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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Multimedia, Odds and ends, iPod classic

Frozen iPod returns from the grave


Andrew sent us this great story -- he found an iPod classic in the melting snow of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. It had apparently been there "since early winter," and was frozen solid... as is the case, we'd imagine, with most things left outside there between September and April.

Incredibly, though, once taken home, cleaned up, and given a warm cup of tomato soup and a grilled cheese, it started right back up again. Everything was completely intact -- he says it even displayed the correct date. Pretty impressive for Apple's little music player (and mine's even stuffed in a Vaja case, so I know it'll always run for me -- assuming I don't drop it in a pile of snow somewhere).

He says there is a name on the iPod, so if you've been around the Whitehorse area and have recently dropped your iPod near a place called Takhini School, leave him a note and he will probably be able to get it back to you. But do it quick -- he's giving things about a week, and then it's finder's keepers. We don't blame him: who wouldn't want an indestructible iPod?

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Retail, iPhone

iPhone, encased in leather

Michael sent us news of yet another iPhone case, this one made by Noreve. It looks pretty nice, and it's interesting that they created a flip that goes down instead of up-- they say that the camera is still usable with the case on, which is super nice. The colored cases aren't selling yet, apparently, but the black cases are in stock at €42.99.

And while my personal choice is probably to go with one of those cool wooden cases, if you really want leather, you'd be crazy not to take a look at the Vaja cases. Like TUAW's Dave Caolo, I've got a nice one on my iPod, and it is excellent. Like the Noreve cases, they're a little pricey but if you're going go all out and buy an Apple cell phone, you might as well go all out on the case, too.

Filed under: Odds and ends, Macbook Pro, MacBook

Swanky Leather MacBook Case Day

Yesterday was apparently swanky leather MacBook case day as two separate makers released new models. Vaja has long been known for rather expensive, but very finely crafted mobile phone/PDA cases. They are now apparently moving into the notebook case world and are offering the classic Jacket (from $120) for the MacBook and MacBook Pro (15 & 17). It's a leather sleeve-case, but like Vaja's previous cases looks to be very sumptuously made.

On a separate note, Case-mate is releasing the signature suits (pictured, $150), which are "form-fit leather wraps for your MacBook and MacBook Pro." Unlike the classic Jacket, the suits are designed to remain on the MacBook (Pro) during normal usage.

So if you've ever felt the need to wrap your high-tech MacBook (Pro) in fine, hand-crafted animal carcass, now is a great time!

[Via Macworld (x2)]

Filed under: Accessories, iPod Family

My swanky Vaja iPod case

Back in December, I used some of my Christmas money to order an iPod case from Vaja, and today it finally arrived. I now believe in love at first sight.

It comes nicely packaged with some propaganda (flyers, stickers, etc.) that my 2 year old immediately claimed. I went with a hunter green for the front and a dark brown for the back, but there are literally dozens of color combinations available to choose from. The rear of the case is quite firm, with the logo printed on the interior. The front is soft but not squishy, and the iPod fits in beautifully. The hold button and headphone jack are exposed, as is the port on the bottom, so charging via the cable is no problem (though it won't fit in a dock while inside the case).

There's both a screen protector and a click wheel protector (the click wheel protector is optional) that a scratch-o-phobe like me appreciates. The wheel protector does require me to press a little more firmly on the click wheel itself, but not so much that it's a nuisance.

There are two styles of beltclip available, but I opted for no clip. I'm just as happy keeping it in a pocket, and it's now so well protected, that I don't have to worry about damaging it.

Overall, I really love it. The leather is quite nice, the construction is very good (it should be, it took 29 days), the fit is fantastic and the peace of mind that I won't scratch the daylights out of the screen is nice, too (especially when I try to resell it a few years from now). On the downside, I can't connect it to the Universal Dock or my Griffin RoadTrip while in the case, but I'm willing to live with that.

The Vaja i-Volution starts at $70US. More pictures after the jump.

Continue readingMy swanky Vaja iPod case

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