Accessories for the Fully Powered iPod


The iPod line has spawned an industry of accessoriescarrying cases, battery packs, microphones, speaker systems, FM transmitters, and more.

I've already covered some common accessories, such as Apple's Universal Dock and the iPod AV Connection Kit. Here's a sampling of more accessories. For reviews of iPod add-ons, check out Playlist magazine (www.playlistmag.com) and iLounge (www.ilounge.com).

On the dock. A dock makes it convenient to update your iPod, charge its battery, and connect the iPod to a stereo system. If your iPod didn't include a dock, consider springing for one. Have a dock? Consider a second. Connect one to your Mac for quick updating, and another to your stereo for convenient listening.

Tune in. Apple's iPod Radio Remote adds FM radio tuning to your iPod. I use one along with an FM transmitter (opposite page) to beam music to my iPod while I work around the house.

Speak up, dock. Turn your iPod into a self-contained stereo system with Apple's iPod Hi-Fi. The iPod sits in a dock connector atop the boombox, which sounds great and includes a remote control. Similar products are available from Bose, Altec Lansing, and JBL, among others.

On the record. Most recent full-sized iPods accept microphone attachments that let you record voice memos, lectures, and arguments. At right: Griffin Technology's iTalk. The 5G iPod can record high-quality audio, but as of this writing, no microphone attachments were available for it.

Camera connections. With the Belkin Media Reader (right) and Digital Camera Link add-ons, your 3G or 4G iPod can store photos from your digital camera. Have an iPod photo or 5G iPod? Consider Apple's iPod Camera Connector, which lets you transfer photos from a camera and view them on the iPod photo's screen.

Get links to iPod accessories aplenty. www.macilife.com/itunes


Case closed. Many companies sell iPod cases. My iPod wears the Showcase, a rugged plastic case from Contour Design.

Apple now offers a line of upscale leather cases, not to mention a line of colorful socks for all iPods except the shuffle. Belkin's slick line of Kickstand cases (at right) features a hinged design that lets the iPod stand upright, as if on an easel.

Play longer. Griffin, Belkin, and others sell battery packs that let you power an iPod using standard batteries. Shown here: Griffin's TuneJuice for iPod, iPod nano, and iPod mini.

Other power-packed accessories you might consider include an Apple power adaptor (for charging your iPod while you're away from the computer); and car cigarette-lighter adaptors that let you charge on the road.

The Car Connection

The only thing better than having thousands of songs in your pocket is having thousands of songs in your car. There are several ways to get audio from your iPod to your car stereo.

A smart cassette adaptor. Cassette adaptors are inexpensive, easy to use, and reasonably good-sounding. Griffin's SmartDeck goes beyond the ordinary adaptor to enable you to control your iPod using your car's cassette deck controls.

FM transmitters. An FM transmitter plugs into the iPod and then transmits its signal so that you can tune it in on your radio. FM transmitters sometimes work poorly in urban areas, where it occasionally seems that there's an FM station on nearly every frequency. Griffin's iTrip connects to the top of the iPod, while Sonnet's highly regarded Podfreq packs an FM transmitter into a rugged carrying case.

Direct connections. The best way to listen to the iPod in your car is to use a cabling system that lets the iPod's audio output go directly into your car stereo's amplifier. More and more car manufacturers are providing iPod-ready stereo systems that let you stash the iPod in the glove compartment and control it using the buttons on the car's steering wheel or dashboard.

Several companies sell cabling kits that let an iPod tap into the audio inputs that would otherwise be used for a trunk-mounted CD changer. Check out the Ice-Link Plus from Dension (www.densionusa.com), as well as the cabling offerings from peripheralelectronics.com, logjamelectronics.com, and soundgate.com.

And if you're shopping for a new car stereo system, you might consider one of the iPod-ready systems from Alpine (www.alpine-usa.com). Connect your iPod to a compatible system, and you can stash the iPod in the glove compartment and control it using the knobs on the stereo system. The systems even display the name of the currently playing song. Now that's traveling in style.




The Macintosh iLife '06
The Macintosh iLife 06
ISBN: 0321426541
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 229
Authors: Jim Heid

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