iLounge

First Looks

Welcome to our new, continuously-updated First Looks - a collection of previews showing brand new iPod, iPhone and iPad accessories that we’re currently in the process of testing. Here’s what’s hot right now:

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Company: NOCS

Website: www.Nocs.se

Model: NS600

Price: $99

Compatible: iPad (2010), iPhones, iPods

NOCS NS600 Earphones With Remote and Mic for iPad, iPhone + iPod

Fresh off the release of the recently-reviewed NS200 is Swedish headphone company NOCS' NS600 ($99), featuring the same deliberately minimalist three-button remote and mic, carrying case, and multi-size silicone eartips, with different in-canal earphones at the tops of its Kevlar cables. Inside each of the aluminum-bodied NS600 earpieces is a single micro armature audio driver, an upgrade from the dynamic speakers used in the lower-end NS200. This model is available only in a silver and black color combination. Note that the drivers in the sample we received are apparently being changed significantly after release.

Company: Oten Inc.

Website: www.Domeskin.com

Model: DomeSkin

Price: $15

Compatible: iPod nano 4G, iPod classic, iPod touch 2G, iPhone 3G

Oten DomeSkin for iPod nano, classic, touch, iPhone 3G/3GS/4 + iPad

Even though we've seen hundreds of iPod and iPhone stickers before, Oten's new DomeSkin ($15 each) brings something new to the table: a thicker, 3-D alternative with a nice glossy finish, and the ability to be removed and reused. Released in versions for the iPod nano 4G, iPod classic, iPod touch 2G and iPhone 3G, each DomeSkin comes with two primary attachments: one goes on the front of your iPod or iPhone, the other on the back. Click Wheel iPods get a third piece that covers the center Click Wheel action button, as well. The result is an elevated, glossy artistic frame for the device's screen and front controls, with a matching rear full panel of art on the back; no coverage is included for the sides, screen, top, or bottom. Notably, the stickers slightly overlap the edges of each device's screen, and don't completely cover all of the devices' fronts or rears, but they're close. Both the iPod touch and iPhone 3G versions have transparent pass-throughs for these devices' front-mounted sensors. DomeSkins are produced by Oten, the company behind Sena Cases. Updated October 4, 2010: There are now DomeSkin versions for the iPad and iPhone 4, as well, shown below, updating our May 13, 2009 original entry. Updated October 19, 2010: And iPod touch 4G versions, too, shown at the bottom.

Company: Elago Design

Website: www.Elagodesign.com

Model: E3/E4/E5

Price: $30-$50

Compatible: All iPods, iPhones, iPads Except iPod shuffle 3G

Elago E3, E4 + E5 In-Ear Earphones

While we're not going to review these three ultra-budget sets of earphones from Elago, we're sharing a few photos with you so that you can know what to expect if you decide to dive in. The black-only E3 is the lowest-end model, with a $30 MSRP and a $7 actual selling price; E4 is the next one shown, available in white or black at a $40 MSRP and $24 actual selling price, and the black and chrome E5 is listed at $50 with an actual price of $19. All three pairs of earphones are made from glossy plastic and come with three sets of different-sized silicone rubber tips, promising "great sound quality and bass response;" E4 and E5 have in-line one-button remote and microphone boxes.

Company: Elago Design

Website: www.Elagodesign.com

Model: S4 Glide, Stylus, Stand

Price: $10-$30

Compatible: iPhone 4

Elago S4 Glide, S4 Stand + Stylus for iPhone 4

For a company that puts the phrase "design is improvement" all over its new products and packaging, Elago has a lot of designing left to do before some of its new products become impressive. The company's new S4 Glide ($30) is the best of the bunch here, a glossy case with two different-colored slide-off bottoms that you can flip between for a change of style, packaged with two separate glass film covers and a microfiber cleaning cloth. S4 Stand ($10) is unfortunately not quite as impressive, a metal stand that's designed to hold an unencased iPhone 4 -- because there are surely bunches of those around these days -- while its Stylus for iPhone and iPad ($22) is a black and chrome tube with a rubber tip and shirt clip, basically identical to a dozen others we've seen except for the company's name and mantra. Bonus bummers: none of these products is packaged in the impressively clean eco-baggies Elago used for the earlier S4 Breathe case, and its S4 Slim Fit -- a glossy plastic shell -- didn't qualify for coverage because it's still using the awful circular Apple logo cut-out we've disliked in generations past. Here's hoping for improvement (read: better design) next year.