After a disappointing experience with the JamBand from carrie.scott (2 stars), which was the first iPod nano wristband on the market, we were pleased to recently hear the folks at iMojo have at last finished work on their iPod nano wristband.

iMojo nano Sweats

Long-time iPod Observer readers will recall iMojo's shuffle Sweats (5 stars), which thoroughly impressed us when we reviewed them more than a year ago. Fortunately, the new nano Sweats feature the same level of quality and attention to detail in only a marginally larger package.

The nano Sweats feature a versatile design, allowing you to fit your iPod however you like thanks to matching rubber pieces at each end that enable earphones or dock connector cables to be plugged in regardless of orientation. While this might seem to be a less secure design than one that's fully stitched and enclosed, like the JamBand, in reality the nano Sweat grips your iPod with plenty of force to keep it put, even during vigorous activity.

iMojo's silicone cleat returns on the nano Sweat, allowing excess cable to be securely wrapped out of the way with ease. More than any other feature, this cleat is what makes the nano Sweats stand head and shoulders above the competition, as excess earphone cable length only ever gets in the way during physical activity.

Other shuffle Sweat design details carry over as well, including being machine washable and coming two to a pack, in black and white.

All is not perfect with the nano Sweat, however. Like the JamBand, the nano Sweat suffers from two small problems: the clear plastic covering your nano isn't quite as clear as it looks, distorting the nano's bright color display a bit, and that same piece of plastic doesn't sit perfectly tight and flush against your iPod nano, meaning the sensitivity and precision of the click wheel is reduced.

Tiny colored artifacts ("noise") on the display are a result of the clear plastic covering.

In the grand scheme of things—or at least the fitness scheme of things—these shortcomings are not too significant, as comfort and convenience are more important attributes in a wristband and the nano Sweat scores high in both those categories.

The Bottom Line

iMojo trumpets the virtues of a wristband over an armband as being more "T-shirt compatible" and eliminating "bicep rash". In reality, the distinction and preference between the two is far more subjective, but the convenience of having your iPod nano on your forearm, where its display can be more easily read, controls more easily accessed, and earphone cable length more quickly adjusted, are why we prefer working out with one.

iPod nano (2G) compatible? Yes, with no problems whatsoever.