Tech News on G4 Belkin Declares Earbud Freedom for iPod Shuffle Aug 5, 2009 By Greg Gazin - Apple Gazin’ - G4 Canada

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One of the greatest features of Apple’s 3rd generation iPod Shuffle, is for some, also one of its biggest drawbacks. There is no doubt; it’s a great piece of industrial design.  It’s slim, sleek and not much bigger than an AA battery whose uniqueness stems from the fact that it has no controls- buttons, dials or knobs on the surface of the unit itself.  Its practical design was such that you could access all of the unit’s functionality from the ease and convenience of the earbuds themselves with all the control features built into the lanyard. The design was based on the premise that the shuffle itself would be kept in a pocket, on a belt clip or even in a backpack so it no longer requires you to fiddle to find the fast forward button. Now - that’s very fine and dandy, but there was only one problem with this solution. You had to use the Apple supplied earphones. Now, it’s not that they aren’t decent quality – in fact they are very good. The challenge is that not everyone wants to use them. Some like full-sized headphones, other a noise-canceling headset and some may prefer a more colorful look. For whatever reason the ones you may have been rendered useless for the 3G Shuffle – until now. Use Your Own Earbuds With the Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPod Shuffle (F8Z452) you can now plug your favourite earbuds, headphones or headset into your shuffle and still have the same functionality as Apple’s. The Belkin Headphone Adapter for iPod Shuffle allows you adjust the volume, as you would expect. A single, double or triple-click will give your play/pause, next track and previous track respectively. You can also take advantage of the 3rd generation features with ease. Functions like being able to hear the title and song playing (since the shuffle has no display) – by simply pressing and holding the multi-function button. As well you can move between playlists by using the multifunction button and waiting for at tone and a simple click can be used to select the playlist. The adapter also helps extend the length of your lanyard. It retails for $29.95CDN and should be available now in North America wherever you shop for your Belkin products. For more info, check out Belkin’s Website. For our readers outside North-America, Belkin says the unit should be available in Mid August.   Greg Gazin can be reached at  gadgetguy “at” telus “dot” net Or GadgetGreg.com

About G4 in Canada
G4 launched on September 7, 2001 as the ultimate television resource for technology news, information and entertainment. Co-owned by G4, Rogers Media Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., G4 is Canada's first television channel 100% dedicated to technology, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The channel features the latest technology news, information and entertainment in an exciting and high-energy format. G4 is available on digital cable and satellite.