IPod Anywhere

"I'm going swimming next week with my IPod," I announced to my friend Scott.

Scott frowned. "That's crazy. You can't swim with an IPod."

"Actually," I said, "I can." I explained that one of the items I would be testing for this column on IPod accessories was the LiliPod, an IPod case that its maker claims is watertight.

"Can't wait to hear how that goes," Scott said with a snicker.

Don't tell Scott, but I was pretty nervous about subjecting my favorite gadget to trial by dunking. So I decided that, of the five IPod accessories I planned to test, the LiliPod would definitely come last.

Until then, my IPod and I had a mission: to see whether I could enjoy tunes in various settings using cool, offbeat IPod accessories--and no headphones. Here's where I went and what I tried.

At an impromptu party: Playing music on the go with buddies used to mean lugging a boom box. Felicidade's Groove Bag Triplet Speaker Purse for IPod ($145) updates the concept with what is, in essence, a combination boom box/clutch bag.

One side of the Groove Bag has a see-through slot in between its two plastic-covered speakers. Drop your IPod into the slot, hook the speakers to the IPod's mini-jack, and you have a party.

The speakers' tone is a bit thin, and the volume is kinda weak. But when I paired the Groove Bag with Boostaroo, a $30 battery-operated amplifier and headphone splitter, the volume perked up. Still, to work the IPod controls, you have to take it out of the bag. And to quote Scott: "Dude, it's a purse."

On the highway: I like to sing along (badly) to my favorite songs while driving. Lots of devices can pump your IPod tunes into a car stereo, but none is as elegant as Griffin Technology's FM transmitters--the ITrip ($35) and the ITrip Mini ($40).

The white ITrips nicely match the contours of Apple's music players. Audio quality is good--though as with any radio broadcast, interference and static can creep in. But unlike some FM transmitters for MP3 players, the ITrips let you choose from among dozens of frequencies. As long as the default frequency (87.9 FM) is free of interference, using either ITrip is easy. Tuning in to other radio frequencies, however, requires several steps. The ITrip comes with a CD that installs a playlist of radio frequencies onto your IPod. To switch frequencies, you must call up the ITrip's Playlist on your IPod and then scroll through the frequencies. So if the default station isn't working, pull the car over and twiddle until you tune in a clear channel.

On the living-room sofa: Three years ago, I bought a six-CD changer for my living-room stereo system. One year later, I bought my first IPod. Guess which one is currently gathering dust?

Of course, unlike the CD changer, my IPod had no remote control, but Ten Technology's NaviPod ($50) fills the gap nicely. This disc-shaped infrared remote is easy to use: Plug its receiver into the IPod's headphone jack, connect the IPod to your stereo via the IPod's docking cradle or mini-jack, and you're ready to rock. The remote has five control buttons--play, fast forward, and so on--but it it lacks an LCD, so it won't let you switch playlists or browse songs.

In bed: When I told my accupuncturist of my frequent insomnia, she said, "Get rid of your alarm clock." So I unplugged the bedside clock radio, with its huge, anxiety-inducing digital time display. In its place went my IPod and Altec Lansing's InMotion IM3 ($180), a portable speaker set/recharging dock for IPods. (To work, IPods' native alarm clock feature relies on external speakers or, uncomfortably, headphones.)

Like its still-available predecessor, the $150 InMotion, the IM3 folds up easily and compactly for travel, and when unfolded it produces rich, room-filling sound. Unlike the InMotion, the IM3 comes with a remote control, international power plug adapters, and a padded carrying bag. Though I still struggle with insomnia, at least I fall asleep every night to beautiful music, thanks to the IM3.

Under water: As my pool date neared, I grew worried that my IPod would end up, well, sloshed. (No wonder I have insomnia.) So before the big day, I inserted a notepad in the $40 LiliPod and held it under running water for several minutes. Impressively, the note pad emerged as dry as a turkey sandwich without mayonnaise.

At the pool, I started the playlist I'd created for the occasion (including "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid). I plugged the IPod into the LiliPod's internal earphone jack, closed the LiliPod securely, and attached a pair of waterproof earphones to the LiliPod's external connector. Then I clipped the LiliPod to my Speedo, took a deep breath, and slipped gently into the pool.

How odd it was, to have music instead of water flooding my ears. Not surprisingly, the sound was a bit muted underwater. But overall, the quality was pretty good. I listened to three songs while lap swimming, and when I got out of the pool and opened the LiliPod, I found not one droplet of water on my IPod.

Swimming aside, the LiliPod would be great for protecting your IPod when snow-skiing, beach-combing or -blanketing, raft-floating in a pool, or working or playing anywhere water damage might occur. Still, I won't be taking my IPod along the next time I swim laps. The earbuds I used with it popped out of my ears several times, and the earphone cord frustrated my freestyle. But that's okay. The pool may be the only place I go that's free of phone calls, e-mail, and other people. It's just me, the water, and sweet silence.

Jim's Travel Log

IPod Continued Three more IPod essentials I'd pack in my suitcase: Griffin Technology's EarJams ($15), which snap onto the IPod's earbuds and make them stay put in my ears; Belkin's Backup Battery Pack ($60), to keep the IPod going for up to 15 hours after its internal battery poops out; and ITalk ($40), which turns the IPod into a pretty good voice recorder.

Cell Phone Shock Cell phones that moonlight as digital cameras, PDAs, Internet appliances, and music players are so 5 minutes ago. The latest cell phones can show broadcast TV (Samsung's MM-A700); capture video (the LG Electronics VX7000); work on Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth wireless networks (HP's IPaq H6315); and pack a built-in hard drive (Samsung's SPH-V5400). Given these developments, a combination cell phone/defibrillator should be announced right about . . . now. But what about a cell phone that simply allows me to talk to someone over a stable, clear connection?

When Words Fail

I walk into a Berlin restaurant for breakfast, and the host hands me a menu in German. "Do you have an English menu?" I ask hopefully, as I know only a few words in Deutsche. He smiles but shrugs his shoulders and disappears.

Time to whip out the Aim High Talking TR2203 ($195), a handheld audible language translator that I mentioned in my column last month. The gadget has a database of 200,000 words and 23,000 phrases in ten languages. It will even speak for me, in German, via its small built-in speaker. All I do is select the phrases I need (they're listed in categories, under practical headings such as "meals"); or I can look up words in the device's database and then press a button, and--faster than you can say "Götterdämmerung"--I'm a polyglot.

Regrettably, the TR2203's database includes only some of the menu items that I type in. Left to my own devices, I demonstrate the breaking and scrambling of eggs for the waiter. Fortunately, she understands my gesticulations, and she also knows the English word "cheese."

On the other hand, the TR2203 is helpful for learning to pronounce foreign words before you travel. But practice at home: Its speaker is too quiet to hear in a restaurant or other noisy place.

Ultimately, miming my food requests is far more entertaining all around than relying on a gadget to do the talking--though I draw the line at impersonating a free-range chicken. You can check out the TR2203 here.