The 10 GB iPod doesn't come with a carrying case, and I've heard some people complain about the one that does come with the other two models. Conveniently enough, there are a host of third-party companies already on the case (forgive the pun) and options abound if you're in the market for a stylish way to keep your iPod safe and sound while you enjoy it whever you go. And if you're like me -- and what seems like half of New York City these days -- you will enjoy your iPod everywhere you go.

Several companies were nice enough to send us their latest iPod cases for review. Here's a roundup of what's out there, broken down by the level of protection offered: Sleeve cases offer lightweight, light-duty protection suitable for clipping to your belt, taking your iPod on a jog or to the gym, or keeping it in your pocket. Padded cases offer more protection for those who tend to throw their iPod into their backpack or suitcase, use it during more extreme sports like skiing or snowboarding, or generally abuse their fragile and expensive electronic gear. And then there's the special use model, which you really have to see to believe.

Jump to: Padded Cases -- Special Use Case

Sleeves

Macclear Zip Case -- $12.50, www.thinkdifferentstore.com

This is it, the winner, the simplest, most convenient solution for protecting your iPod from dirt and scratches while clipping it to your belt and showing off its good looks. So simple I wish I'd thought of it, the Macclear Zip case is basically a heavy-duty baggie for your iPod. At first glance it looks kind of like a plastic change purse or makeup case. In fact, when it arrived in the mail, one of my female friends asked if she could have it to use as a wallet. Take off the removable belt clip stub and you could do just that. But if you've got an iPod to go in there, why would you?

The Zip is made from ultra clear PTU, which keeps your iPod clean while letting you both see the screen and make use of all of the touch controls. The buttons and scroll wheel work just fine when touched through the Zip's plastic. Your iPod slips into the form-fitting case from the bottom, which then zips up around it for carrying. Cutouts in the top of the case allow for access to the headphone/remote jacks and the hold button. An included chrome belt clip stub attaches to the back of the case, and mounts a quick release swivel clip. I love this case. It weighs nothing, costs next to nothing, and does nothing to get in the way of how well my iPod works or how good it looks. It's also thin enough to leave on your pod when you slip it inside of a heavier duty case for travel, snowboarding, or whatever other high-impact activities go better with music. What can I say, Macclear even came up with a neato slogan for the Zip case: "Zip up, it's a cruel world out there."

ackNOWLEDGE iSkin eXo -- $29.99, www.iskinforipod.com
This is the one my friends liked the most. The iSkin eXo is the new version of Toronto, Canada-based ackNOWLEDGE's silicone iPod sleeve, redesigned for the new 3G iPods. eXo is very cool looking -- ackNOWLEDGE sent me a sample in "White Frost," one of some 21 colors available for order (I believe the green shown in the picture is called "Frogger"). Making sleeves from silicone not only allows for a very flexible (literally), shock-absorbant design that retains its shape after much stretching, pulling, and poking, but it also lets designers play around with both color and translucency. eXos are available in "solid," "vibrant," "frost," and "GLO" finshes, which allow for varying amounts of light to shine from your iPod through the sleeve. In other words, the GLO eXos glow when you put live pods inside of 'em.

eXo also features cutouts for the screen, controls, and top/bottom ports, as well as several holes cut into the backside so your iPod doesn't overheat while you're grooving out. The backside also features a chrome post to which the included see-through plastic swivel clip attaches. Very nice, very solid, that clip. The two biggest drawbacks to the eXo for me were the lack of screen protection and silicone's natural propensity to attract dirt and dust. ackNOWLEDGE now includes a screen protector with every eXo, but it's a separate piece, and not part of the sleeve itself, so I'm bound to misplace it soon enough. Also, the only way to get the eXo on and off of your pod is by stretching it out and pulling the pod through the screen cutout, which gets to be a pain after awhile. And thirty bucks is a lot for a sleeve case. However, you can't put a price on having fun in the dark and for as cool as the red backlights in the iPod's buttons are, I can't even imagine how neat they'd be when framed by an "Electro" blue glowing silicone case.

Speck Products iPod Skin -- $18.95, www.speckproducts.com
The Speck iPod Skin is very similar to the iSkin eXo in that it's a rubberized plastic sleeve with cutouts for the screen, controls, and jacks/ports. iPod Skin doesn't have a belt clip post, so it's not as convenient as the eXo if you like to clip your pod to your belt or bag, but the iPod Skin seems to have a leg up on it's competition when it comes to durability. The Skin is made from something called Kraton plastic, an elastomer that just feels a little tougher to me than the eXo's silicone. Speck also did something very right in giving the Skin a sort of hinged flap on the bottom that you can lift open when it's time to connect your iPod to its cable or dock. Not only does this provide a little more protection for that port (there's actually a ridge on the inside of the Skin that fits into the port), but it also lets you slide your iPod in and out of the Skin with relative ease. Like the eXo, the Skin does not provide any covering for the iPod's screen.

The iPod Skin comes in clear, charcoal, and cobalt blue. Speck sent me the latter of the three, and it's a lovely transluscent blue that looks nice over the white plastic of the pod. The Skin provides scratch resistance and shock protection, and at under twenty bucks, it's more than ten dollars less than the eXo. If you don't need a belt clip and can live with blue, grey, or clear Kraton instead of florescent green silicone, the iPod Skin might be the sleeve for you and your pod.