One of the consistent weaknesses of the entire iPod/iPhone line for its entire six year life is the iconic white earphone set that comes in the box.

They’re not absolute dreck, but neither are they up to the hardware they come with. Merely adequate, there hasn’t been much improvement since 2001, save for the inline remote/mic built into the cord with the ones that come with iPhones. And hey, what about those foam things, huh? They don’t last long - if you can keep them at all, that is; I wonder what Apple was thinking including them in the box. Using them’s a clear mark of an iPod newbie.

It’s as if the earbuds were mere afterthoughts they threw in the box with the iPods and the iPhone; maybe they assumed it was an unnecessary effort and expense to give nice ones we could actually appreciate, spending all the R&D budget just on the hardware. But if they assumed that we’d dump them eventually in favor of better third party buds, it doesn’t make sense that they made it exasperatingly difficult for iPhone users to swap out the buds for better ones with the repressively off-sized audio port they built into the phone. I mean, WTH?

There are very few third-party buds with plugs that fit, and even rarer third-party iPhone-specific buds that have the same remote control/mic built into them (one of the better ones is the V-Moda Vibe Duo, but its bassy, in-ear noise-cancelling style isn’t for everyone; in fact, users have noted that it’s an unsettling experience to use these in-ears as a handsfree set for some reason.)

So to the rescue come enterprising companies that literally bridge the gap. Ranging from cheap to ridiculously expensive, the adaptors can be as plain as can be, or savvy enough to find a way to add a mic function to your existing third-party multimedia-ready buds.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

Received a ton of cases in the office for review in my magazine from Digital Walker. Here are some on my desk. Heck of a lot to go through, really. One a day?

Catch the reviews in the next issue of Mobile Philippines.

No, it isn’t really anything new. It’s the old Belkin Backup Battery Pack for iPod w/ Dock Connector. It has suction cups to attach to the back of the iPod, and the 4 AA penlights supply power to a weakened or battery-dead unit.

I have an old one lying around the house, and I’ve found it works for iPhones too.

I don’t know how long it’ll let the thing run without further testing, but I’ve determined that it does, apparently, work with iPhones as it does with iPods.

I let my iPhone run down, and then attached it. The usual warning appears that says the accessory isn’t meant to work with iPhones popped up, but I ignore it and tap no. Then the red battery indicator changes to plugged-in status (not necessarily charging) and pretty soon it’s fine again. (Like it does for iPods, it powers the iPhone but doesn’t charge it.)

There’s even a power level indicator so you know how the AAs are holding up. The thing attaches to the iPhone by two suction cups on the back, and it fits perfectly. The iPhone’s svelte no more, of course, and weighs three times as much, but it works. But all you’ll ever need are four AAs, and you’ll never be low batt ever again. Simple, easy to replace, relatively cheap and available everywhere. I will start bringing the device in my bag regularly, along with a coupla sets of penlights, and will be most excellent when I travel.

So you can provisionally add the Belkin Backup Battery Pack for iPod w/ Dock Connector to your short list of old iPod accessories compatible with the iPhone.

Will text it for longevity when I get a chance and report back to you. In the meantime if you see this in a sale bin somewhere, it’s going to be a good idea to pick it up.

From the Now-We’ve-Seen-Everything Department:

If you hate smudges on that beautiful iPhone or iPod Touch screen, some folk at the imaginatively named company Phone Fingers have come up with a latex solution.

Literally, these are latex finger sleeves that keep your multi-touch screen clean and sparkling despite heavy use. They come in black, in bags of 25, in small, medium, large and extra-large, and cost about 9.90 Euros.

If you can stand the riducule and vaguely fetishistic nature of the product, then by all means, get a set. Me, nothing a hankie can’t fix. Whatever you choose, live long and prosper.

I’ve been anxious about the chrome back of the iPod Touch I’m reviewing, as I’ve always been for all my iPods since 2001. Afraid of scratches and frustrated by the options available in my country as of now (none), I found a solution that might even be better and less expensive than anything that might turn up in the near future.

It’s called G-Mask.

It’s a local shop that attaches microns-thin protective/decorative film for all kinds of gadgets, with or without designs, using a Japanese technology that binds the film to the gadget. The material is sourced from the original GMask in Singapore that protects cellphones, iPods, PDAs and laptops from scratches, liquid spills, sweat and weather. They have trained people who attach the film by hand, sometimes taking hours to put it on, slick, bubble-free and durable (good for 5-7 years). It’s kinda expensive, but worth it.

I’ve had them put a matte black skin on my old 15-inch Albook before, and aside from protecting my Mac it made it look like a black MacBook Pro that turned heads in coffee shops. A year and some months later it’s still there and going strong.

I went to the Greenbelt 1 branch of G-Mask Professional in Makati and asked if they had clear covers, and they did. I had them do it only on the chrome back of the Touch (took less than half an hour; complicated items can take half a day) and it’s so well attached, I can’t believe there’s a protective skin on my iPod.

It costs PHP595 (US$12.50) for the back. A full front and back for an iPod should cost around PHP895 (US$19), but I like the multi-touch surface au naturel.

Less than PHP600 for a professionally attached, proven durable protective skin that’s hard to detect on the chrome is way cheaper than an expensive, imported one that you have to attach yourself and worry about alignment, bubbles, dust, fingerprints, doghair and all.

Good deal. MacADoodle Rating: 9/10 Apples.