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Has it really been nearly six months since I've reviewed 5G iPod cases? Yikes. If that's true, I wish I had more to show you than just the two I have today. Truth of the matter is, though, that most of the newer iPod cases for nearly all of the models have just been variations on what we've seen before. There's little anymore to separate one from another, and most iPod users are educated enough at this point to know exactly what they want.

But before you run down to the store and buy the latest from DLO, Griffin, Belkin, or the other heavy hitters, here a couple from lesser-known companies that are certainly worth considering.

First up, the Mila LN from Gamila ($19.99), which is also known as the Mila Bikini Skin. I'm not sure what name's official, as the website doesn't really make that clear. But, seeing that Gamila normally specialize in tea accessories, I'm guessing maybe they're just too relaxed and sophisticated to bother. More power to them.

No matter what you call it, the Bikini Skin is an incredibly unique iPod case. Made of a stretchable polyurethane material, you slip your iPod underneath the screen protector, then place the bottom flap over the bottom of the iPod. Easy to get in, easy to get out; which, as you'll see below, is an design aspect often ignored by some iPod case developers. The top of the Bikini Skin is completely open, allowing easy access to the headphone port and hold switch, and the bottom flap provides ample room for accessing the dock port. No problems there.

Gamila provides three accessories of varying functionality : a lanyard, a car clip, and a cleat for spooling your headphone wires. The lanyard works just fine, but I'm not sure what type of 5G iPod owner would want to wear the thing around his neck. They're not all that heavy, yeah, but they sure can feel that way after a rope has been digging into your neck for half an hour. The car clip is kind of cool, though, as it allows you to easily attach your iPod to the heating/cooling vent on most cars (worked on my '98 Honda Civic, didn't on my wife's '05 Toyota Matrix). There was some bouncing on the Civic, but nothing the the case itself couldn't absorb.

If the methods of connection are a bit of a drawback, then the protection offered is a severe drawback. The screen itself is well covered, but little of anything else is. The click wheel and the back of the iPod are left open to scuffs and scratches, so you'll be want to be careful about having the iPod swinging about on a lanyard. And although the open top is a bit disconcerting, I never once had a problem the iPod slipping.

One other drawback worth mentioning is that on my particular model, the clear sheet over the iPod screen had a bump in it. Not a major issue, but also something I couldn't just ignore.

The Bikini Skin comes in blue and frost, both of which look good on the white and black iPod models, although better on the white, I think. I won't deny the whole thing has a certain appeal to it, perhaps because of its overall uniqueness, but the Bikini Skin simply isn't an option for those looking for solid protection and security when using their iPod.

Vakaadoo's iVak Soft Feel ($21.95), on other hand, is solid on protection. So solid, in fact, that you might find it a bit overprotective. Getting this case off your iPod is such a chore that Vakaadoo includes a key card to help you get it open.

That may be worth it, however. When in the iVak Soft Feel, only the click wheel, dock port, headphone port and hold switch are exposed. The hole cuts are dead on, as each is wide enough to allow access and connection, but not so wide that protection is compromised. A hard sheet of plastic protects the screen, so nothing will be hurting the iPod while it's in this case.

The iVak Soft Feel also has a nice, basic design to it. It doesn't add a lot of bulk to your 5G iPod, and it's comfortable to hold. The basic design can be punched up by selecting one of six colors—purple, blue, green, white, pink and black (notice that even the color names are basic here)—or you can add more flare by buying two or more cases and mixing them up (Vakaadoo is currently offering a 2-for-1 special).

The big problem with iVak, then, is that there's simply no way to connect it to anything. There's no belt clip, no lanyard attachment, no flip stand...nothing. If you're going to take this case anywhere with you, you'd better have some pockets. This, combined with the difficulty in getting it out of the case, make it somewhat impractical for those on the go or those who need to dock their iPod with anything other than a docking cable. It does come with a small device around which you can wrap your headphone cords, but they still just dangle from the iPod itself.

And yet, the iVak is solid, it's secure, and its minimal design works quite well with the iPod. As with the Bikini Skin, I can recommend the iVak despite it's one major flaw, as many users will find that its other capabilities will compensate.
  

Both Gamila and Vakaadoo show promise, and I hope they continue to develop iPod accessories. If Gamila can focus just a bit more on protection and Vakaadoo can provide us with a method of keeping the iPod attached to our person, then both companies will quickly find themselves amongst the iPod case elite.

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