This past Christmas my daughter asked for something special – namely a brand new 4th gen iPod Nano in blue. She’d been using a second gen Nano for a long time until the battery stopped working and was pretty happy with the SanDisk Sansa I was letting her use as a replacement. But the Sansa wasn’t hers and she really wanted something of her own. So, I went over the Apple store (and along with a 2nd gen iPod Touch for me) I picked up a shiny new 8GB Nano.

The problem then became how does someone give an 11 year old an iPod Nano with a glass screen and very scratchable surfaces, yet make sure its not garbage worthy in the first couple days? Well, I reached out to our friends at OtterBox because I knew they could make that happen. I wasn’t too worried about the cases, we’ve reviewed those quite a bit… the bigger issue was would an 11 year old girl with a shiny new iPod be willing to put one of these cases on and how long would it stay there?

First, lets look at the Impact for those of you who may not be familiar with the case.

Dimensions (case only): 3.77" x 1.72" x .43"
Weight (case only): .03 lbs.

Provides open access to headphone jack, sync/charge port and Click Wheel
Provides added protection against bump and shock
Inner corners designed to dissipate impact away from your device

Truth be told, my daughter was not a fan of this case which I thought was odd. I figured as this was the thinner of the two cases and the least intrusive it would be the one she really liked. Turns out while she liked the size she really didn’t like the feel of the material and she was a bit worried that it may not protect the screen from getting all scratched up.

The Impact does have a very interesting texture to it, somewhat slick feeling (like its got a extremely thin layer of grease on it) but it doesn’t catch gunk like a lot of other cases so its a trade off. It takes some getting used to as I bet its unlike anything you’ve felt in a case before. The screen really isn’t protected very well from scratches because there is no cover on it. So, if you’re looking into picking up an OtterBox impact I recommend getting  a screen protector.

Overall, she liked the Impact, but she’s not using it right now.

There’s the Defender in all its broken down glory.

THREE layers of protection –
Layer 1: a clear, thin membrane to protect your screen and Click Wheel
Layer 2: a hi-impact Polycarbonate skeleton
Layer 3: a Silicone skin to absorb bump and shock
Access to Sync/Charge, hold button, and headphone jack accessible via silicone plug
Full use of Click Wheel through case
Built in "kickstand" for movie viewing

Remember when the 4th Gen Nano was announced and Steve Jobs did the whole thinnest iPod ever? Well Steve … its not anymore!

Dimensions (case only): 4.05" x 1.83" x .55"
Weight (case only): 1.18 oz.

Yea – the Defender more than doubles the thickness (the Nano is 0.24” thick). Still though, we’re talking about a half inch so its not like we’re moving into too big to comprehend spaces. Besides, the Defender isn’t about looks, its about protection from darned near everything. So, could it handle an 11 year old? And almost as importantly, could the 11 year old handle this not so pretty case on her very pretty new iPod?

Rather than try to explain it myself … here’s my daughter’s thoughts:

What I like about the iPod case is that its hard but not too hard. I also like how it makes me feel like my iPod is really protected. When I drop my iPod when I don’t mean to I just know that my iPod is OK.

What I don’t like about it is the flaps because they don’t close easily and when I do get them closed they pop open again. What I also don’t like about the flaps is when I try to put it in my pocket the flaps get in the way.

So there you have it – 1 child, 1 iPod Nano in blue, and two OtterBox cases. What’s the final outcome? Well, an outcome that proves one dad who doesn’t know his daughter as well as he thought.

Christmas day I would have swore by the time I sat down to write this I’d be getting ready to do a giveaway of both cases because we had moved onto something clear with fake crystals on it. I was wrong. Not only aren’t we doing a giveaway of both cases, the case I thought that wouldn’t have a chance (the big bulky one) is the one that has been on the iPod since almost day one and isn’t going anywhere any time soon. I know its not going anywhere because I asked.

Given the opportunity to put on a pretty case that doesn’t do much but look pretty, or a not very pretty case that has proven itself in multiple accidental drops – a little girl who loves her iPod has chosen to keep the OtterBox Defender on. To me that should speak volumes about the Defender and how good of a product it really is!

Pricing:

Impact – $19.95

Defender – $29.95

NOTE: Full Size images are HERE – Wordpress hated me today I think…

Related posts:

1. Duo Review: OtterBox Defender & Impact for Touch v2
2. Otterbox Defender, is your iPod safe?
3. OtterBox Defender for BlackBerries
4. Review: OtterBox Impact for iPhone 3G
5. Review- OtterBox Armor Series Case For iPod Classic