MP3 Player Accessory Market Explodes
Portable MP3 player sales are expected to hit 950 million units by 2009. And the MP3 player accessory market is growing even faster. Millions of people - often called the i-generation - are looking for ways to accessorize their personal audio players. Add-ons like designer skins make fashion statements while portable speakers blast tunes just like a home stereo system. And the list goes on...
Protect Your Music Player in Style
Protective covers in a myriad of colors and patterns are just the thing to coordinate your player with your outfit while protecting it from bumps and scratches. Want something a little classier? How about a leather case complete with a handy belt clip, or another with credit card pockets. Textured cases keep your player from slipping out of your pocket or falling off a slanted surface.
Colorful lanyards let you wear your MP3 player around your neck. Stylish adjustable arm bands are great for work-outs or jogging. There's even a carabineer style clip to attach your iPod to a belt, backpack, or almost anything. Armbands, sleeves, bags, belt clips, cases, socks - the list of covers goes on and on.
Rock While You Roll
Take your tunes with you in the car. Mounting kits secure your player and fit snugly in a cup holder instead of sliding around on the seat. Holders with flexible arms plug into the car's cigarette lighter socket and recharge the battery while you listen to your playlist. Charger/transmitter combo accessories cradle a player and charge it from the vehicle's DC outlet, while broadcasting music through the car's radio. These and other FM transmitters plug into your MP3 player's headphone jack and send music to any FM radio.
There's a handy travel kit with a USB car charger, retractable earphones, splitter for two headphones and USB 2.0 extension all in a soft leather case. Or integrate your car and MP3 player with kits that interface with factory installed audio systems in Ford, GM, Toyota and other makes. Just jump in the car, plug in your player and enjoy your favorite songs without the nuisance of headphones.
Docks and Other Accessories Expand Your Options
Ingenious docking systems plug into your home stereo for room filling sound while the MP3 player's battery is being charged. And many docks will synchronize your iTunes or other music download membership at the same time. MP3 player docking stations come in many configurations and add tons of options.
If your player includes video/photo functions, AV connecters make it easy to share movies or slide shows with family and friends on your TV. How about a clock radio dock? Plug in your iPod, set the alarm time and wake up to your favorite tunes or radio station in full stereo. And when you're ready to head out the door, your player's battery is fully charged.
If you have a tape player, there's a cassette-shaped accessory that feeds your playlist to either front or side loading cassette decks. You gotta love this one - a compact flashlight/laser-pointer accessory that plugs into your player's headphone jack. MP3 players have gotten so tiny I'm not sure why anyone would need a remote control. But apparently there's a big market for wired and Bluetooth wireless remotes - maybe when the player is in its docking cradle and you're listening on a home stereo or watching on TV?
Need to recharge your battery but your dock or computer isn't handy? Why not plug it into your car's DC outlet or an AC adapter? Add an international adapter and charge it anywhere in the world. No AC or DC outlet handy? No problem. Recharge your player with a little accessory that uses a 9-volt battery.
Not All Headphones Are Created Equal
Most portable MP3 players come with basic earbuds. Some are pretty good while others deliver marginal sound quality. The choice of upgrade headphone accessories is mind-boggling - noise canceling, ultra high fidelity, over the head,
behind the neck, in the ear, wireless, you name it.
Respected names like
Shure, Sennheiser, Sony and others offer high quality headphones that are
comfortable to wear and deliver incredible sound at all frequencies. If you're a dyed-in-the-wool audiophile, you can spend hundreds of dollars on headsets that'll make you swear you're sitting in Carnegie Hall. But for $50 to $100 there's a huge selection that will deliver heavenly sound for most of us.
Hi-Tech Portable Speakers Will Blow You Away
Advancements in speaker technology make it possible to deliver studio quality sound from extremely small speakers. If you've ever listened to a Bose Wave radio you know what I mean. Well Bose,
JBL, Altec Lansing and others have tapped the technology to deliver amazing sound in go-anywhere portable speakers for MP3 players. The days of settling for cheap tinny sound from portable audio devices are history.
They use super efficient digital amplifiers, high-tech neodymium micro-drivers, aluminum domed transducers and sophisticated acoustic designs. Adding electronic equalizers, digital signal processing, and speaker shielding produces superb sound at all frequency and volume levels. Amplified audio no longer means huge power supplies and bulky enclosures. In fact many are battery powered and fold up smaller than a pocket-book.
Portable speakers are not just for MP3 players though. You can enjoy quality sound from DVD players, TV's, VCR's, radios, computers or just about any device with a headphone jack. And you don't have to break the bank to get one of these high fidelity speaker systems. High-end portable speaker systems sell for $300 or more, but there are many first-rate models priced from $25 to $100.
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