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Yeah, me neither… But I’m sure that some of you out there are worried about dust, dirt or liquids invading the headphone jack of your phone or other device. The iCatchi is $6.95 accessory that plugs into the jack when you don’t have your headphones plugged in. It protects the jack from all sorts of goop. There are different graphics available for the top of the plug. It’s a cute idea, but to me it seems to be more trouble than it’s worth. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’ve been using devices with headphone jacks for decades and so far I’ve never had a problem with dirt, dust or anything else getting in them. What do you guys think?
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1. You can also buy a nylon bolt from a hardware store of the right size and it will work just as well. You might have to use a file (either wood or metal or finger-nail file) or sandpaper to ensure a perfect fit. But it’s not much trouble and it costs about 15 cents.
2. These nylon headphone plugs do have another good use: with a Windows machine (and I presume a Mac but don’t know for sure), a plug in the headphone jack guarantees a quiet machine: no Windows sounds, no beeps or buzzes … nothing. Your computer thinks you have headphones connected, and so it routes all sound to the jack. If you’re in a meeting, or using your computer late at night next to a sleeping partner, etc., it’s very useful because it doesn’t depend on any software loudspeaker settings.
it’s like a phone piercing 😀
Both the iPhone 3GS and iPod Tough 4G I have, seem to attract fluff and other bits and pieces to the headphone jack.
The charge / synch connector on the base of the 3GS once got so full of lint that it mysteriously failed to charge or synch.
Nothing that a quick puff of air or paperclip in the right place didn’t solve once I’d realised.
Would dust and moist get into the phone much more easy through the docking port in the bottom?
Only the clinically obsessed would see a use for this…7 bucks for a plastic nail…crazy!
I can tell you that when it happened to me it wasn’t so easy as getting a paper clip or blowing in the jack to get the fluff out. I had to take mine to the Apple store.
I just bought one, thought it was quite good value considering you get the little headphone clip or keeper as I’ve tried making my own and they keep getting lost, this little clip should work.
They also throw in the shipping as part of the $7.
Good value I think and some cool designs.
I think they would probably be better served using something like a replug http://www.replug.com/home.php That way the thing plugging the hole is actually useful rather than having to remove it to put in your headphones.
Do know that I’d want an antenna sticking out of my phone, I thought they went out in the 90’s.
On an iPhone at least, there is a moisture sensor in the headphone jack (the little things that void your warranty). Mine was tripped after talking on the phone on a ski lift. Water must have dripped in to the hole from my hat or something. I noticed it because my phone kept acting like there were phones plugged in and after a bit of googleing, I found this to be a common issue. This or something like that might have prevented it.
Phone jack lint ingestion killed my iPhone (never could cure the jack’s switching off the phone’s speaker because of the confused jack sensor). So yeah, I plug the jack holes on my phones. I don’t know if my Droid X has a less vulnerable jack, but a little Google of iPhone jack lint problems will show you the issue is very common.
I’d rather have a tethered cover on my phone’s case, but I’ve yet to find a case that bothers to cover the jack.
You don’t mention that the gadget includes a clip for your headphone cord that provides a spot to stow the plug. Not as good as a tether, but better value for the money.
While the icatchi might be a good idea the company seems to be willing to insult potential customers by listing their Union Flag item under the caption “England”, a complete slap in the face for those of us with Scottish and Irish heritage.
Please email and or boycott this company and their product until they rectify this cultural slight.