I got my hands on one of the most anticipated accessories for the iPhone this morning: the Mophie Juice Pack rechargeable lithium polymer battery, which extends the phone’s power capacity while piggybacked to it in the form of a non-slip soft grip case. (Thanks to Howard Paw of Digital Walker who brought me one today.)

It can be charged separately or together with an iPhone, using the usual cables and chargers. It also takes over the power duties when attached to an iPhone, and the phone’s battery only kicks in after the Juice Pack has expended itself. While attached, it tops up the iPhone’s battery so that the phone starts off with a full load after you disconnect the Mophie.

It makes the iPhone a bit thicker and longer, but it does a heck of a lot, like giving it an additional:

• 250 hours standby time
• 24 hours audio playback
• 8 hours talk time
• 7 hours video viewing
• 6 hours internet surfing

Mind you, this is in addition to the iPhone’s own power capabilities. And for US$99 only too.

It’s currently in limited stock at Digital Hub and Digital Walker in Manila as of today. But you better get one fast before Philmuggers eat up all the supply.

Learn more about it from the Mophie site.

Apple Stores in Japan are putting out limited edition iPod Touch and nano cases with gold etchings on the back that say which district or area it was purchased from, plus some nice traditional artwork, according to ipodNN.

The cases will only be available for one week, and cost about US$26 for the Touch case, and US$22 for the nano.

I got a new pair of earphones for the iPhone the other day: The V-Moda Vibe Duo Nero. Lots of contenders to the throne of the white buds, but all things being equal this is the only one worth getting.

iPhone buds are  the Holy Grail of accessories – while the white ones suffice, unfortunately they’re neither here nor there. To be fair they sound ok, but people keep them around because they have the mic and button on the cord. Those inclined to trade them right off for better ones tend to hang on for the functionality. Honestly, there aren’t any real compromise-free options available.

V-Moda previously released the Vibe Duo model which had the phone mic incorporated into it, but it didn’t have the all-important button that answered calls and stopped, started and forwarded tracks – just like the regular buds. The new models, which come in chrome, red and black, have this button, which is a trifle smaller than is convenient.

But the Vibe Duo is the only one that approximates the original buds in configuration and use without taking anything from the mix. The existing alternatives either have too many cords or have little growths and appendages that carry the mic or the button or both.

At US$99 the pair is the best option so far in terms of function and value. With some extras. Of course the plug fits, and the jack seems sturdily made with a knurled grip, as there are on the left and right buds themselves. The sleek chrome of the buds and jacks are well made, but the big surprise is the cords themselves. They are light, soft and pliable, and cloth-covered! The feel like well-made, durable string, and not prone to tangling or retaining odd shapes when they get wrapped around things. A self-sealing leather carry pouch comes in the box, which is a pretty classy bonus.

The buds are in-ears, which are acquired tastes. Some like it, some don’t. I belong to the former, having used many like them in the past. They come with six pairs of replaceable silicone fittings, in three sizes: S, M and L, and in clear or black. I’m most comfortable with the mediums. The in-ears seal out extraneous noise and amplify the sound; I’m glad I don’t have to dial up the volume to full all the time now. Two-thirds is plenty.

One of the comments is that the Bliss silicone fittings have a tendency to fall off their posts, and you find you lose one or the other in common use, forcing you to use the other color, or the other sizes. I own a pair of red V-Moda Vibes, and I was down to just four mismatched pairs until I figured a tiny droplet of glue on the rims when you pop the fittings on usually does the trick. You just have to settle on the size and color and stick with your choice.

Another usual comment is that V-Modas have tradionally been bassy buds; true, but not excessively so. Mids and highs don’t get buried, and the reproduced tones shine through the low lows. I’m prefer flat settings myself, but I can live with the V-Modas.

One of my friends who owns a pair already complains that it’s odd to use the V-Moda Vibe Duos as a handsfree headset, and having taken calls on it, I know what he means. The lack of the ambient noise is a bit disconcerting, since the in-ears shut everything out. But it isn’t a biggie; it’s just a matter of getting used to it,

I’m glad I got these, and can now set the white buds aside as reserves. Two Mac-A-Doodle thumbs up.

One of the major points against the MacBook Air is the dearth of …nearly everything. Which should be its strength in the minimalist context, but after the RDF fades, just emerges as a way to squeeze more out of the fanboys. They yank everything out, tell us it’s the better for all that, then sells us back the parts they took out. At a premium. Sheesh.

Don’t get me wrong. The MacBook Air is beautiful. But hey, too much form over function this time, man.

So here is a partial list of the things that should have been in the box, if not in the laptop itself, that Apple is selling back to us, in Apple’s own words:

Apple USB Ethernet Adapter
Easily connect your MacBook Air computer to an Ethernet network with the Apple USB Ethernet Adapter. Small and light, it connects to the USB 2.0 port of your MacBook Air and provides an RJ-45 connector that supports 10/100BASE-T performance. $29.00

* Apple Micro-DVI to DVI Adapter
Newly designed to fit the slim profile of MacBook Air, the Apple Micro-DVI to DVI adapter allows you to connect to an external DVI monitor or projector. It can also be used in combination with the Apple DVI to ADC adapter to support older Apple flat panel Studio or Cinema Displays. $19.00

* Apple Micro-DVI to VGA Adapter
Newly designed to fit the slim profile of MacBook Air, the Apple Micro-DVI to VGA adapter allows you to connect to an external VGA monitor or projector. $19.00 (Doodler Note: I think this’ll be the more popular of the video adapters - I can imagine all the folk wanting to show off their new MBA at the office by using it for a presentation on a projector; they’ll need one of these.)

This next one is not on the Apple Store yet as far as I can see. Not the most egregious omission (because of the Remote Disk feature Apple made that makes this a bit moot), the USB Superdrive accessory seems a good one to get at $99, until you find that it only works for the MacBook Air. Huh?

All these things will be out in 2-3 weeks.

*Update: Oops. Apparently the video adapters ARE already in the box, as a couple of my outraged (and attentive) readers have pointed out. (Thanks to RBB and designissues.) I thought I looked. Must’ve missed it. Silly me. I should have known; for the price of the MBA, it should be in the box. Mac-A-Mea Culpa. Heh.

Podcasting News has put together a comprehensive list of iPod accessories that misfired, including an iPod tooth whitener, thong underwear for your iPod, an iPod vibrator, an iPod washing machine, the TuneBuckle (featured above), and one that actually comes from Apple itself.

(I personally wouldn’t mind getting a few of these for Christmas, if only for their value as conversation pieces.)

Great fun here.