FlipStand
Review

FlipStand
Company: Speck Products
Price: $34.95 US
http://www.speckproducts.com

I love my iPod, but I am going crazy worrying about damaging the thing. Really, when you spend almost five hundred bucks for a little thing to play music on, you tend to be a bit over-protective. So one of the things I wanted to do was upgrade the 20GB iPod’s case, something better than the cheap sleeve Apple ships with the unit.

Enter the FlipStand from Speck Products. This is a nice solution as both an iPod case, as well as a desktop stand. The case is all plastic, with a piece of clear plastic over the iPods display. The FlipStand completely protects the iPod in a somewhat durable plastic enclosure. There is a hole at the top of the unit so that you can slip the headphone jack in, and it is wide enough to support the volume control extension the 20GB-iPod ships with.

The top of the FlipStand folds open, so that you can slip the iPod down into the unit. It also flips back to reveal the FireWire port and the Hold button.

The first thing you notice is how the iPods control wheel is hidden behind the plastic, dark Grey door. This door actually flips around behind the iPod, turning the FlipStand into a stand for the iPod. A case and stand, all in one attractive solution! Once you move the Grey door, you have easy access to the spin-wheel of the iPod, as well as Menu, Forward, Back, and Play/Pause. Larger fingers, however, will find pushing the buttons a little more difficult while using the FlipStand, and the buttons run right up against them.

Also included with the FlipStand is a detachable plastic belt-clip, so that you can take your iPod with you more easily.

All in all, I like the concept and design of the FlipStand. It seems well built, and in the two weeks I have used it, I have had no problem at all. Getting the iPod out of the FlipStand is no quick task, though. At least my 20GB unit fits very snug in its new housing. This is a good thing, as you don’t want the iPod to be able to slip out easily.

For thirty-five dollars, you will enjoy the FlipStand. And while I have a few more iPod cases coming for review, they will be hard pressed to make me give up using the FlipStand on a regular basis.

Pros: good protection, great concept. Blends with the style of the iPod well. Multi-functional as both a stand and a holder.

Cons: somewhat cheap construction. A full years use will probably result in something breaking on the FlipStand, either the top flip-top, or the Grey door. Plastic joints around the movable parts do not look too sturdy for long-term use.

MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5

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Tim Robertson