Go ahead. Walk into an Apple Store. Take a stroll through Best Buy. Heck, even take a wander though the aisles at London Drugs if you’re in Western Canada. It doesn’t seem to matter where you go these days, because you will inevitably be bombarded with a never-ending supply of accessories for the iPod family of portable music players. Some of these accessories are more useful than others, and even when you narrow it down to a single genre of iPod accessories, the options are plentiful.
To help you better understand the world of iPod accessories, we here at Futurelooks have compiled a collection of goodies that just may suit your needs. Or they might not. Whether you’re looking for some protection or a way to share your tunes, though, we’ve got a little doo-hickey for you to consider. Check them out.
Griffin FlexScreen All-Over Protection for iPod nano
Also available for other iPods, the Griffin FlexScreen provides all over protection for your portable multimedia player. This particular version, for the third-generation iPod nano, is actually comprised of two parts. The first component is a simple resilient silicone case. It’s not exactly clear; it’s more of a translucent white. The silicone case has a bumpy texture on the back to provide extra grip, whereas the front side has the display and click wheel portions cut out for optimal usability.
The other half of the FlexScreen equation is a durable, crystal-clear polycarbonate protector. This is there to protect the color display on your iPod, snuggly fitting in place on top of the silicone case. If the polycarbonate protector was pre-installed on the silicone case, you would not be able to stretch it quite as easily to fit over your nano. Retail price is $14.99.
Griffin PowerDock Charging Base
You may have noticed that when you bought your Apple iPod that it did not come with a traditional AC wall charger. Instead, the only way that you can charge that music player is through a standard USB connection. Unless you’re a total geek like me, there’s a good chance that you don’t have your computer on all day. Even if you do, it can be a pain if you hook up your iPod to a computer with which it has not been paired.
The Griffin PowerDock alleviates this issue by providing a charging station for your iPod. Well, that’s not completely true. The version that we have featured here is the dual charging dock, providing you with two slots for charging two iPods at the same time. An assortment of inserts are included to fit a wide range of iPods. From there, all you have to do is plug the PowerDock into a wall outlet. This way, you can make sure that your iPod is always charged up. The version with two docking slots retails for $49.99, whereas the version with four docking slots comes in at $69.99.
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Cellpoint Flamingo Music Headphones with EarClick2
As much as you may enjoy jamming out to some Rick Astley, the other people on the airplane or Greyhound may not share your taste in music. They don’t offer the same kind of comfort and quality as a good set of DJ-style cans, but the Flamingo Music Headset from Cellpoint may be a suitable alternative. The nifty thing about these headphones is that they are not really in-ear speakers nor are they earbuds. They feature something called EarClick2 technology. The buds are a very strange shape, but the idea is that they can be both weightless and secure. Earbuds have a tendency to get yanked out pretty easily; these do not.
Unfortunately, while the Flamingo will hang on for dear life through all sorts of justles and jostles, the audio quality isn’t exactly up to par. There is virtually no bass and the rest of the audio spectrum is quite harsh. It’s almost like everything that you’re listening to is being funneled through the FM radio. Fleshing out the sound spectrum with some solid bass would have balanced the equation quite a bit. In terms of comfort, the Flamingo felt very strange in my ears at first, but they got more comfortable the longer I wore them. Weird, I know. It comes with about seven additional pairs of rubber inserts too, in case you have different shaped ears. The Cellpoint Flamingo Music Headset with EarClick2 technology retails for $50.
Griffin iTrip Auto SmartScan FM Transmitter
Although it would be nicer to have a real iPod integration kit in your car, that’s simply something that some people don’t want to bother with. This is especially true if you’re part of a car-sharing program or anything like that where you do not have access to the same car at all times. This is where FM transmitters come into play.
The iTrip Auto SmartScan from Griffin adds two extra functions to the FM transmitter game. First, it will simultaneously charge your iPod on the go, ensuring that you don’t drain that precious battery while enjoying the latest song stylings from Rod Stewart or Slipknot (whatever floats your boat).
The second feature is the “SmartScan” technology. This gets the FM transmitter to automatically seek out the best FM frequencies in the area. This way, you don’t have to go hunting for an available frequency. Bear in mind that this feature can be hit and miss, and the display on the iTrip Auto SmartScan can be a little hard to read under direct sunlight. Retail price is $79.99.
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Cygnett GrooveToons iPod Alarm Clock
While I’m the kind of person who can only wake up to an incredibly annoying buzzer, there are others out there who prefer the voice of the local radio DJ. If you don’t fall into either of these categories, the vast majority of mass market alarm clocks just won’t suit your needs. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to your own selected playlist?
With the GrooveToons speaker and alarm clock system from Cygnett, you can. It doesn’t have an alarm clock or a display of its own, relying instead on your iPod nano to provide both of those necessities. There is a single speaker in the back though, as well as a power button, snooze button, and a pair of volume buttons. I found the speaker to be quite loud and the audio quality was decent, given the nature of this device.
I do have a few gripes with GrooveToons, however. First, the packaging says that it will work with all three generations of iPod nano, but only the first two gens fit in the dock. If you want to use a third-gen nano (or any other audio device), you’ll need to use the 3.5mm auxiliary jack. It’s also a little frustrating having to rely on the iPod for the display and alarm settings, because it means that you don’t have the “clock” part of the usual “clock radio” equation. Oh and because the nano doesn’t do radio, you don’t have the “radio” part either. And those googly eyes bother me too. It’s like they see right through me.
The Cygnett GrooveToons iPod speaker and alarm clock system retails for about $50.
iLuv i707 iPod FM Transmitter with Car Adapter
Yes, I know that I already talked about another FM transmitter in this guide, but the iLuv i707 offers a completely different form factor for those who prefer it. While the Griffin iTrip Auto Smartscan is basically one long cable with a controller in the middle, the iLuv i707 iPod FM Transmitter with Car Adapter provides a handy dock for your portable media player instead.
Thanks to the added extension arm and the ability to adjust it to fit your car as needed, this dock-style FM transmitter may provide you with a better view of the iPod display and, thus, makes it easier for you to see what’s coming through your speakers. And yes, your iPod gets charged through the car’s 12V cigarette jack while its tunes are being transmitted over the FM radio. Somewhat surprisingly, audio quality on the iLuv i707 was actually superior to the iTrip. I was thoroughly impressed. You can only program two frequencies into memory, but as soon as you find a suitable frequency on the FM dial, you’ll probably stick to it. It’s chunkier, to be sure, but the iLuv i707 is definitely a solid FM transmitter for those in the market for one. Retail price is $79.99.
The Never-Ending Onslaught of iPod Goodies
As long as Apple continues to pump out and popularize its iPod line of portable media players, companies like Griffin, iLuv, Cygnett, and Cellpoint are going to keep making accessories for them. They’ve got a huge variety of cases, FM transmitters, alarm clocks, speaker docks, headphones, screen protectors, and all sorts of other goodies that will continue to gobble away at the cash in your wallet. I just hope that they provide a little innovation once in a while, because a lot of the gear seems awfully similar, don’t you think?
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The 2008 Futurelooks iPod Accessory Mini Round Up Photo Gallery
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