$.01 iPod nano cover

by Chris Seibold
Sep 29, 2005

First off let me note that I don’t really know if this will set you back exactly one penny or if is a bit more or less, didn’t take the time to calculate the cost of Saran wrap by the square foot. Anyway I have a brand new black iPod and I was, being a cheapish person, worried about the thing getting all scratched up. I looked aorund for cases and such but most of them added bulk and the one that didn’t seemed expensive for what you got. Applying both lobes I decided that since I handled the ipod gently all I really needed was a little something to stop the scratches and this little something could be Saran wrap. Now here comes the tricky part:

(proceed at your own risk)
Get thyself a square foot of saran wrap.
Make sure it is wrinkle free
Place iPod nano face down in the middle of said sheet of polymer goodness
At this point the Saran wrap will naturally cling to the surface via the miracle (I think) of static electricity
Flip the amalgamation over and start stretching the saran wrap against the ipod until failure occurs (the Saran wrap will tear at the back of the ipod)
Proceed as above for all four sides
Now you’ve got a fairly tight cover on the face of your iPod but we can do a little better.
Apply some heat to the saran wrap (makes it shrink a bit more for a better fit, I waved my iPod over a toaster)

And there ya go, a do at home iPod cover. I’d post a pic but you can’t really tell the stuff is there. Sincce my “protective cover” has only been on since late last night I can’t speak to how long it will last at this time but I’ll keep you updated.

Comments

1. It’s amazing how little effort and expense it actually took to protect your investment. And yet people blame Apple when they put their miniscule electronic devices in a pocket of their denim jeans without protection and it gets scratched and cracked. I guess if MacDonald’s has to put a disclaimer on their coffee cups, with a caution that they contain hot liquid, Apple will have to do the same concerning pants pockets. Common sense has become a rare commodity.

   By on 2005 09 29

2. My two cents on the one cent: other cheap goodies-

   screen shield .01: If you’ve got a skin on your pod, cut a piece of clear plastic just a bit over the screen size, use packaging (thin) from about anything appropriately flat. Some scotch tape, and with the skin in place, it’s invisible. I did this since my skin didn’t include lcd screen shielding. Simple, and if it wears out, repeat. a bit more durable than saran wrap, but whatever floats your boat..

   Most pocket damage I encounter with the skinned mini is the headphone cord, which leads to:

   Headphone plug hack .01: Take a old grippy pen grip part, the rubbery thing. Weave the headphone plug through it. The most flexible and weakest part of your headphone cord is now less weak. This trick has kept my 90’ angle headphones working for a bit longer..

   By on 2005 09 30

3. Nothing beats the original iPod socks for the standard iPods, though you’ll have you take them in a bit on the sides for the Nano… =)

   By Twisted Intellect on 2005 09 30

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