The Mac Space Blog

MARWARE Sidewinder

The MARWARE Sidewinder is a cool transparent protective case for the 3rd generation iPod Nano. The polycarbonate case provides an exoskeleton-like layer to protect the nano from scratches, drops and impacts. The case also comes with protective film for the screen and the control wheel.

Features

The name Sidewinder name comes from the retractable arm which is for storing the headphone cabling.  When not in use the cable is wrapped around the Sidewinder.  When listening the Sidewinder arm slides into the back of the case.

Speaking of the case’’s back, there’’s an interchangeable clip system called “Multidapt” which allows the unit to be mounted on your belt, in your car, on your bike or many other locations.

The Sidewinder is a $25 insurance policy on a nano which could cost several hundred bucks.

In Action

I”m very happy with the Sidewinder.  It provides storage for the phone cables which no other case does.  My nano is extremely small and I like it to stay that way.  The Sidewinder doesn”t bulk up the unit so it stays small even though it is protected.

The Multidapt system is very convenient and allows me to mount my nano in many places.  I mount it on my belt, my car dashboard and my golf bag when I”m on the driving range practicing.

Conclusion

The MARWARE iPod Nano Sidewinder case is a great way to protect the unit without making it too big and eliminating the size factor.  The convenient cable storage keeps your phones handy with the iPod and tucks away when not needed.

More images

For more images of the MARWARE Sidewinder and other MARWARE products, click here to go to The Mac Space MARWARE gallery.

Otterbox is a great friend of The Mac Space. I have many of Otterbox’’s happenin” storage and protective devices. They protect everything from my iPods and iPhones to my cigars.

Defender case for original iPhone

If you are an owner of the original Apple iPhone (consider yourself lucky) you may want to protect that investment so you don”t have to upgrade to the problem laden 3G iPhones. A great way to protect your original iPhone is the Otterbox Defender case.

Components

The Defender is a four piece case. Two of the pieces (front & back) provide a sort of exoskeleton for major protection from drops and impacts. The exoskeleton is made of a high impact polycarbonate plastic. The outside and 2nd piece is a silicone skin. The silicone provides a good grip on the phone, which can be slippery without a case. The skin also provides shock and bump absorption. The final piece is a protective film for the iPhone’’s screen.

The case’’s openings provide easy access to all the buttons, ports and camera without having to remove the phone.

Unlike many other Otterbox cases, this one is not waterproof. Don”t be taking your iPhone to 100 feet below sea level like you can with other Otterboxes!

Holster

Along with the case, the Defender package includes a holster which the case snugly fits into. The holster is great for mounting on your belt or other places and provides a snapping angle so you can get your iPhone aligned where you want it.

Conclusion

The original iPhone came with a super high price. Protecting that investment is essential, but you don”t want that protection to be inconvenient. The Otterbox Defender provides maximum protection yet is convenient, functional and easy to install and remove. If only other protective devices could do the same… ahem.

OtterBox is a very hip company which makes waterproof cases for iPhones, Blackberries, iPods, PDA’’s, GPA’’s, ammo, cigars and more. They also make generic cases for general use or storage of miscellaneous items. Today I”m covering the OtterBox 3500 waterproof case, which is in the general category.

3500 Overview

The OtterBox 3500 case is roughly 9×5x4 inches. It is made of super strong plastic which will protect the contents from being crushed, smashed, compromised etc. There are two heavy duty latches which close the case securely. The case is sealed with a rubber gasket and is air tight, providing protection from water, dust, dirt, insects, nuclear blasts etc. OK I threw in the nuclear blast comment as a joke but I wouldn”t be surprised if that was actually the case.

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I just moved.  Moving sucks, no doubt.  Good things about moving though, are that you can get rid of old junk you don”t need and also find things you thought you”d lost.   I found my Apple Newton 120!

The Newton was completely ahead of its time. What a cool machine, with its big display, text recognition, infrared beaming of data (early 90′’s mind you) and well laid out applications.

There are a few things the Newton did in the early 90′’s that today’’s iPhones and other smart devices still can”t do.  I”d love to see a stylus on the iPhone and have Apple resurrect their text recognition software.  That way you can actually “write” on the screen and have the words and letters converted.  Palm has something like this called Graffiti, but you write in a single space at the bottom of the screen and you have to use strange shapes for many letters.  With the Newton’’s system, it “learned” how you wrote, even cursive.

When I powered up my 120, even after over 10 years of storage, my notes, contacts and appointments from November 1995 were still there!I”d like to see Apple step back and realize some of the awesome technology they had back then and try to implement that on an upcoming iPhone or PDA.   Surfing around a few blogs, it looks like there are a few rumors about a new PDA but I”m betting the iPhone will be the machine of choice for a while.