with the Velcro fuzzy pieces, another couple of inches for the Velcro hook piece on the end, plus the part the actually encases the iPod. The design allows about six inches of play in arm circumference, enough to fit most people somewhere.

The Nano slips in the back and is secured with a Velcro tab. I say “slips,” but I mean “stuffs in with a decent bit of creativity and effort.” We’re talking a tight fit here. The tab is more for peace of mind. I’m baffled by the Velcro design — why is there a fuzzy piece high up on the back where it can’t come in contact with the hook piece? It’s not as if anything larger will fit in that tiny pouch.

Here is the assembled armband with the actual Nano replacing the cardboard cutout. Tip: insert the Nano screen-down, or else the headphone jack and lock toggle will be inaccessible.

Overall, craftsmanship gets a B. Parts around the edges stick up and little pieces of thread stick off everywhere, but the band doesn’t look to be in imminent danger of falling apart, and besides, I’m going to be working out with this thing. Feel and function are much higher up on my priority list than pristine looks.

Taking a picture of an armband on your own arm is not an easy thing to do. Admire my dexterity, then mock my muscle tone. Yes, I have tiny biceps. Shut up.

All right, I’m off to the gym!

Okay, back now. That went pretty well. The armband stayed in place and felt comfortable for something that straps a flat piece of metal to your arm. A tiny bit of contour padding would have been nice, but it’s not like this armband is alone in that issue. Also, the click wheel was not nearly as easy to use as on the naked nano, but I got by — and again, that goes with the territory on a plastic-fronted case.

The real test will be whether this sport case has staying power over the long term. I could get back to you in a month, but by then the holidays would be over — what good would that do? All I can say is that the important parts look and feel like they’re going to keep doing their jobs for a long time. So I’ll keep wearing it.

Pros: great workout accessory concept, comfortable and functional material, sturdy where it counts, cheap

Cons: difficult to get iPod in and out, minor cosmetic workmanship issues, genre problems of flat back and plastic front

Where to Buy: USB Fever, $11.95

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