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Product: Lanyard, case and headphones for iPod shuffle

Developer: Mophie, Inc.

Minimum Requirements: iPod Shuffle

Retail Price: $39.95

Availability: Out now

Who knew when Apple announced the iPod that it would not only be so good for the company, but for the entire economy? Because the iPod has become so popular, and because Apple is fond of releasing new models and constantly updating old models, entire companies have been forged specifically to manufacture iPod accessories, and stores are being opened to sell only iPod accessories. It's a wonderful thing.

The only trouble with this is that the iPod accessory market is becoming over saturated, and many of the products are starting to run together. Soon, I'll be writing a comparative review of iPod shuffle accessories and cases, but here's one that deserves a review of its own. This is because it's an accessory, a case and a pair of headphones all rolled into one, and it does a fairly good job at each.

The Song Sling, by Mophie, Inc., seems to have been designed mainly to address the issue of loose cables whipping about your person as you listen to the iPod. Their approach, however is unique. They've taken your standard lanyard (my favorite southern rock band) and placed on each side a small box that contains a retractable earbud headphone that can be pulled out about 14 inches from the mount, stopping in one of six different positions. A simple tug rolls them back into place.

Also attached to these boxes is a lightweight pendant mount for the iPod shuffle itself. Inserting the shuffle is a simple matter of placing the mount's headphone jack into the shuffle, then slipping the rubber casing around the bottom of the shuffle. Done. You then slip the lanyard around your neck, pull the headphones out to a comfortable position, and you're all set. It should also be noted that the string which connects the pendant mount to the earphone boxes also sports small clips to hold the headphones in place when not in use (they don't retract fully into the boxes). This is a nice touch, although one of the clips was a bit too loose and subsequently lost its hold on the earbud during heavy activity. Because the earbuds are attached within a couple inches to the retraction boxes, however, they aren't going anywhere.

Undoubtedly, the Song Sling is one of the most complete options for the iPod shuffle. Unfortunately, it's not the best at all it does. The pendant case, for example, doesn't offer complete protection for the iPod shuffle. In fact, as both the front and back are completely exposed, it offers hardly any protection at all. On the other hand, it does provide a rock solid headphone connection, so you won't need to worry about accidentally bending or loosening the headphone jack. Also, because of the way the iPod shuffle connects and fits into the pendant case, there's pretty much no chance at all it would fall out. I also like that the iPod shuffle hangs upside down when in the pendant mount, so that it's upright when you flip it up to look at it. You also have easy access to all controls.

I did face a slight nuisance with my review unit, as the wire that runs up the pendant mount to the earphones didn't fit properly within the case, and would therefore stick out a bit. This is mainly a cosmetic issue when the iPod shuffle is not in the pendant, but every now and again I couldn't get it back in when the Shuffle was there, causing the side to bulge a bit.

The lanyard itself is comfortable to wear, and I found that it didn't irritate my neck as I wore it around. It seems sturdy, too. I've only been using it for a couple weeks, so I can't comment on its durability, but I see no signs of wear that would lead me to believe anything on this will fail anytime soon.

The headphones themselves are as decent as those that come with the iPod shuffle, but nothing more. I generally dislike earbud headphones because I don't think they get the best sound and because my ears apparently haven't been built to keep them in place. The Song Sling forces you to use their headphones (which come with replacement pads), but I can't really call this drawback, as the whole point is to keep things tight and convenient. Bringing in third-party headphones that can't be controlled by the Song Sling would once again leave you with messy, dangling cords, thereby defeating the Song Sling's purpose. I would, however, like to see a Song Sling model with slight larger headphones with a behind-the-ear clip to hold them in place.

The Song Sling does provide some color choices, though, with the pendant mount, headphones and lanyard all being color coordinated. The grey model is a bit drab; indeed, it almost makes the whole unit look medical, as if you're wearing a stethoscope around your neck). The blue and pink models, though, are quite sharp. Hopefully, we'll soon see more color options. One of my coworkers said the unit made me look "geeky," but she's ignoring two important facts: 1.) I look geeky with without the Song Sling. 2.) She lives in downtown Cleveland, where people aren't yet accustomed to seeing hip, young kids walking around town with their iPods dangling about. In Cleveland, it's still cool to wear your shorts under your butt.

And so, if you're inundated by the multitude of iPod shuffle accessories available, the Song Sling will ease that by offering three accessories in one. If you find the headphone cables are getting in the way of your morning paper on the bus, or if the subway is so crowded you can't easily get to an iPod shuffle belt clip, the Song Sling is exactly what you need, putting all the iPod pieces within easy reach, and keeping them there.