Some people have become suspicious with the iPod, a little device know one knew about before but all of a sudden has widespread support and success. This has some people wondering what would happen with their personal information on these devices, believing that the little chip inside of the iPod may impose on their privacy. The iPod is powered by a small piece of silicon called the Portal Player System-on-chip, the chip handles every piece of information and function for the device. Apple then introduced a clock function into the iPod and encouraged people to enter their personal data into the iPod. However, some people believe entering your personal information into an iPod could be an invasion of your privacy.

XtremeMac has some blasting news for the Nano. They've brought out MicroBlast Speakers, a speaker set specifically for the iPod. Think of it as an attachment that could easily turn your Nano into a portable mini-component. The sound quality is nice and decent, more so, the speakers come with reversible cases in case you want to play with a black casing for your black iPod Nano, or a white casing for your white one.

More than the speakers, XtremeMac was kind enough to even provide hardcasing, for those days when you have to lug it around with you. Compact, light, portable, and very useful, XtremeMac's new product will definitely turn your iPod Nano into a boombox.

If you are one of those people who have to have their iPod with them at all times - if in fact the only time you pry yourself away from it is to take a shower - now you don't have to.

At Skymall.com they are selling a shower radio dock for your iPod or MP3 player. This waterproof docking station will allow you to listen to your audio library while providing you with a fog free mirror, light, AM/FM radio, built in stereo amplifier with a speaker. Plus it has a pullout stand for use outside the shower.

 

The dock is a bit on the large size, measuring in at 8"X 2"x10", but is easily mounted on the wall or from a hanging strap. It's powered by 4 AA batteries.

Yes, you heard me correctly, for Woot.com have listed the SX2000 speaker system for iPods at an amazing $69+$5 shipping. This is a great reduction on the usual price which is in the region of $130. These speakers work on the basis of vibration of the main plastic diaphragm. I've seen these in the shops, and not only are they slimline and very smart, but they do sound pretty good too. This said, they aren't good when played loudly or with heavy base, that type of music should be used with component systems. Otherwise, for most of us who want a small desktop system, this will go well with your iPod.

The system includes the following features:

• NXT SurfaceSound bidirectional loudspeaker technology delivers remarkable sound from both the front and back of the speaker unit.
• Produces superior frequency response (better highs and lows) at higher volumes than similar speaker systems.
• Fits almost anywhereÂ?Just 16.2Â? wide, 7.2Â? tall and only 3.9Â? deep.
• Plays audio from other MP3 players, computers, etc.
• Recharges your iPod or iPod mini while playing
• Easy-access buttons control your iPodÂ?s power on/off and volume up/down.
• Â?Made for iPodÂ? design looks great with your iPod and in your space.
• Built-in Universal Dock for iPod

All this for this price, not a bargain to be missed, even if you dont like them, theres still room for gifts.

WaterField has come out with the first iPod Hi-Fi Speaker travel Case.

The case comes with many great features:

• impact-resistant plastic plate to protect front grill and the speakers
• strong nylon shoulder strap for easier carrying
• case is made of ballistic nylon and high density foam for better overall protection
• has 5 exterior pockets to carry your accessories
• a fold back flap for easy accessibility

The case runs at $149 and comes in only one size (19.5Â? x 8.0Â? x 8.0Â?). And it weighs in at a light 1.7 pounds.

 

Kenpo has brought style to tech with their new iPod jacket, MacMove.com has provided a great indepth review of this product that features built in iPod controls.

This lightweight water proof jacket is perfect for the on the go ear candy junkie. It has been specially designed to meet the every need of the iPod user with specially designed pockets to fit the iPod to a special track for your iPod's head phones. The jacket comes in four styles including a hooded version and is compatible with all iPod versions except the iPod Shuffle.

"How do you control it?" you ask. Simple: this jacket has a specially designed system that keeps your iPod in hold mode when you arenÂ?t listening to it. The controller is on the outside of the left forearm."

The jacket is machine washable so if you spill your drink on your self or get tackled by that foot ball player walking across campus you can simply "unsnap the ribbon connector from inside the jacket" Seth noted, and toss it in your washing machine or hand it off to the dry cleaner.

MacMove has Detailed Five things you need to know:

 

- The jacket has several zipper pockets on the sides and underneath the forearms which are perfect for the other junk you need to carry. Because they zip, none of your crap will fall out. ItÂ?s a nice detail.

- The designed inside pocket for your iPod has just the perfect amount of room for an iPod andÂ?most importantlyÂ?a skin. I used this jacket with my iPod photo. Even though I had to take my belt clip off, my ipod and skin fit perfectly inside the pocket.

- The jacket does not come with a hood. So I put on my hooded sweatshirt and then the Kenpo jacket over my hoodie. Happy to say that the jacket still fit comfortably.

- The jacketÂ?s controls do not include a menu key, so make sure you are in the proper playlist or willing to listen in shuffle song mode before putting your ipod into the jacket.

- A newer model could be made to accommodate a ladyÂ?s figure. This jacket is clearly for a man with a tall build and long arms. Fashion-wise, it looks great, a lot like a North Face fleece which instantly makes anybody cool.

Now I'm all up for modding and weird changes that can be made to PC's and Macs, however they have to be practical. In this sense I feel this person failed. I was trawling through the blog section down at Yahoo Technology News which pointed to a projects piece based on the Mac website.

Now it seems that certain individual has attempted to make himself a fully fledged Media Centre, Mac Style. He's done this by using some very random bits of equipment and material including 8 Apple speakers and a Subwoofer, a toilet roll, an iSight and an IR port. This has all been cocooned in a wooden box covered in varnished ply, all of which wont do wonders for his cooling. He's succeeded at making something at which we should take note of, however I do wonder why this guy turned a perfectly portable unit into something, where the furthest its going to travel is in the back of the removal van when he moves home.

Either way take a look at it, and make sure that check out the rest of the projects based on the site:

OK well I'll admit it, I go through headphones like Homer goes through doughnuts, but this is by admission of choice and upgrades and not faults and breakage. I feel its appropriate to make you aware of the best sounding headphones, because lets face it, theres so many of them people don't have the luxury of trying each of them and understanding the specs that manufacturers offer. Read on and I'll explain some of my favorite earphones.

OK, so whats the difference between earphones and headphones. Simple think about its logic, headphones fit on your head, whereas earphones fit in your ear. In this article I'll discuss normal in ear earphones, and in the future I'll move onto headphones. Now, I've got a music background, we have a small recording studio in the family. You maybe thinking how does this help? Well it allows me to test the units on uncompressed music, and it also means that the equipment we use must always be the best. In order to make great sounding music, its is important to test it on various sound outlets.

With normal in ear earphones, the likely hood is you are going to be using them with a portable device, maybe an iPod or similar. It is important that your earphones work well to any genre and sound level. If you use something like EuPod then increasing sound levels are important to your quality, because you will find your unit can handle quite loud volumes but your factory spec earphones wont.

Most earphones work via the vibration of a tiny plastic bubble inside the units, mostly seen in the iPod Ear buds. However higher quality earphones work via magnets, apart from providing loud bass and less distortion, there is a better clarity between sound levels and bass/treble. Read on and I'll go through the review process of 3 top earphones.

There are some of us who Apple have kindly forgotten about when concerning recent updates. Its a shame how they forgotten about their most loyal and long term customers, but hey what you gonna do about it? This is what - EuPod. Now this works in the same sort of way as the official Apple version, however this works with any of the older models, plus it has other features such as number display for the battery, backup, encryption and also network sharing of the iPod.

Good thing about this is its free, and as a very long user of this, I can safely say it worked for me. It allows the volume to be pushed up to 180% and on my 40GB 4th Gen the battery life on full volume is still well over 6 hours. I'll write a feature on headphones to compliment this volume increase, and if you pick your pair wisely, you will see there is no distortion in the sound. Oh, and finally, if you so wish, you can donate a few bucks to the maker, who will then invest that in a nice cold Larger.

*Note* USA models are unaffected by the volume ban therefore this programme is intended for use by European models, also it only works with units upto 4G, after that you should use the official release by apple*

Most of us tend to use our iPod  like an F1 car wherein we play our music for more than three rounds. You know, iPods have a life span too! It is but an iPod's right to get a bit of rest from your daily music trippings.  And the best pit stop for your iPod is in M-Infotec's new toy called the iFusion. iFusion is your iPod pit stop on the go. It has a dock that could charge your iPod and keep it running for 12 hours. It also has speakers so you can give your ears some rest and let iFusion play your sounds for you. It's great for those picnics and you don't really need to bring those boomboxes and tapes to play some sounds. iFusion serves as your portable boom box at the same pit stop for those moments when your batteries are low. The iFusion has its own internal rechargeable batteries.. The lovely thing about iFusion is its portability. At 1.2 KG, it's relatively light if you want to bring it to those lovely afternoon picnics.