accessories

How do I justify all the time I spend on Etsy, the sophisticated and simply brilliant marketplace for hand-crafted goods? If I didn't visit Etsy every day, I wouldn't be able to report back to you on the best shops for buying custom tech goodies. (I'm also certain that my Etsy obsession makes me a better gift giver. Friends and family, if this is not true, please keep it to yourselves.)

Without further ado, my favorite Etsy shops for iPod cozies, laptop wallets, and the like:

iPod Crafts The name says it all. This store sells simple, … Read more

Despite the dream of an "ultimate handheld," it's really hard to get down to fewer than two portable devices. A Treo may do it all, but you still want an iPod; an iPhone is great, but you still need a BlackBerry for work; you like to listen to your iPod while playing your PSP or DS; and so on. Even those who do manage to get down to one super smart phone often have a Bluetooth headset to go along with it. And traveling with two devices means taking two power adapters along. Or at least it did--until the Belkin Dual USB Power Adapter came along. … Read more

When we reviewed the Logitech Alto earlier this year, we loved its design, which combined a notebook riser, keyboard, and three high-speed USB ports into a single workstation that could fold up when not in use. But we didn't like how the all-in-one design kept the keyboard at a fixed distance from the display--not ideal from an ergonomic standpoint. Clearly, the company took our feedback seriously, because today they've announced the Alto Cordless Notebook Stand. As the name implies, this new version of the product features a detachable keyboard that lets you vary the distance from the keyboard … Read more

In conjunction with the Canon EOS 40D and 1Ds Mark III announcements, Canon also let loose with some new lenses and accessories.

At the high end, intimidating all the other lenses, sits the EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, a $2,199 prime lens optimized for use with the 1Ds Mark III. Among other things, it's got improved dust-proofing and weatherproofing around the lens mount, and a round aperture (for a more natural depth-of-field blur). Canon says it's sharper than the original in the corners as well as the center, and that the increase to two aspherical … Read more

The Monster iSlimCharger USB charger for the Apple iPod Shuffle is so small and cute that I'm having difficulties restraining myself from digressing into cuteoverload speak.

The itty, bitty charger is about three quarters of the size of the Shuffle itself and plugs into the player's only port (the 3.5mm headphone jack) to allow for syncing and charging through any standard USB connection.

Props to Monster for pricing the accessory at a reasonable $14.95.

Fumbling around with your iPod while it's in your pocket or engaging with it full-force may be getting old, especially when you're in the middle of a triathlon. Timex aims to fix that by putting basic iPod controls on its new iControl Ironman watch.

The new watch includes a dongle that attaches to the iPod or iPhone connector, allowing users to play, pause, navigate forward and backward, and turn up the volume remotely from their wrists.

Both Engadget and Gizmodo already have some hands-on experience with the watch, which lists for $125.

Although buying info for the watch … Read more

Add one more item to the list of upscale iPod accessories. The Monster Wireless Audio Bridge for iPod effectively turns the Apple music player into a remote control, using a small snap-on dongle to wirelessly transmit the audio stream from the player to the base station, which in turn attaches to your home stereo. The base station boasts a modernist Bang & Olufsen-style design, and Monster pledges that the proprietary 2.4GHz wireless system works at ranges up to 30 feet. If the Wireless Audio Bridge concept sounds familiar, it's because it's very similar to Belkin's TuneStage products, … Read more

This morning I saw a man with an iPhone run the San Francisco Marathon. I was using my trusty iPod Nano with the Nike+ feature instead. There was something about the iPhone that wouldn't allow me to even bring the iPhone to the race. I wouldn't check it in with my sweats, much less wear it on my arm as I run 13+ miles. I would fear losing it or breaking it. So, I went without phone - which caused me to miss one of my friends at the finish line.

This leads me to think that this … Read more

Sony's taken the wraps off two more iPod-compatible home audio products: the ICF-C1iP clock radio, and the ZS-S2iP boom box. The ICF-C1iP clock radio is available in black or white and offers an adjustable backstop for accommodating various sizes of 'Pods in the built-in dock. Otherwise, it's a pretty standard feature set for the clock radio category--adjustable brightness control; AM/FM radio; wake to iPod, radio, or alarm; and wireless remote. Personally, i think the clock's digital display--along the bottom of the iPod dock--seems like it would be too easily obscured, but maybe I just have too many books on my nightstand. … Read more