Wrapped, strapped and capped: The next round of iPod accessories
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
May 23, 2005 at 10:11pm
Now that so many vendors have added products for iPods of all varieties, we thought that it might be a good opportunity to have a fresh look at the best of the old and bring in the new with a roundup of some of the great products to dress up, protect and enhance your shuffle, photo, U2 or audio iPod.
Saying that there is something for every taste, style, preference or need is an understatement when you consider the range of designs out there. Ultraconservative to ultra-freaky, if you want to personalize your iPod by adding some kind of protection to your peripheral, now is the time. Given the huge variety of products, we’ll simply highlight a few notable items (for better or worse. If you aren’t sure if it is for your model or style of iPod, each company has several offerings and it may only take a few moments to navigate around their web site to find what you want.
Clearly, there are many more products available than those listed here. This is just a look at some of what caught our attention in the pursuit of the one (or more) perfect accessories for your iPod that combine interesting form and function.
Transmitters
The idea of listening to your precious iPod over the FM radio is … uh … interesting and, if sound quality isn’t your first priority, you do have a lot of choices. The main stumbling block for these types of products is that their performance varies by location (both proximity to the radio and by geographical location – i.e., city, town, village) and can be affected by a huge range of other variables. Once you go beyond those two points of contention, you may enjoy the AirPlay from XtremeMac. Its small size slips easily into your pocket when not in use and the forty dollar price tag doesn’t hurt too much.The very simple and clean two-button design is partnered with an LCD that sports a hi-contrast blue illumination that is easy to see in any ambient lighting condition.
Belkin TuneCast
Digital Lifestyle Outfitters TransPod
Griffin iTrip
Griffin AirClick
Griffin BlueTrip
MacMice (upcoming) PodBuddy FM
MonsterCable FM Transmitter
NewerTech RoadTrip +
OUR PICK: XtremeMac AirPlay (shown) 
Sport straps
Again, XtremeMac steps up for iPod users who like to work out, run or just don’t care for the belt clip-type cases. The SportWrap is a great looking, durable and comfortable iPod product. Pick your color for thirty bucks and shoot your own silhouette ad to show you arm-in-arm with your iPod.
Apple iPod shuffle armband
InCase nylon belt
Speck Products ArmBand
OUR PICK: XtremeMac SportWrap Colors
Cases
Oh, where do we begin? Nearly every kind of accessory company, big and small, has a case for the various iPods and, in this category, we had to go into sub-categories in order to make this section work.
Delicious
Reminiscent of flavored cough syrups or even akin to looking at fruit candy (you know which one we mean) embracing your iPod, Griffin’s iVault visually jumps out and offers a mature, deeper hue set that goes beyond protection and even further makes that fashion statement (if that is what you’re going for).
Indestructable (sort of)
Hands down, “Otterbox for iPod” is THE box if you, for some reason, want to put your iPod in and/or near water. There are a few in this sub-type that might look cool, but Otterbox is the box you’ll be glad you have for listening to Wassermusik, Roger Waters or even Puddle of Mudd.
Funky
Vaja takes this one with the iVodDJ and iVolution Rasta models. Fun, flair and … well, funky.
Elegant
We left out the big name designers who have all created iPod-couture; however, Booq’s Venom will appeal to those who understand what it means to want to protect your investment of a few hundred dollars with a smaller one to gain protection and a nod to the upscale and style conscious individual.
OUR PICK: Booq Venom leather (shown) 
Bruddy BruddyClip
Burning Love (corduroy to camouflage)
OUR PICK: Griffin iVault for shuffle
HipTunes Belt for 4G and Mini
InCase sleeves
iPodStyles FabriX
Marware C.E.O.
Slappa Shock Shell
Moshi iPouch
OUR PICK: OtterBox for iPod
OUR PICK: Vaja iVodDJ and i-volution Rasta
XtremeMac Shieldz
Cabling kits
There are all kinds of options here. While the favorite was the InCase Travel Kit, it is only suitable for up to the 3G iPods. The same goes for the Monster Cable iCase. Monster has redeemed themselves with the iAirPlay airline power adapter that will come in very handy on those long flights should you have the need. The winner here is the new FirePower World Tour from PodGear that allows you to use your beloved music (and photo) player in well over a hundred countries worldwide. We’re looking forward to a new all-in-one case with all of the necessary wiring and protection that is truly road-worthy and up-to-date.
ezPower chargers
InCase travel kit
Monster Cable iAirPlay airline charger
OUR PICK: PodGear FirePower World Tour (shown) .jpg)
TenTechnology naviPlay Bluetooth iPod adapter
Thought Out iPed2
XtremeMac splitter
Wraps, caps and skins
XtremeMac was first to market products for the iPod shuffe (second only to Apple, itself) and their gear won’t disappoint. Their SuperHook and SuperClip are a perfect pair (although sold separately) for shuffling off to wherever you go. Nice look with a slightly different way to hang with your iPod.
eGrip eGrips
DLO Jam Caps for shuffle
Griffin TuneCaps for shuffle
iPodStyles (variety/novelty)
iSkin Shades
XtremeMac Bumperz
OUR PICK: XtremeMac SuperClip and SuperHook
Again, this is a mere drop in the bucket and there are, of course, many other product types out there for the iPod family of products. We may get into them at a later time (power supplies, batteries, earphones, speakers, software, etc.).
Your iTunes library reflects your taste and style with the content inside your iPod; now, these great accessories can display your personality by putting your own touches on the outside. Finally, your iPod’s outside can match what’s on the inside and your ever changing moods.
It is worth mentioning that you should make sure that any accessory you choose is the correct size, type and style for your particular model and generation of iPod. In most cases, these things are relatively affordable in most cases so you may wish to own more than one and dress up your iPod to match your mood, attire or environment.
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Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
