Also available in black. The In-Line Remote has a 40-inch cable, connects to your iPod’s dock connector, and lets you keep your iPod safe and sound in your pocket or bag. The remote provides basic track controls (skipping tracks, fast-forward, rewind, pause/play, and volume) and has a clip so you can attach it to your lapel, bag strap, or sleeve. The remote also has a jack for your headphones; audio through the remote doesn’t seem affected.
Not as fancy as the bundled iPod shuffle dock, but just as effective. While we love our tiny li’l iPod shuffle, the way it connects to our Macs betrays its ultracompact design - you have to use a USB dock with a cable. The IncipioBud doesn’t do anything fancy, but that’s why we like it so much. It’s a basic USB connector for the iPod shuffle. No fancy iPod shuffle stand, no cables, no fuss, no muss. It’s a lot easier to carry around than the cable that comes with the shuffle. You’ll barely notice the IncipioBud in your pocket.
Boo to all blister packs everywhere! I cut myself a tiny bit prying this one open, and I was using scissors and everything...
The TuneStage 2 has a surprisingly good range. Mention Bluetooth with an iPod device, and you might find us shaking our heads in doubt. That's because our experience with Bluetooth devices has been mixed - Bluetooth isn't bad, if you don't mind a limited range. But sound quality? Forget it. But then Bluetooth 2.0+EDR was released, offering better data rates and reliability than its predecessors. And as it turns out, the TuneStage 2 for iPod, which uses Bluetooth 2.0+EDR to provide wireless connectivity between an iPod and a stereo-connected base station, is a great example of how far Bluetooth technology has come.
Give your iPod a battery boost. Three thousand, nine hundred and eighty. That’s the number of times we played Guided by Voices’ 1-minute song “The Perfect Life” consecutively on a fully charged 7-month-old 80GB 5G iPod at its default settings with a NuPower Video+ iPod battery pack attached. (The song is actually 59 seconds, so we added 1 second of silence to make it a little easier to calculate the NuPower’s, uh, power.) That many minutes add up to 66.33 hours—compared to the 19 hours you can get from just your iPod’s battery. Using it for video playback, we got 22.17 consecutive hours. We also tested it while playing music on shuffle, and got similar results. Oddly, Newer Technology claims you’ll get 80 hours of audio (which we fell short on) and only 16 hours of video. Regardless, that’s a whole lot of iPod-ing going on.
The teeny-tiny iBumps keep your iPod from slip-slidin' away. Attach a set of iBumps to the back of your iPod and you won't have to worry about it skidding across your car's dashboard every time you make a turn. You get a set of six clear small rubber pads for the back of your 'Pod, and six white, black, or clear pads for the front. Where you actually use them (and how many you use) is up to you - you can stick 'em on your iPod, digital camera, mobile phone, coffee mug, snow globes, fishbowl, whatever. With iBumps, your iPod is still exposed, but you can fit an iBumped iPod into some looser-fitting cases.
For such a pricey iPod accessory, it doesn't look very iPod-esque. Keyspan's TuneView is an iPod dock and remote control combo that lets you listen to your music on your home entertainment system. Unlike other products of its ilk, this remote has a color LCD that lets you navigate your iPod from your La-Z-Boy. Unfortunately, the remote's dated, inelegant design detracts from the overall package.
Call colorful attention to your 'Pod's clickwheel. The disko elicits two distinct reactions: You either think that the LEDs within the polycarbonate case that encircle the iPod clickwheel are cute, or you giggle at them and squeal, "How cheesy!" Give the disko a good tilt to start the light show - the LEDs are motion activated, and there's no connection between their behavior and the rhythm of your music.
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