The biggest complaint with the current iPod Shuffle is that you can’t use it with your favorite earbuds. The earbuds that ship with the Shuffle include an in-line controller for adjusting volume and controlling playback. Without the stock buds, you can’t control the Shuffle at all. People hollered and Scosche listened. Their tapSTICK product is a combination case / controller. Let’s take it for a spin.

Package Contents

tapSTICK case / adapter
3ft 3.5mm audio cable

The tapSTICK is a one piece case made of high impact polycarbonate and is available in either Black or White. There are three control buttons integrated into the case.

The rubber buttons duplicate the same controls that are offered with the earbuds that are included with the Shuffle. There are  + and – keys to control volume and a center key that has multi-functions. Pressing the center button once will pause playback or wake up a sleeping Shuffle. Pressing it twice will skip to the next song. Pressing it three times quickly will play the previous song and holding the button will announce the title and artist of the song.

If you flip the tapSTICK over, you can see slot for the Shuffle and the 3.5mm plug that mates with the headphone jack on the top of the Shuffle.

Just turn on the Shuffle and slide it into the opening.

It’s then ready for use with any 3.5mm set of headphones, earbuds or to the line-in jack of another device. You can still use the clip too.

I didn’t have any issues with the buttons on the tapSTICK. Everything worked as advertised. Once you turn it on and put it in this case, you can leave it there till it needs to be charged. You don’t need to pull the Shuffle out to toggle power. The multi-function button will wake up the audio player when it’s powered down.

My main complaint with this adapter is that I have to remove the Shuffle to charge it. Plugging the USB charging cable into the tapSTICK will not work. Bummer. My secondary complaint is that $30 seems a bit pricey for what it is and does. Especially since the Shuffle is already overpriced in my opinion.

When it comes down to it, if you have a Shuffle and wish you could use another set of earbuds with it, this is a solution for you… if you don’t mind investing a bit of cash to do it.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: iPod shuffle

Scosche tapSTICK Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 28, 2009 at 5:56 pm.

Scosche announces the availability of their new IDR350M noise isolating earphones for the iPhone 3GS, iPod shuffle (Gen 3), iPod touch (Gen 2), iPod nano (Gen 4) and iPod classic 120GB. They have an integrated tapLINE control technology that allows users to play/pause, adjust volume, skip tracks, navigate playlists, record voice memos, activate the voice control feature, and answer/end calls without having to take their iPod or iPhone out of their pocket or bag. This functionality is particularly useful for iPod shuffle Gen 3 users given that model’s lack of control buttons. The IDR350Ms also give users a chance to customize their earphones with six different interchangeable color caps to match their mood or outfit.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related

Tagged: iPhone 3GS, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, iPod Touch, Spotlight Gadgets

Customizable 3rd party iPhone 3GS earphones from Scosche originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 30, 2009 at 5:17 pm.

The latest Apple iPod shuffle lacks pizzaz when it comes to color choices. You get your pick of Silver or Charcoal. Wow… If you have one and wished you could turn it into a snazzier color, CoreCases have you covered – or the Shuffle covered, with their new Shuffle Jackets.

The jackets are made of durable anodized aluminum and are made from recycled materials. There are two collections that each contain three different jackets.

AM collection includes:
• 1x Bright Pink jacket
• 1x Mantle Orange jacket
• 1x Deep Purple jacket

PM collection includes:
• 1x Steel Blue jacket
• 1x Nouveau Red jacket
• 1x Chrome jacket

The finish of the metal isn’t too shiny, so they don’t collect fingerprints or smudges easily.

Each jacket is lined with EVA foam to protect the shuffle from scratches and for snug fit. It’s not hard to take the jacket on or off the shuffle. And once on, you still have access to the power button and earphone jack. The jacket doesn’t hinder the use of the clip either.

The Shuffle Jackets from CoreCases are a fun and easy way to customize and protect your iPod Shuffle.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: iPod shuffle

CoreCases iPod Shuffle Jackets Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 20, 2009 at 12:04 pm.

Scosche has just announced the tapSTICK. It’s a $30 polycarbonate slide on case for the iPod shuffle (Gen 3). It adds large volume controls, as well as the ability to use your own earbuds. It will be available in July.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: iPod shuffle, Spotlight Gadgets

tapSTICK iPod Shuffle case adds controls and your own earbuds originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 5, 2009 at 6:22 pm.

Did you recently purchase the latest and greatest iPod Shuffle and wished you had a slightly more elegant way to charge  / sync it with your computer? Dexim has come to the rescue with the Shu-Lip. The Shu-Lip is a small adapter that replaces the USB cable that shipped with your Shuffle. Let’s test it. The packaging says that it Turns your new iPod Shuffle into the thumb driver. I think they meant thumb drive, AKA USB flash drive…

It’s a small adapter with a USB connector on one end and a 3.5mm plug on the other end. The body is made of aluminum that matches the Silver Shuffle. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a Black version of the Shu-Lip, so it doesn’t quite look all that great with my Shuffle.

Using it is pretty straight forward. Just plug it into the 3.5 mm jack on the Shuffle and then plug it into an open USB port on your computer.

On the back of the adapter is a lame looking sticker with a serial number or model number. It’s been attached with really goopy glue, so removing it is a hassle. Below the sticker is what I thought appeared to be an LED. But it doesn’t light up when plugged in or when accessing data on the Shuffle. So I think it might just be where the plastic part of the adapter snaps into the aluminum shell.

This adapter doesn’t provide any additional features over and above what the short USB cable included with the Shuffle gives you. It allows you to charge through your computer, sync music via iTunes and also copy files to and from the Shuffle like any other flash drive. The only advantage is its size. There are two disadvantages to it though… The adapter covers the Shuffle’s status LED, so that you can’t see if the battery has finished charging. You can swivel the Shuffle on the jack to view it though… The main disadvantage is the price. $10 is ummm… crazy for this little adapter. I mean you can find similar looking adapters for the previous version of the Shuffle for as little as $1.57 (DealExtreme)! Before you go there and order one for this new Shuffle, don’t. Apparently there is something different with the new Shuffle that keeps it from being compatible. <sigh>

The Dexim Shu-Lip iPod Shuffle Charge & Sync adapter performs as expected, but in my opinion, I’d save your money and continue using the cable Apple included with your player. At least till they are available for less than $2 on DealExtreme

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Adapter, iPod shuffle

Dexim Shu-Lip iPod Shuffle Charge & Sync Adapter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 20, 2009 at 5:00 am.

The Mophie Illuminator project started earlier this year at MacWorld 2007. Attendees doodled product ideas and submitted them for the community to vote on. The Bevy iPod shuffle case, keychain, bottle opener, is the first such product to come out of this project.

I was disappointed in this product from the moment that I opened the box. The first thing that caught my attention was the packaging. The Bevy is only a $15 keychain, but it comes packaged in a plastic container with a cardboard insert and another plastic insert to hold the product in place. It just seems a bit too much in my opinion.

The Bevy is a clear plastic shell surrounding a thick aluminum plate. This plate comes in 5 different colors including: Green Blue, Pink, Orange and Silver. Yes, these colors match those of the iPod shuffle. I was sent the Blue Bevy to test.

The back side of the Bevy has an open cavity that can accept the iPod shuffle.

With a little pressure, the shuffle snaps into place. The cutout in the middle of the Bevy allows for unhindered access to the main navigation buttons on the front of the shuffle.

The back (clip) of the shuffle is exposed and not protected while inside this case. As you can see, the back of my shuffle is considerably scuffed up from keeping the Bevy in my pocket while keys were attached to the included key-ring.

There are also cutouts for the earphone jack and…

the power and shuffle switches on the top and bottom of the audio player.

The ends of the Bevy have been designed to have grooves so that you can wrap your earbud cable around the entire case. I found this feature to be somewhat useless given the fact that there isn’t a clip to hold the ends of the earbuds to keep them from unwinding. If you pay attention to how you’re winding the cable, you can use the shuffle’s own clip to hold one end of the earbud cable, but this is not a very convenient solution. Also the grooves are just barely deep enough to accommodate the cable from stock iPod earbuds.

Besides holding your iPod shuffle, your keys and your earbuds, the Bevy can also double as a bottle cap opener. I find this to be an odd feature to include, but hey, that’s just me. You have to remove the shuffle in order to use the Bevy for this job. I found removing a bottle cap with the Bevy to be a little difficult because it is hard to get the leverage needed when the opener is so short. I was able to do it though after a couple of tries.

The Mophie Bevy is the first product released from the Mophie Illuminator project and for $15, I guess I can’t complain that much about it. But it really doesn’t seem to be all that useful in my opinion. Here’s hoping that the next product that they release is a better one.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Case, iPod, iPod shuffle, Plastic

Mophie Bevy iPod shuffle Keychain and Bottle Opener originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 6, 2007 at 9:19 am.