10 Perfect Gifts for iPhone Users

Posted 12/08/2009 at 12:50pm | by Susie Ochs

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Every day is like Christmas when you own an iPhone or iPod touch;they're the coolest handheld computers on the block. But you can bringeven more joy to your favorite iPhone user with one of these rad gifts.With a new headset, an external battery, a slick-looking dock, a flyspeaker, and a new case, your giftee will have everything they everwanted -- OK, except never-fail 3G reception from AT&T. Now thatwould be a holiday miracle.

Dexim P-Flip Foldable Power Dock

We're used to an iPhone dock being something that sits on your desk and keeps your iPhone charged and connected to your Mac for syncing. Dexim's P-Flip Foldable Power Dock does that, but it also has a built-in rechargeable 2000mAh backup battery, so you can take the whole dock with you -- it folds up nicely, too -- and use it either way. It's even got an on/off switch in case you only want to use the dock and not draw power from the backup battery at the moment. Another nice touch: It can prop your iPhone up in portrait or landscape mode. Retails for $54.95.

Maximo iP-HS5

Maximo's latest set of iPhone-friendly earbuds have a lot of fancy features that make them a great gift. The inline mic lets you make clear calls, and the cable also has a button to answer/hang up and switch tracks. The 9mm neodymium drivers deliver respectable sound, and the fabric-covered cables don't tangle as easily as plastic-coated ones. Maximo even includes a soft, zippered carrying case, 4 sizes of eartips, 2.5mm plug adapters, and a 2-foot extension cable. Retails for $79.99.

Konnet iCrado

The iCrado is a smartly designed iPhone/iPod dock made from a single piece of aluminum. It's got a plastic holder to lock your iPod-to-USB cable in for charging and syncing with your Mac, but it doesn't actually come with a cable—you've got to provide your own. Still, it's a good-looking dock, comes in nine colors, and won't break the bank. It retails for $34.99, but you can find it for around $30 on Amazon.

Scosche powerFUZE

This little gizmo is a versatile charger that'll keep your iPhone -- and other gadgets -- powered up no matter where you are. At home it plugs into a wall, then you attach your own cable and charge your device. It's also a power converter that lets you plug in devices that you'd normally plug into your car's AC outlet. Plus, when you're in the car, you can charge USB items in that same outlet. The powerFUZE retails for $24.99 without any cables, and the $39.99 powerFUZE Pro throws in a cable too.

iSkin solo FX Special Edition

iSkin's iPhone cases are top-quality, and this holiday season there are some limited-edition colors to choose from. We are seriously digging on the iSkin solo FX Special Edition cases, which have a geometric pattern and stylish shine. Each solo FX case comes with a screen-protecting film with a cool mirror sheen, so when your iPhone is asleep you can see your own face in its screen. The solo FX SE comes in ice (clear frosted), Onyx (translucent black), and Cosmo (translucent pink), and retails for $34.99.

Pong

Besides being a handheld computer and all-around WonderGadget, the iPhone is...well, a cell phone. And cell phones emit radiation. Science has yet to come to a consensus about what effects that radiation can have on your health, but if you're concerned, the Pong is an intriguing option. According to Pong Research, the Pong case redirects radiation away from your head without affecting overall signal strength. Wired magazine did a test at a independent lab and found the claims to be credible. It comes in green or black, and retails for $59.95.

Firefly

Vestalife, the makers of the Ladybug speaker, are unleashing three more insect-inspired speakers on the ecosystem. We're partial to the stylish lines of the Firefly ($129.99), but the Manis ($179.99) and Ladybug II ($99.99) look pretty great too. All three models have hinged wing-like speakers that open to reveal and iPod- and iPhone-friendly dock, and all can run on AC power or 4 AA batteries.

iBend

Perfect stocking stuffers, the iBend is an iPhone stand made of thin, flexible plastic—it can fit between your iPhone and its case or even in your wallet when you're not using it. Designs by artists like Joshua Davis, Meomi, Bartalos give you lots of funky-fresh options. It props up any iPhone or iPod touch when you need to watch a movie on a plane, and since you get two for $5.99, the price is right.

A Dropbox account

The Dropbox app is free for iPhone (App Store link), and everyone can have a free 2GB Dropbox account by signing up here. (Full disclosure: that's Ray's referral link. If you use it to sign up for the free account, you get 2.25GB instead of just 2GB, and Ray gets an extra 256MB too. Or you can skip the referral and just go to Dropbox.com.) Why pay if it's free? A larger account will let you store music, movies, and other iPhone-friendly content, then view and play those files from your iPhone without using its limited hard-drive space for storage. A 50GB account is $9.99/month or $99/year, and a 100GB account is $19.99/month or $199/year.

iTunes Store Gift Card

Oh, what a cop-out! Or is it? Look, an iTunes Store card might seem like too much of a no-brainer to include in a gift guide, but it's also a guaranteed hit for anyone who owns an iPhone or iPod touch. Because unless you jailbreak your device, there is one -- and only one -- place to buy applications for it, and that place is the App Store. Since man cannot subsist on free and Lite-version apps forever, an iTunes gift card is THE handiest gift you can give an iPhone-ophile. The link above is to buy physical cards, or you can buy electronic and printable cards right from the iTunes Store.