Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

The Review Vault

Hat Trick: 3 Top Quality iPod Accessories from Matias

- 2007.06.13

del.icio.us Bookmark in del.icio.us

A lot of Mac users think the world of Matias, and their flagship product, the Tactile Pro keyboard, has garnered rave reviews among the Mac faithful.

Did you know that Matias also makes iPod accessories? I'll be looking at three of Matias' iPod accessories today.

Matias Armor™ for iPod nano

First up - Matias Armor for iPod nano. This is an anodized aluminum case that comes in six different colors (black, blue, pink, green, red, silver). I used the blue case.

Matias Armor for iPod nano

This is the first case I've seen and reviewed that opens and closes from the side. It's hinged on one side and locks to a plastic stop on the left side of the case. It's a snug lock, so there are no worries of the iPod nano falling out.

It offers your standard hard plastic screen protector along with access to the click wheel and hold switch, as well as access to the dock connector and headphone jack on the bottom. The iPod nano fits snugly inside with a thin-but-adequate layer of protection.

inside Matias Armor for iPod nanoMatias Armor for iPod nano also includes a neck strap, along with a place to loop the strap into the casing. Matias hand inspects every case before it leaves their facilities.

So how much is the case? If you opt for the silver case, it's US$29.95. If you choose black, blue, pink, green, or red, it'll be $5 more.

Not to fear, 1st generation iPod nano owners, you can get in on the goodness too - and at a lower price! Although it comes in only get two colors, silver and black, you can get either for US$14.95.

Owners of the full-sized iPod, iPod mini, and video iPod will be glad to know Matias makes Armor cases for you as well!

Rating: 4 out of 4

Bottom line: Great quality case. A reasonable price for great protection. I couldn't find anything I felt Matias could have done better on. I give it 4 out of 4.

Matias Slim USB Power Adapter

Matias Slim USB Power AdapterNext, let's look at the Matias Slim USB Power Adapter. The defining feature of this power adapter is its small size (2" wide, 2-1/6" tall, and 3/4" thick). Your iPod and mobile devices are small, so why shouldn't your power adapter be small as well?

It's surprising how small this power adapter is! For travel buffs and those always-on-the-go, this will make the perfect travel accessory. And it isn't only for your iPod - you can use it to charge any USB device that needs charging.

Matias Slim USB Power AdapterOther features this power adapter offers: It can switch accept 100-240V, and it has a hidden plug that folds up when you're done and folds out when you need to plug it in.

You can tell when it's charging by the two-color LED indicator. When it's charging, it's red; when it's done, it's green. Can't get much simpler than that.

It has worked wonderfully for me with my 2nd generation iPod nano. Price? $19.95. You'll find the small size the biggest plus of all.

Rating: 4 out of 4

Bottom line: Super small and great price! No cons at all that I can see. Again, 4 out of 4.

Matias Armor Clip™

Matias Armor ClipTwo for two in the five star department. Can Matias go three for three ?

The final product in this roundup is the Matias Armor Clip. I have to say up front that this is my favorite product of the three I'm reviewing!

The Matias Armor Clip is a belt clip for your iPod or other mobile device. What's obvious about this clip is the quality that went into it. I've used the Armor Clip several times with my 2nd gen iPod nano, and it never once disappointed.

How does it work? The three anchors you get with the Armor Clip stick on almost any device with 3M adhesive. Let me tell you, it's extremely hard to get the anchors off once they're on!

Once you stick the anchor on your iPod or other device, insert the end of the anchor into the big hole on the back of the clip and push down. It will lock in place.

To take it out of the clip? Move the slider bar on top over and pull it up. The clip rotates 360 degrees, which is a good feature in case you have to sit down.

Matias Armor ClipMatias is so confident of the quality of the Armor Clip that it has an unprecedented 100 year warranty. That's confidence!

According to Matias, it can withstand:

  • up to 60 lb. of vertical force and 80 lb. of horizontal force
  • the release mechanism can withstand between 650,000 and 2 million releases (assuming an average of 50 clip releases per day, that's 35 to 110 years of service)
  • the belt clip mechanism has been tested to withstand 35,000 to 60,000 presses (assuming that you attach the clip to your belt in the morning and remove it at night, that's 48 to 82 years of service)

That's amazing! While many of us won't have our mobile devices last that long, it's great to know that the clip will be around for a long time. Matias really stands behind their products.

Price? $14.95. Get this clip; you will not be disappointed!

Rating: 4 out of 4

Bottom line: Outstanding quality with an outstanding over-the-top warranty to match and a very affordable price. 4 out of 4.

Kudos to Matias for these excellent iPod accessories! LEM

Go to the iPod Files index.

Recent articles in The Review Vault

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

This article copyright ©2007 by Tommy Thomas. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.

Custom Search

Amazon.com

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
B&H
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.