iLounge

Company: Kensington

Website: www.Kensington.com

Model: Transporters for iPod shuffle

Price: $20

Compatible: iPod shuffle

Made for iPod-badged

Kensington Transporters for iPod shuffle

By Jeremy Horwitz

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Friday, December 2, 2005
Category: Clips and Guards - iPod shuffle

Pros: Two iPod shuffle USB cap-based clips with nice shuffle-matching designs and a great locking system. The carabiner hook is the best we’ve ever seen for an iPod.

Cons: Price is on the high side for shuffle clips, green accents aren’t right for all users.

Though it appears that iPod shuffle accessories aren’t extremely popular, we’re doing quick reviews today of several new add-ons that have been released in recent weeks. Kensington’s Transporters for iPod shuffle ($20) are second up on our list - the company is offering a sleek two-pack of USB caps that serve as different sorts of clips.

On a highly positive note, the Transporters are the nicest shuffle clips we’ve seen - Kensington actually bothered to put some thought into the industrial designs of its carabiner and belt clips, producing a funky angular white glossy plastic carabiner hook that’s more interesting to look at and shuffle-apropos than any of its predecessors. A spring-loaded piece opens the hook for attachment to a bag or belt loop, and the clip remains in place unless you press two gray release buttons on its sides - a shuffle clip first, and one we wish was more widely used. The single question mark visual touch is a bright green strip of plastic that goes between the shuffle and the clip; otherwise, we loved this design.

Kensington’s other piece is a white glossy belt clip with the same green accent and gray release buttons. This cap is on the simple side, without a spring-loaded mechanism, alligator teeth, or any of the other things we’ve seen from competing belt clips, but like the carabiner hook, it visually matches the shuffle’s style to a T, and works fine to attach your shuffle to your shirt or pants. We’d lean towards the carabiner for most purposes, but this cap’s good, too.

It’s a shame that the Transporters are so late to the game, arriving many months after the semi-heyday of shuffle clips back in the summer. Their $20 price isn’t objectionable because of their quality designs, but it isn’t cheap by the standards of shuffle clips, either. If nothing else, these will hopefully serve as inspirations for future Kensington accessories, and will please anyone still looking for ways to accessorize their iPod shuffles.