Armbands and cases

The Sony PSP is a gaming system first and a media player second. The iPhone and iPod Touch are the other way around: media players first and gaming systems second...or third, or fourth. (And, yes, I say that the iPhone is a media player before a cell phone.) Regardless of what they are, there's no reason not to take full advantage of a device's secondary features. Enter the Marware Game Grip, a $50 case for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Now, if you're thinking that $50 is a bit over the top for a silicone device … Read more

The battery built into the Apple iPod Touch can last up to 23 hours if you're just listening to music--but who uses a Touch just for music? Watching movies, playing games, streaming radio, and browsing the Web can quickly zap your iPod's battery. Anyone who's been stuck in the middle of nowhere with a useless, dead iPod has had to learn this lesson the hard way.

If you need enough power to make it over the long haul, the Mophie Juice Pack is an external rechargeable battery that doubles the battery life of the iPod Touch. Unfortunately, … Read more

The third-generation iPod Nano is pretty and entertaining all on its own, but there are plenty of accessories out there to make it even more stylish, fun, and personal. The first step is to replace those stock Apple earbuds--they're not doing you any favors. A good place to start is with CNET's Best 5 headphones. Once your music is pumping through some comfortable, quality earphones, check out this roundup of skins, speakers, cases, and more, most of which are made specifically with the Nano in mind.

The Apple iPod Classic is one of the world's most popular MP3 players and for good reason: it's nicely designed, easy to use, and has at least 80GB of hard drive memory that you can cram with content (which is readily available from the iTunes Music Store).

This slick device will keep you plenty entertained for sure, but you'll soon realize there's a lot more fun to be had if you move beyond the confines of what comes in the box. For one thing, those stock Apple earbuds aren't doing you any favors. The first … Read more

So, you've managed to get your hands on one of the world's most popular MP3 players, the Apple iPod Shuffle. Accessorizing the littlest of iPods presents a special challenge because it doesn't share the same dock connector as its larger siblings. But that doesn't mean it should be left out in the cold, sad and caseless. To that end, I've rounded up a handful of that will work perfectly with both the second- and third-generation Shuffles. Check 'em out.

Anyone who has ever shopped for an iPod speaker knows that there is no shortage of models from which to choose; options range from extra-deluxe party speakers to the gadgets smaller than a pack of gum. Heck, you can even get a case with a speaker built right in: the iMainGo 2. This follow-up to Portable Sound Laboratories' popular iMainGo offers the same compact, innovative design and affordable price tag ($39.99), but includes upgraded titanium speakers as well as fit tweaks that allow it to be used with a greater number of MP3 players. It's a great choice … Read more

As weird as this may seem--and make no mistake, it is weird--it will probably be appreciated by anyone whose pockets have been weighed down, or worn through, by too many gadgets. The "FreeHand" is a pouch that can be worn like a fingerless glove, a "flexible mesh pocket" that can stow everything from keys to a mobile phone.

Coolest-Gadgets says it looks like an RSI brace, though we think it could pass for a high-tech bowling glove. Either way, it gets dangerously close to date-repellant territory. Unless you can convince people that you're slowly morphing … Read more

We're starting to get a little worried about the folks over at Oakley. Maybe we should have been tipped off when they started adding camouflage gear to their line of MP3 sunglasses, just one example of what seems to be a direction with a distinctly survivalist bent.

Following its bizarre post-apocalyptic headgear, the company has now come out with an industrial-strength rubberized iPhone case that looks perfectly appropriate for the Mad Max generation, as seen on CrunchGear.

As is often the case with Oakley's offerings of late, information is little to none on this item--we suspect that they … Read more

Standard black laptop cases: boring. Fancy laptop cases: expensive. Sewing your own laptop/iPod case: Probably totally inconvenient, but in the end perhaps rewarding--if, that is, you like bobbins and seam rippers, or even know what they are.

Still not convinced? You probably can't buy a laptop case in crazy tattoo-inspired fabric (see below), but you could make one. And because this is a family friendly-ish blog, you'll have to click through to some of the other, ahem, interesting fabrics you could pick. Of course, sewing your own will require a few hours of precious time and owning … Read more