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Strangest iPod Cases Ever
David Primo writes "Techeblog has a great article on the strangest iPod cases ever. Pictures included. From the article: 'This might be the first iPod case that costs more than the player itself. The Louis Vuitton Classic iPod Cover by Takashi Murakami features peach natural calf leather lining, golden brass pieces, and a multicolor canvas.'" The military-grade case actually makes sense for people like me who keep letting their mp3 player fall on the floor, but able to withstand a mortar shell explosion might be overkill.
"You cant get much stranger than the iKitty. This cat-inspired silicone case features a bendable tail and a screen protector to prevent those annoying scratches."
Hmmm... Remind me, what's second-from-bottom in the geek hierarchy again?
Brings a new meaning to people loving their ipods...
What's purple and commutes? An Abelian grape.
Was it just me or was the one with the headphone jack sticking into the back end of a cat a bit disturbing?
Humor aside, there are some great cases out there... and with with alot of the iPods, providing protection is not only necessary because they scratch so easily, but also because they aren't so hard to drop.
I use a Green Apple case when I run, and a Belkin leather case for around the home or when I am out an about.
What kind of cases do you guys use?
Oh, and as an end note. How much do those heavy metal cases weigh? Doesn't that kind of ruin the point of creating a small, easy to carry music player?
Justin - Don't be afraid of my blog, it won't bite.
Too late.
This is a sig. It is appended to the end of comments I post.
. . .who would seriously take their ipod into a combat situation?
You would prefer fifes, drums and bagpipes?
KFG
I'm guessing something like one-way bulletproof glass?
What's purple and commutes? An Abelian grape.
I like the bulletproof one. That should keep RIAA away from my precious songs.
Half Time
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It's a joke.
I'm sure they never thought anyone would actually believe that a 5oz. aluminum case would withstand being hit by a mortar or a rocket-powered grenade.
The case would survive. The iPod wouldn't.
# cat
Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
If you saw this picture:
http://www.techepics.com/files/i_kitty.jpg
before you saw the title for it, and your first thought was of something less wholesome than a kitty...
Yes, but one doesn't always have the luxury of telling the enemy when and where to attack. They seem to have this desire of sneaking up on you when you aren't expecting it. When this might happen at any time, it makes sence to me that it might be useful. Likewise, being able to withstand that much abuse will make it more likely to withstand general mility life punishment.
"This might be the first iPod case that costs more than the player itself."
At $285+? Not even close.
Here's an iPod Nano case for $12,495. And yes, it's a retail product, not a one-of-a-kind art piece.
Actually, I think having a good rubberized case would be much better. As other posters have stated, these things really aren't "bullet proof" or "mortar proof". Why? Whoops, we left the screen and touch pad uncovered. Thats a bit of a weakness in the system right there.
Anyways, the rubber cases work great, and I definitely recommend them. You can usually pick some decent ones up on Amazon for about $15-$20... and you won't have to hear this:
LT: How'd Jim Bob die?
Sarge: Sir, the enemies attacked and he wasn't able to get over the fence with that new iPod case of his, sir!
That'd be a bummer.
Justin - Don't be afraid of my blog, it won't bite.
I'd say the metal ones started as a home hack up. They're interesting being I'm sure they'd probably stop a bullet, but if you ever dropped it the extra momentum would certainly destroy the internal hard disk. The shock would be incredible, you could kill someone with one of those cases.
TFSite (yeah, I know, clicking on details in TFA is ... too far away) says the screen is lexan-protected. No mention on the controls, though - probably open (touch-sensitive through a bullet-proof material is a bit hard) just as ports are open.
You're probably right. In the near distant future:
"Cause of Death: iPod shock"
I feel that someone should test this. I think we need proof. I await the Youtube videodemo.
and actually, someone should test to see if the Louis Vitton one is also bullet and bomb proof. It probably isn't, but I really think we should know to be sure.
In fact judging by the design, there's probably a few more Louis Vitton things out there we could test to see if bullet proof.
YoTank introduces a new line of military-grade digital audio player cases that can withstand "a RPG or mortar shell explosion 85 percent of the time."
I honest doubt they've even tested these... but hey, who's going to argue with them when they survive a mortar shell and their iPod doesn't?
... my brother has just gone back to university in Lebanon with a 40GB iPod 3G. I'm tempted to order him one of these cases just for the comedy value.
"The dew has clearly fallen with a particularly sickening thud this morning"
HOUSTON, TEXAS DARPA has granted a 10 Million Dollar Phase I Grant to the Hollie Burnt On Company to study the armor plating qualities of iPod Case Mods. Ms. Sandy Bottom, a spokes person for the company stated, "This study is to analyze the penetration of iPod armor against local RPG's. The theory is that the more downloads an iPod has, the stronger the armoring will be. The final proof of concept test will be the taping of iPods all over a Bradley M4 Tracked Armored Fighting Vehicle. The 'Bradley' will then be driven through the streets of Compton, a suburb outside of Los Angeles California. If the vehicle can survive a 1 hour test in Compton, then the vehicle should easily be able to survive a 12 month non stop patrolling in the city of Baghdad, Iraq."
Not really overkill. You see, the Ipod is incredibly popular among military troops deployed to Iraq. Of course, you're not listening while you're out on patrol, but during your off time you see a lot of troops walking around or working out with them. Or waiting for a flight in, or a flight out, and so on. I imagine quite a few servicemembers would be interested in a hardened mp3 player.
Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to conviction
There are always those moments when you need to blast either "Ride of the Valkyries" or "The End" through the copter's sound system...
the more accurate the calculations became, the more the concepts tended to vanish into thin air. R. S. Mulliken
Well as a member of the armed forces, I have to say while I personally think this is a frivolous accessory for an iPod, to each his or her own.
Personally, I'd rather spend the money on some gear to keep my fellow Marines and myself alive when I'm in a combat zone. However, when we have
downtime, it is extremely relaxing to have something to listen to / watch.
lol but a mortar and IED proof iPod case is just kinda 'weird' to me. Seriously, who's gonna go on patrol with their iPod? And if there are
such individuals I'd question their sanity.
Regards,
MBC1977,
(US Marine, College Student, and Good Guy!)
Regards,
MBC1977,
"The article mentions cases that can withstand "a RPG or mortar shell explosion 85 percent of the time." "
yeah, if I were to be directly hit with a mortar or RPG, my first thought would be "Holy Shit! I hope my iPod is okay!"
"But this one goes to 11!"
Physics nazi mode on: the extra momentum would not impact the hard disk. The only thing that actually changes is the total momentum of the iPod, not the momentum of the hard disk. The only thing the extra momentum harms is whatever it falls on. However, what could be a problem is that there is no soft plastic to absorb part of the impact energy. This could all get transferred directly to the hd, in which case it could indeed be affected. But that's a question of what kind of deceleration the hd can withstand, how it is hooked internally to the case, and what other components can fail because of deceleration (ok, ok, negative acceleration).
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
The real problem is this, the HDD read/write head. It is a floating part. When the IPOD accelerates (shot, hit by RPG, thrown about by an explosive overpressure wave, whatever) the RW head, being a floating part will accelerate only AFTER all the flex in the system is used, the shock to this mechanism may damage it.
Also we will see another failure mode here: The rest of the IPOD may be moving serval miles per hour by the time the RW head gets into motion. The result is a slow RW head striking a fast moving HDD platter (another fragile part.)
The reverse will be seen if the IPOD strikes any solid unmoving object(THE GROUND!) before coming to rest. The IPOD and all rigidly affixed parts will go from sever MPH to a dead stop quite quickly. The flex in the RW head will allow the RW head to continue in motion until the RW head strikes those fragile HD platters. If the RW arm were still stressed from the acceleration then any energy stored in the arm will also be added to the impact when the RW arm tries to bounce back to a neutral position (think WHIP!)
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