MP3 Players & Accessories

The BIG screen being your 16:9 ratio HDTV home television. In our home we use the Apple cables to watch our iPod and iPhone content on the television. These cables are great for traveling with kids too. ezGear has an April special for $29 for this cable made for your iPod or iPhone. The cables that provide the same function from Apple are $49 on the Apple Web site. ezGear is an effective, affordable solution for this cable.

We call the video on the iPhone the electronic babysitter. You can go anywhere with the kids and to ask them politely to sit down and be quiet, but that doesn't work as well as handing a handheld video machine over – especially one with games! When traveling, we simply buy the kids some of their favorite content from the Apple iTunes store, and it becomes a plug and play solution. Most new cars with video solutions also come with the proper connections for this cable set. It is worth the money to buy these at this price.

More information is available at www.ezgear.com/iPod/ezGearVideoCable.html.

We all know what spring brings us…rain. After all, "April showers bring May flowers", right? To help protect your gear from the elements is the Micro Case Series from Pelican.

The Pelican Micro Case Series protects cell phones, PDA's, important papers, and more from damp and rainy weather. They are crushproof (can withstand up to a 5,000 lb truck!), are watertight and have an automatic purge valve. The cases come with an impact absorbing inner liner that absorbs shock and keeps your devices completely waterproof.

Available in four colors (black, red, blue and yellow), Pelican Micro cases start in price at only $9.42 at CableOrganizer.com. That's a mighty low price to protect your investment…

The new Armor Series cases from OtterBox are cool. Like this Apple iPod nano fourth generation case, for example. It features impact-absorbing rubber on all sides to protect your iPod from impact. This case - as well as other OtterBox cases - can be submerged up to a yard (3 feet) under water. It protects against dust and dirt too.

I have a few of the small waterproof OtterBox products. They are perfect when traveling, camping, boating and more. I primarily store Compact Flash (CF) cards in the small OtterBox when traveling.

There are some bigger cases as well from OtterBox. We have a staff photographer who keeps a large OtterBox case in his SUV. His DSLR is always with him, and the foam filled OtterBox gives him peace of mind.

Visit www.otterbox.com for more information and to view their wide selection of protective cases.

Scosche just announced the availability of the new reCOIL mobile charger for the iPod and iPhone.

The reCOIL allows you to conveniently charge your iPod or iPhone by plugging the device into your vehicle's 12V power/accessory outlet. The reCOIL's retractable cord charges your iPod and iPhone neatly, keeping it tangle-free, and features a magnetic locking dock connector to mount in your vehicle when not in use.

The reCOIL is priced at $29.99 and is available now at www.Scosche.com.

Speck is bringing their fashionable "fitted" hard shell cases, which are very popular among iPhone 3G users, to the iPod touch 2G and iPod nano 4G. These stylish cases come in female friendly patterns, materials and colors.

The new patterns include BubbleSpotDot Aqua and CheeryPlum Purple for the iPod nano 4G and Lovely Roger White/Pink, Lovely Roger Black/Grey and CheeryPlum Purple for the iPod touch 2G. The new styles are made out of durable, textured vinyl creatively wrapped over a protective hard shell case.

The cases for the iPod nano 4G and iPod touch 2G are available in colors and styles that express the personality of the user as they browse through songs, videos and podcasts. The simple case is a custom-fit design that allows full access to viewing the screen, controls, ports and plugs.

Speck cases for the iPod nano 4G also feature a clear, hard shell front with click-wheel opening to protect from scratches. All fitted cases are priced at $29.95 MSRP.

The Cinemizer Plus, scheduled to hit the marketplace in May 2009, is the first iPhone enabled video eyewear to get Apple approval with the "Works with iPhone" tag. Cinemizer Plus comes with Diopter adjustment which enables users to adjust each eye separately from a +3.5 to –3.5 prescription. Even with the use of glass, crystal clear viewing can be achieved as Cinemizer combines LCD screens with individual diopter focus.

The package includes a remote control, battery, iPod connector, 6 iPod clips, 2 exchangeable nose pads and USB cable. The battery has a life of 4 hours when fully charged. The Cinemizer Plus will be available in the USA, UK and Germany in May 2009 and is priced at $449 (US). www.zeiss.com/cinemizer

The iPod Touch 2G is an awesome time killer when playing games, surfing the Web (Wi-Fi needed), or just listening to music. How many times has your iPod Touch 2G run out of juice forcing you to pause your game, movie, or Web surfing? Mophie knows that you are frustrated, and that is the reason why they developed the Juice Pack for the iPod Touch. The Juice Pack from mophie is a battery extender and a non-slip rubberized case in one with an MSRP of $99.

My first impression is that this is a quality product. I like the four LED lights that display the amount of "juice" the battery is holding too.