Smart Apple iPod Tips and Techniques

Are you thinking of buying an Apple iPod? Or have you bought one?

Almost everyone and anyone that I know seems to have bought an iPod or at least is thinking of getting an ipod for themselves or their loved ones. The iPod is just so alluring! However, do you know what you should do after buying the iPod?

Most people don't. Yet, market analysts estimate that the average iPod owner spend as much as 30% of the original iPod price on additional accessories! That's a whopping US$60-US$90 on iPod accessories that each iPod owner will spend!

Many people are simply spending their money on the wrong accessories! In fact, many are going for fancy accessories such as car transceiver kit, wireless remote kit, speaker kit even without realizing what are the first accessories they should get.

Get the Basic iPod Accessory before getting the Fancy Stuff!

Do you, as a iPod user, faces these problems on a daily basis too?

* iPod Screen scratches
* Click wheel scratches
* Mirrored back scratches
* Messy iPod earphone cables
* iPod overheating when being charged while in a silicone or leather case

Despite the technical and cosmetic superiority of the Apple iPod, there remain some teething issues. Weak batteries is one. Being easily scratched is another. These problems immediately lower the resale or trade-in value of the iPod, if any? This may not seem important but if you are trading in your older iPod for a new one, this does matter. It also sucks to see scratches and marks on the beautiful iPod. In fact, microscopic scratches takes place everytime you take the iPod in and out of pocket!

Get a good-quality iPod case before ANYTHING ELSE!

There are numerous iPod accessories out there. Many accessories are fanciful, some are good but most do not fulfil the basic need of the iPod. You need to protect the iPod from getting scratches and accidental marks before anything else.

Before the iPod can serve you well, it must be able to take care of itself. So, before you even look further into getting your first iPod accessory or even if you have gotten numerous other accessories, make sure you first equip your iPod with either a good quality case or sleeve.

The most common iPod cases in use are:

Handphone sleeves converted to iPod sleeves

This is the most common as handphone sleeves are cheap and easily available. However, the mirrored back of the 3G and 4G ipod are easily scratched by theses sleeves as they run against the iPod. It is not recommended unless you have a budget problem.

iPod screen and wheel sticky protectors

There are transparent iPod screen and wheel sticky protector that are cut of the right size and stucked directly onto the iPod screen and wheel. However, there are various models in the market and some of the cheaper ones tend to curl and peel off after some use. If you are on a budget, a good quality screen and wheel protector is the minimum you should have.

iPod silicone skin

This is the most common iPod case around. It looks like a good casing choice but it is in fact one of the worst, especially if you have bought a cheap one.

These cheap silicone cases are being mass-produced in China with doubtful materials and design elements. Many of the cheap silicone skins in the market tear easily and pick up lint and dirt easily. They are also difficult to wash and maintain. I will not advise a silicone case unless they are made by some of the better and branded products from USA or Japan. A good model is found at: http://www.smart-ipod-ideas.com

iPod Leather case

The iPod leather case is one of the most popular case. However, do not get the Apple branded one if possible as it tears to scratched the mirror back and it does not have a covering flap. Get one of the leather cases from the many in the market. Check the stitching on the leather case before buying one as some of the mass-manufactured ones may have poor workmanship.

Water and shock resistant cases

There is an increasing demand for such cases as more and more people bring their iPod for hiking, cycling, trekking, fishing and beach trips. There are various good brands in the market. However, note that whatever the advertisement may say, at best, the case can only be water resistant and not water proof which is two different things all together. A water resistant case can only take splashes and short immersion in water and certainly not something you can bring for swimming or diving trips!

For recommeded iPod cases and more useful iPod advice, please visit tha author's website.

Katherine Xie is an avid iPod user. She owns 4 iPods starting from the 2G model. She gives iPod advice and recommends quality iPod accessories on her site at: http://www.smart-ipod-ideas.com Please feel free to distribute this article as long as mention is made of her website.

---

5 Ways to Speed Up Your PC

No matter how fast your processor and regardless of how... Read More

10 Easy Steps to Speed Up Your Computer - Without Upgrading

1. Empty the Temp directory regularly. To do this, make... Read More

Is Online DVD Rental or Pay-Per-View the Best Way to Get Your Movies?

With renting methods such as online DVD rental and pay-per-view,... Read More

Are You Putting Off Productivity?

I recently took a good look at what was keeping... Read More

2 PC Annoyances and How To Solve Them!

I have a love-hate relationship with my computer.In fact, often... Read More

Cut Through the Hype and Make the Right Digital Camera Comparisons

There are soooo many choices. With all the styles and... Read More

Dynamite Comes in Small Packages - Tiny Personal Audio MP3 Players Pack Powerful Music Enjoyment

MP3 players are Hot! Playing music has come a long... Read More

Apache, MySQL & PHP for Windows

Apache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice... Read More

JVCs First Three-Layer Combo-Disc Blu-Ray / DVD

JVC developed and used a high-performance reflective film to produce... Read More

Help, I Need a New HDTV! (Part 2 of 5)

Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More

Freezing - Time To Warm Up Your PC

Freezing is also known as crashing or hanging. It's frustrating.... Read More

Quick System Restore with ASR Backups

ASR (Automated System Recovery) is a feature available on the... Read More

Be Your Own IT Department

If you use a computer, you need to know more... Read More

15 Good Programming Habits

1. Before sitting down for coding, you must have formal... Read More

Repairing A Corrupt .RAR/.ZIP Archive

Step 1:Open WinRAR and browse to the folder with your... Read More

Image Formats: GIF, JPEG, BMP

When browsing the internet you are likely to come across... Read More

Registry Tools Demystified

Not sure what Windows registry is or how it works?... Read More

What Has A Portable MP3 Player Have To Do With Your Business

Plenty! When we made the decision to be our own... Read More

Selecting the Perfect Big Screen TV

Selecting a TV isn't as easy as it used to... Read More

Bluetooth Technology: Tips for Buying Headsets or Headphones

The technological horizon has always got something new to offer,... Read More

Portable DVD Players - Things To Know

In my humble opinion nothing makes a long trip easier... Read More

Got Virus?

GOT VIRUS? Your Data is NOT lost forever!In the wake... Read More

Passwords and the Human Factor

Passwords have a strange dual nature. The stronger and safer... Read More

Lives With Games Tradition and Industry

The United States Of America citizen feels that games is... Read More

How to Set Up Simple File Sharing WinXP

The first step is: Start > My DocumentsSo you have... Read More

Seven Things to Consider When Choosing a PDA

In the early days, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) were not... Read More

How to Use SQLXML to Retrieve Data from SQL Server Database?

Using SQL Server 2000 and above versions you can retrieve... Read More

Best PC Pocket GPS

Stop Getting LostOne of the greatest uses for a pocket... Read More

Why Using an Ad Blocker Can be a Bad Idea

Ad Blocking is getting to be a common sport on... Read More

Choosing a Portable MP3 Player: Part 1

MP3 players are everywhere! It seems that the number of... Read More

The Help Desk

When you think of a help desk, what do you... Read More

How to Save an Image in a SQL Server Database?

Most of the web applications have a lot of images... Read More

5 Steps to Removing PC Clutter

It's hard enough as it is these days to get... Read More