Vaja leather "play-through" case for iPod shuffle

Vaja has yet another new iPod case out. This one is the AP11 flip-top case for iPod shuffle. What's unique about this case is that the Argentine leather features "play-through" access to the iPod's play/pause/forward/back/volume controls... the control icons are printed on the case itself so you don't have to fumble or guess if you're pressing your thumb in the right spot.

As with other Vaja cases, the AP11 case is available in a variety of colors and several customization options are available. Prices start at $35.

On a personal note – years ago when I bought my first Palm (a Palm V which I hacked into a Palm Vx), Vaja was virtually unknown in the US and their sad excuse for a website wasn't even in English and had no obvious ordering mechanism. But I was in the market for a high-quality leather case and a colleague recommended I check them out. I spotted a gorgeous leather & horsehair flip case on their website and emailed them in my best broken Spanish about how I could go about purchasing one. They replied promptly, in equally broken English, and within a few weeks I had the case I wanted, with my own signature and a graffiti cheat sheet embossed on it. That Palm is in my gadget graveyard, but I still have the case and it still looks great. All this is just to say: Vaja has come a long way since those days. Still producing quality products – but making them far more accessible to the masses. I now have a few of their cell phone and iPod cases and I've never been disappointed in their products.

[via iPodLounge]

PS – I'm not associated with Vaja in any way other than as a customer.