iPod Shuffle

I love my new iPod Shuffle. It's super small and lightweight, which makes it perfect for working out. The problem is that one way or another I drop it, a lot. I know it has a clip but somehow it gets caught up in my clothes and ends up getting flung a few feet, leaving me to retrieve it, hoping it still works.

I don't know if you have this issue, but I am thinking about getting a Sport Cap for iPod Shuffle ($16). I already love wearing hats when working out because they keep me warm along with keeping my short hair out of my face. This cap not only has a spot for your 2nd generation iPod shuffle, but it also has a pocket so you can keep your wires out of the way too. If you don't love pink, it also comes in white and black. (Don't get freaked out by the pinwheel looking thing that says iPod on the cap, that's just the tag.)

After the release of the new Apple shuffle, which comes in hip new colors like periwinkle, turquoise, jade, product red and silver, most of us with 2nd Gen iPod shuffles wanted to trade in our old models for a freshly painted 3rd Gen color. After providing a solution for those with the 1st Gens, I decided to keep my eyes peeled for those of us with plain white 2nd Gen shuffles. Well I've found some pretty sleek color remix sleeves from Proporta which should do the trick. With a variety of colors to choose from, you can personalize and protect your shuffle in style—without having to fork out the cash for a new one! Priced around $9 each.

When I first shared a sneak peek at this faux shuffle that a friend of mine found in Korea most of you were mesmerized by its octagonal navigation and suspiciously familiar body shape and color. Some of you even wondered if the packaging for the fake shuffle was anything like the real Apple packaging. I was able to get my mittens on some additional pictures and the verdict is in: The creators of this noteworthy knock off may have focused on making the iClip.Se MP3 look just like the shuffle, but they went for more modern, iPhone-inspired packaging. (Note the plain black cardboard and the sleek plastic case.) Is it just me, or is this thing more entertaining the second time around?

Photos courtesy of chuger

Remember Molly's Dispatches From The Future (i.e. awesome diary from her trip to Hong Kong)? Well, consider this a Back 2 The Future part two moment. A friend of mine is in Korea for work and managed to snap us a picture of this fantastic faux iPod shuffle, which provides us a tiny window into the Korean iPod Black market. Oh. I love it so. It doesn't look as authentic as the ones Cult of Mac's Pete found in San Francisco's Chinatown, but its octagonal navigational bar gives it a fun twist and a fair chance should a copyright lawsuit ever come up. ("No, your honor, it was inspired by the Apple shuffle, but it's completely different, see the octagon? It looks nothing like the Apple wheel!") No word on whether it comes in light green or purple. I've spent the last five minutes trying to make out the other MP3 player copy cats in the background. Yeah, I'm just geeky like that.

Thanks, Chuger!

With so much attention being directed to the 2nd Gen Shuffle, especially now with all the new colors that were released this week, I couldn't help but post these stylish wrappers for those who are still rockin' the 1st Gen Shuffle. The poptune wrappers from Everything iPod Plus come in a pack of of 12 designs and will keep your Shuffle covered and protected. Priced at $20 each.

Forget the Mac cupcakes, I need a new nano! Steve Jobs is making his big announcements about upcoming Apple products at San Francisco's Moscone Center as I type. Engadget is blogging live if you want to check out a full transcript, but the first major announcements are a new lineup of shuffle colors, which will be available in time for the holidays, a PRODUCT (RED) nano, new nano with video capabilities and a new 160GB iPod, which is smaller than the original iPod and puts 40k songs in your pocket.

"We are adding a RED shuffle — if you want to do something about these diseases in Africa," Engadget quotes Steve Jobs as saying. "Same 1GB of storage, $79, shipping today, available shortly. Now let's move on to something more substantial, the iPod nano. It's incredibly tiny, this is the new nano, it's incredibly thin. It's REALLY nice." The new nano will come in what Jobs calls "beautiful colors," have a larger 2-inch screen and will play video. The new iPod will come in 80 and 160 GB, and will cost $250 and $350 respectively. Apple will also release 8GB and 16GB iPod Touch devices, which are much like the iPhone.

All images from Engadget. Check out their coverage for the full scoop.

I honestly thought that the days of lasering your gadgets were over — primarily because I haven't seen many tattoo lasered laptops recently and because there are so many unique cases. Plus, I find it hard to justify permanently scratching-up your beloved gadgets.

But when I saw this shuffle on Chip Chick, I actually thought it was kinda cute! Epilog laser machines can engrave custom artwork like this on 2G shuffles and on iPhones. Want to engrave your shuffle for free? The online Apple Store offers free personalized laser-engraved text on new iPods.