AAUG Reviews

By Gary Miller, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

Power Support makes awesome products, and this new Silicone Jacket Set is so tactile, and well made, fits perfectly. When you open up the black box from Power Support, you immediately feel the high quality of their silicone jacket, and how easy it slips onto your iPod. But since it doesn’t cover the screen or click wheel, they include their 3D wheel film for the click wheel that fits perfectly and crystal film for the screen. To make sure you know how to install it, they have a user friendly video on their website to assist you! This company invented the silicone jacket for iPods in 2001. They make this same jacket for the iPod Nano too. And many other silicone jackets for other models, look on their website.

If you value medical grade silicone from a company that won’t use bad polymers, like a soft to the touch feel, and that dissipates heat quickly, this is for you. I love it.

By Benjamin Kerosky, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

The Cord Gatherer from Power Support (retail price: $10), is well named. It is kind of like a short, coiled, telephone cord (but much thinner), with a clip on each end. The idea is that you loop your iPod headphones through the cord gatherer a couple times, and all the cable clutter that used to hang from your ears to wherever you store your iPod is now one elegant, beautiful, properly shortened cable. It works exactly as advertised, but with a fair amount of setup required.

Upon first looking at the box, you might get depressed as you realize virtually all the words on the packaging are in Japanese. There are pictures on the package though - and they will give you hope. I actually had to jump on their website to get more detailed directions (and larger pictures). With those, the assembly was easy to moderate, and it took about 10 minutes, which may or may not be a lot for a device that serves such a simple purpose (though I can’t think of a way to make it easier). Once assembled, it is a matter of about 30 seconds to shorten or lengthen the headphones/gatherer assembly. When I first put mine together, I found the cord was bit too short to keep my shuffle in my pocket, and had to lengthen it a bit.

Overall, I’ve been pretty happy with the Cord Gatherer. It’s elegant, white (it matches the Apple earbud headphones), simple, and inexpensive. (more…)

By Gary Miller, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

Belkin is a company that sets the pace, and their line of iPod accessories continues to expand. Enter the new Flip Case, a flip phone like leather case that works well to keep your iPod protected, and yet accessible for your use. I found the screen protection cut out not quite perfect, so I had to move it to see if the arrow/cursor on the iPod in play mode. It has a great way to hold down the cover, and the dock connector easily connects. The leather case comes in white or black. You can also find this case for iPod Nano’s.

I liked that it stores your earbuds, has a plastic cover for the screen ( wish it also had one for the click wheel ), fits very well, and has a lifetime warranty. What else gets a lifetime warranty is this age of throw away everything… Belkin knows we want a company to stand behind what it makes, and they do. Dealing with them is easy, I appreciate that!

well made, lifetime warranty, fits well, get one!

By Gary Miller, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

To match the simple design of the new Video iPod comes Power Supports’ beautiful Kimono jacket from Kyoto, Japan. Imagine cotton fabric from a kimono, in red, purple, or blue/green variations, and leather trimmed cut outs for the click wheel and screen. With the top open for easy access for your headphones or earbuds, and a snap closure with matching tasse and the bottom allowing you to easily take out your iPod.

This product easily shows the hand workmanship done in Japan versus so many of the poorer ones in other countries. Power Support is importing these beauties, but not manufacturing them, thus they don’t include a cover for the screen area or click wheel. I wish they did, for I found that dust, and scratches still happened with the Kimono. They said you could maybe use of their add’l ‘film sets’ to cover those parts. The Kimono jacket’s are also made for iPod Nano’s.

I used my Griffin FM transmitter easily, and liked the great feel and touch of the case, fits perfectly in my hands. Whenever I took it places, people marveled at it’s beauty. I think you’ll enjoy it very much. Power Support is a high quality company, and says they will start importing other new products from this Japanese company. Enjoy it!

By Devon Peake, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

The TuneBuds by Griffin Technology are an excellent addition to my iPod Shuffle accessory collection. I first saw this combination lanyard/earbud option for the iPod nano shortly after it was released, and I wished I could buy them for one of my current iPods. Although at the time they were not available for other iPods, it didn’t take Griffin Technology very long before they released the TuneBuds for the shuffle. I tend to use my shuffle the most when I’m listening to music at work, since it is small and I can tuck it away in a shirt pocket or under a sweater. At first I was a little worried that the shuffle would be easily pulled away from the TuneBuds USB connector, but it is a secure fit, and takes deliberate effort to disconnect.

I also thought that perhaps the sound quality from the TuneBuds would be lacking - I was wrong! The sound quality, in my opinion, is just as good if not better, than the regular Apple iPod earbuds. I was pleasantly surprised. I do like the sound from the earbuds that are included with any iPod, but the cord always seems too long, and is easily tangled. With the TuneBuds, the actual cords for the earbuds are much shorter, since they are incorporated with the lanyard. The Griffin earbuds themselves have basically the same shape and feel as the Apple earbuds. In addition, the Griffin earbuds stay neat around my neck, are easy to access, and are out of the way when I’m not listening to tunes. I would recommend these to anyone who owns a Shuffle - I’ll be purchasing more as gifts! - and I hope to see more combination lanyard/earbud accessories for the other iPod models.

By Ronald Schoedel, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

Griffin’s Rocket FM is an FM transmitter that can broadcast the audio from your computer (Mac or PC) to any FM radio nearby. It is, as the name implies, shaped like a rocket, when placed in its clear plastic stand. The actual transmitter is an oblong white plastic slab with a silver-plastic-encased, glowing blue LED on the front to indicate power-on status. It attaches to your computer by means of an USB cable, and out of the box it is ready to operate just by plugging in to your Mac. No external power source is needed. Just plug in the USB cable and you are on the air. Seriously, it is just that easy.

The unit comes tuned to broadcast on 88.1 MHz right out of the box. To tune the transmitting frequency, you must install the software that accompanies on CD. The software installed is actually a preference pane, which will live in your System Preferences’ bottom row. This is much handier than a separate application, given its limited functionality and the frequency with which you will likely need to bother changing the station. Once installed, the preference pane presents you with a simulated tuning knob, as you would find on the front of any radio receiver. Simply grad the knob with your mouse cursor and “turn” it, until your desired broadcast frequency appears in the simulated tuning LCD in the software. It is incredibly easy.

[WARNING: somewhat technical discussions of radio frequency technical mumbo-jumbo follows!!!!] Finding the frequency to broadcast on may not be so easy, however. Like all low-power FM transmitters that are not required to be licensed by the government (more…)

By Mark Lovegreen, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

Quickbooks Pro, as the name implies, is a professional accounting program designed for use by businesses small and large. To set it up and utilize it requires at least a passing knowledge of how to run a set of books. Anyone who has experience with maintaining a business’s accounts should have little trouble, after the initial setup, going right to work with the software.

I have a new small tour/charter business that has gotten by with the proverbial shoe box full of financial forms that my accountant needed to sort through at year’s end. Now that the business is no longer a sole proprietorship, but is an LLC, I figured the bookkeeping needed to become all grown up as well. Hence my interest in an accounting program.

Setting up the program for the individual’s business is necessarily a time consuming process. A great deal of financial data and account information needs to be entered. Most of this information can be edited later if need be. There are, however, a couple of decisions that can’t be easily changed. This is due to the way the software handles future entries. For instance, you need to know if the business will file its federal tax return as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation, etc. I assumed mine was a corporation. A quick check at the IRS website left some doubt. An LLC as small as mine could still file with the Feds as a sole proprietorship or a partnership as well as a corporation. My accountant was consulted before I proceeded (more…)

By Dave Enders, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

Another accessory in the line of products for the iPod from Griffin Technology. I am the owner of a few of their previous products and like them for the usefulness, quality and value for the dollar. The PowerBlock is no different. This products purpose is to provide AC power to your iPod. This is useful for me when I am at work and my battery dies. The PowerBlock also comes with a usb to dock connector cable so you can leave the one that comes with the iPod at home connected either to the dock or the computer. Nice bonus because I always seem to leave it at the place I don’t need it. I am kind of an iPod junkie by owning a 30G 3G, 512MB shuffle and my newest edition the 60 gb iPod with video. So needless to say I can use a charger at some point. I think it was with the 4G that Apple decided to stop including an AC adapter cause I have the one that came with my 3G. It has a Firewire connector on it. Apple now sells the USB AC Adapter as an accessory to chagrin of many iPod owners myself included. The size of the AC adapter is nice and compact and is similar to Apple’s product with the foldable AC plug. This makes it nice for transporting to and from home.

So with those words we move on to the testing of the Powerblock. (more…)

By Wayne Watson, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

This FM transmitter attracted me because I just purchased an iPod nano as a Christmas present for my wife. She had asked me about listening to her nano tunes while driving around in her car. This iTrip nano model precisely fit the bill because it is specially designed to work only with the nano model and is compact. This iTrip has the same foot print as the nano itself and draws its transmitting power from the nano. Griffin has a long history of wireless iTrip FM transmitters for all sorts of iPods and other MP3 players. This model is super easy to use. I simply slid the nano onto the iTrip base unit and pushed down slightly. This simple action securely mounts the nano onto the bed of the iTrip by means of a dock connector and the headphone jack/adapter.

The iTrip has a one-touch navigation switch on the right side that allows the listener to choose between three preset FM stations. This allows you to choose the best station with the least amount of interference. In addition, you can customize the iTrip to broadcast over an unused station of your choice. I found any of the three preset stations more than adequate with their clarity and interference-free broadcasts. This iTrip was simple to use and is not intimidating in any way.

One mistake I made the first night I tried the iTrip involved my home stereo. (more…)

By Guy Okada, AAUG Member
Reviewed 2/06

Power Support is a Japanese company that produces neat gadgets for Mac products. I had been looking for the right jacket for my black video iPod (5th generation) that I’ve had for a couple of months now but I hadn’t found the right product. Most are either too bulky or appear to be cheaply made. It was fortuitous that at the January AAUG OSX Workshop there were several cool iPod cases to choose from. The one I chose is exactly what I had been looking for.

The Crystal Jacket is a clear case that encases a 5th generation iPod completely without shielding any of its svelte body. I have a black iPod and its sleek good looks show right through the transparent case. It does add some heft but the 2mm thick case protects my iPod very nicely from impacts or scratching. The cutouts to access the clickwheel, dock and headphone jack are precision made. Most important is the fact that the transparent cover protects my video screen with no distortion. Time will tell whether this case will scratch and so far regular use has resulted in only a few very minor blemishes. The delicate finish of iPods is susceptible to scratches so finding a case that protects it, especially the screen, is critical.

The packaging has a silver sticker that ironically states: Free! 3D Wheel Film, Rear Cover Film, Body Film. Gee, what a deal! The directions for installing the film which protects the front and back of the iPod is easy to install. (more…)