REVIEWS: The Ultimate Accessory Guide for the iPod Mini

If you are an iPod customer, you most likely have purchased at least one accessory for it so far. Here is our guide on the ultimate --and useful-- accessories one can get today for the iPod Mini. Special thanks to Geeks.com for providing most of the accessories discussed below. Updated: One more item review added at the bottom of the story.

1. iDock Charging Cradle for iPod and iPod Mini

Here you are, the most affordable dock for iPods found on the net. For less than $10, this cradle offers you both a Firewire and USB ports, and a proper Line-Out which allows you to connect the iPod to an amplifier that supports big & better speakers (the iPod Mini does not support a powered Line-Out but only a headphone-out, so when you connect it to an amplifier its output is not very loud). The cradle supports most earlier generation iPods as well as the Mini and it comes with a small soft pad in order to securely fit the Mini or the 20GB iPod on its base. It is solid and heavy which will give you an ease of mind as the iPod sits on a safer 'ground' when it's connected to it. The iDock also comes with a USB 2.0 cable and an IEEE 1394 Firewire cable just in case you lost your iPod's original cables. Syncing and charging went fine using the iDock and in fact, when charging the iPod a small red light is lit to indicate the charging. It is a nice little touch for an overall fine and affordable product.

Overall: 10/10

2. iSafe Hard Case for iPod Mini

Hard-drive based mp3 players can be more vulnerable to drops than flash-based ones so having a good protective case for them is a must. This $5 hard case protected our iPod Mini very well even after a test drop from about 1 meter to the ground. The metal case uses a glassy protection for the LCD screen, it has a complete opening for the wheel, and one more for the connectors above and below the iPod Mini. It also comes with a swivel belt clip for those who wear belts (you will have to learn the trick on how to put the clip on and off of the case though, it is a bit like a puzzle the first few times). The only problem I could mention is that when you put the iPod in it, its closing mechanism doesn't feel locked (although it has never opened by itself on all the months we've used it).

Overall: 8/10

3. iPod Compatible 3.5mm M to Two 3.5mm F Stereo Cable

Consider this scenario: two kids on the back of your car, one mp3 player. This can easily lead to... chaos. Or, you simply would like to share "your song" with your loved one while under the moonlight. How do you do that? Simply, just use a 3.5mm headphone cable splitter. For just $3 you get a 7" cable that does this job just fine and let's two different people use the headphones of their choice. Additionally, the cable can be used to connect to multiple external devices, like a HiFi system or two Line-In of two different computers. We did not notice any sound quality drops by using the splitter.

Overall: 10/10

4. iCover for iPod Mini w/Arm Band

Are you doing sports? Then you definitely need an arm band for your mp3 player. And this one is a bargain at $6.50. The product comes with an armband and a case for the iPod Mini. The case can be used together with the armband, or without. The case has belt holes that can be used with a normal belt too, while it also has a small hole for a lanyard/wrist-wrap. The case is soft, made by silicone, and it provides easy access to the connectors, click wheel and it has a see-through plastic opening for the LCD screen. The arm band uses velcro to fit any size of an adult's arm and it stays put when jogging.

Overall: 10/10

5. Audio-Mate Bluetooth Stereo Headset w/Transmitter

The future of short-range audio lies with Bluetooth. More and more devices (especially phones) now support the A2DP profile, which allows for stereo audio playback via Bluetooth (instead of the voice-only mono support that most phones had so far). If your device does not support Bluetooth or the A2DP profile (like in the case of the iPod), you are in luck with the Audio-Mate. The Audio-Mate comes with its own Class 2 transmitter. You can charge the transmiter via USB or via its power supply and then place its 3.5mm audio connector to iPod's headphone jack or to the iDock's Line-Out. Then, you turn ON the Bluetooth-enabled Audio-Mate headphones and you will start to immediately receive audio playback. The headphones feature an on/off button and a volume control wheel and they operate on two AA batteries, which is good for about 6 hours of playback. That's not a great battery life compared to the 12-16 hours of the iPod, but the wireless aspect of this makes us forgive that. The headphones were good for up to 10 meters away on a line of sight, but we were losing the signal when moving to different rooms in the house (a house with wooden walls), even if we were as close as 5 meters from the transmitter. Quality of the headphones is acceptable but not as good as some cheaper (wired) Sony headphones. The headphones also work without the usage of its included transmitter, through the A2DP profile, but I think its implementation of the protocol is very buggy, because it did not work with any of the 3 A2DP-capable devices I have here (a Windows PC, a Pocket PC with an updated Windcomm Bluetooth stack and the Linux E680i smartphone which was advertising its A2DP support pretty heavily). The headphones would connect to the devices for about 1 second, hear music for about that much time, and then they would disconnect. Obviously, Audio-Mate is not 100% compatible with the spec (the A2DP spec is not so standard as Toshiba is trying to push the A2DP profile to different directions that others would like to in the Bluetooth committee, so the spec is in a mess right now with corporations fighting over it). On the other hand, the HSP (Headset profile) and HFP (Hand-Free profile) worked fine with the Sony Ericsson K700i and Motorola e398 phones we tried it with. When you are called, the music stops and you hear the ring tone instead. Pressing the volume wheel will answer the phone and pressing it back will end the call. The headphones include a microphone so you can directly speak when on a call. In conclusion, when the headphones are used with its own transmitter or with the HSP/HFP profiles, they work reliably. When they are used with any third party A2DP-capable device, they are not. If you would like to have on-the-go wireless support for your iPod Mini (e.g. if your iPod is in your bag, if you need to do some work in the house that might be dangerous for the iPod or if the iPod is on the storage compartment above you on a train/bus/plane) use velcro to attach the wireless transmitter on the back of your iPod. This works wonders because both devices have almost the same size and it doesn't make the iPod Mini look too weird or too uneven.

Overall: 7/10

6. Firewire Car Adapter Charger

If you happen to travel a lot with your car for business, the 12-16 hours of the iPod's battery life won't be enough. Taking with you docks or power chargers can add to the bulk of your luggage too. A much better solution would be to use a car charger. The one I used receives as input a Firewire cable (like the one that comes with any iPod) and the other side connects to your iPod. You plug the car charger adapter to your car's cigarette lighter and off you go!

Overall: 10/10

7. Silicone Case for iPod Mini (Camouflage)

Best, case, ever! This great-looking case is not only attractive to the eyes, but it also sports a very practical design and it feels good in the hand. It has a "cut" on the back of the iPod so you can temporarily remove its bottom part in order for the iPod Mini to fit on the cradle! How thoughtful. The case also features a neckstrap hole to hung the iPod around your neck, while construction is solid enough to protect the player in case of a drop.

Overall: 10/10