Crave

(Credit: Able Planet)

Flying the friendly skies has sure gotten a lot more enjoyable with the advent of portable media players, but frequent fliers realize it takes more than a decent MP3 player to deal with nuisance-ridden travel. A good pair of sound-isolating earbuds or noise-cancelling headphones can do wonders when it comes to escaping into your own world of personal entertainment.

Of course, active noise-canceling sets can cost a pretty penny, which is where the Able Planet Clear Harmony NC200 headphones come in. The pair is sold on Amazon.com for around $60--a palatable price if we ever saw one. You'll sacrifice top-notch sound and build quality, but the portability and comfort may make it worthwhile for some.

Read the Able Planet NC200 headphone review.

Griffin Technology's AirCurve.

At Apple Expo in Paris on Wednesday, Griffin Technology unveiled its latest iPhone accessories, including the AirCurve acoustic amplifier dock and the Clarifi protective case.

The AirCurve dock collects and amplifies the sound from the built-in iPhone 3G speaker. It does so by using a coil waveguide within its base, and therefore doesn't need batteries or another power source to work.

While the acoustically amplified sound is not as loud as that made by electronic amplifiers, it's loud enough for you to enjoy music in a quiet room or to use as an alarm clock. The compact dock is made of translucent polycarbonate plastic, revealing the graceful curves within that magnify the sound. AirCurve also includes a pass-through slot that lets you charge and sync your iPhone using a Griffin Dock Connector Cable, which is sold separately.

The Clarifi protective case is also supposedly the first case for iPhone 3G that sports a built-in lens to give the phone's camera an optical boost. You can slide the lens into place for close-up shots or slide it aside for normal shooting. The added optical lens lets you zoom up to 6 inches closer.

Other than that, the Clarifi's case design, like other cases, allows for access to the power switch, headphone jack, volume controls, and touch screen. It also features Griffin's trademark EasyDock design, which allows you to slip off the case bottom to charge and sync, rather than having to completely remove the phone from its case.

Both the AirCurve dock and the Clarifi case will be available for purchase in October for $19.99 and $34.99, respectively.

The Air Jacket adds protection without changing the way your iPhone looks.

(Credit: Power Support)

I finally got my iPhone 3G. Love it, hate it, this is all getting old. However, one of the things I do really notice is that although the phone seems very sturdy and scratch-resistant, it attracts fingerprints and shows sweat stains easily. I have the black model and it looks dirty all the time.

For this reason, the Power Support Air Jacket for iPhone3G caught my attention Thursday. It's one of hundreds of jackets you can buy for the new iPhone, but with one unique attribute: it's very thin (merely 1mm thick), and see-through. This means your iPhone won't get any bulkier and will still show its original color. You can also choose to have the Air Jacket in black if you have the white version of the phone and aren't happy with the color.

This is probably the most uncompromising protection jacket you can get for the iPhone. An Air Jacket kit includes the Air Jacket itself, one thin crystal film, and one piece of anti-glare film to protect the LCD.

The catch? It's not cheap. As a matter fact, at $35, it's easily one of the most expensive jackets you can get for your iPhone.

The price of protection: the i114 Clear Scratch Resistant Film.

(Credit: iLuv)

I just got a press release from iLuv announcing its new line of iPhone 3G cases, which are--excuse the pun--just luvely. However, in clicking through to the site I was struck by one accessory the company is selling: the i114, which also goes by the longer name Clear Scratch Resistant Film. It's designed to lay on top of your scratch-resistant iPhone screen and keep it from getting scratched. That's cool. But the thing costs $9.99. Throw in some tax and shipping and you're probably looking at close to $15 for a thin piece of plastic that can't cost more than 10 cents to manufacture.

Of course, iLuv isn't the first company to make such an accessory--and probably not the first to charge $9.99 for it. But come on, this thing should cost no more than $3.99. I realize the electronics accessories business is good for a reason (really large margins), but I gotta call foul here. Anybody else like to point out an outrageous price for a marginal accessory (AV cables withstanding)?

Griffin's TuneBuds Mobile headphones make it less obvious that you are using an Apple product.

(Credit: Griffin)

Well, sure, there are accessories, but I want the iPhone 3G! Don't you?

You are not alone. I've been to many AT&T and Apple stores over the last few days--the furthest of those being in Sacramento. (I live in the Bay Area and went there to visit some friends over the weekend.). At each AT&T store I was told to wait for more stock, and at every Apple store I got discouraged by the long line and withdrew. It's crazy.

Now, I can't help but wonder why Apple is doing this. Obviously they have tons of iPhone 3Gs at the Apple stores, but they only supply limited amounts to the AT&T stores. My only guess is that Steve Jobs gets a kick out of our frustration from waiting in line for a product that he's deliberately stripped of many basic features, knowing that we'll get even more frustrated when we actually get one. And yet we can't help wanting it. How embarrassing!

So, to ease the pain and make the wait worthwhile, why not just go get some accessories instead? You will want to have some of them anyway.

If you haven't found anything you want in my last blog, Griffin today introduced another slew of stuff that you can use with your iPhone 3G. The list includes:

- Wave for iPhone 3G: $24.99

- Nu Form with EasyDock: $24.99

- Elan Clip for iPhone 3G: $24.99

- Streamline for iPhone: $29.99

- TuneBuds: $19.99

- TuneBuds Mobile: $39.99

- StereoConnect: $14.99

Personally, I like the TuneBuds Mobile, as the original white headphones that come with the iPhone are just too telling (like "Look at me! I have an Apple product!") and don't offer very good bass.

The portable speaker for the iPhone can be folded up into a compact "ball" that's very easy to transport.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)

Now that you've gotten your iPhone 3G, it's time to get some accessories for it.

Digital Life Outfiter (DLO) didn't wait for long and has just come out with a slew of stuff that you can use to protect, carry, and enhance your iPhone 3G. Most of them work with the original iPhone and the iPod Touch, too.

To keep your iPhone from scratching or bumped around if dropped, you can choose either the HybridShell ($24.99) that's bulky yet stylish, or the VideoShell ($19.99), which is clear and sturdy. Of course, you can get other old-school outfits like the Jam Jacket ($19.99) or the HipCase ($29.99).

Personally, I prefer the Action Jacket ($29.99) for iPhone, which works well for when you go jogging, which is probably the only time I would want to use a case for a smartphone/music player.

DLO also has the Portable Speakers that instantly turns your iPhone into a mini boom box, which works well for a small room or when you are on the go. The speakers can be folded up into an "egg" that's a compact 6 inches in diameter. It's rather expensive, though, at $49.99.

(Credit: Griffin Technology)

Something tells us that Steve Jobs' delicate sensibilities might be offended by Griffin's new "ClearBoost" case for the iPhone, mainly because its built-in antenna ruins the clean lines of the fashion-conscious uber-handset. And while the case deserves credit for addressing functionality rather than just aesthetics (unlike many other unfortunate versions), its reception claims are yet to be seen in any significant way.

The protruding stub, according to Griffin, results in "a better signal, especially in border areas--which translates to fewer dropped calls, wider coverage areas, and faster downloads when browsing through your cellular connection." But iLounge, while finding it "almost always a net positive," said the case " will not be a panacea for those suffering from complete service outages and, under some circumstances, it will do nothing." Still, given the countless other alternatives on the market, you certainly could do worse, antenna or no antenna.

(Credit: Logitech)

For all the advances made in Internet telephony over the last decade, the hardware end of the business has lagged woefully behind. All too often we've seen things like retro corded handsets or other bizarre devices that would seem to keep a caller hopelessly tethered to the desktop.

Headset makers are coming up with some solutions that problem, however, with wireless headsets. First we saw a pair by Creative Labs at CES in January, and now Logitech has debuted a similar product, a 2.4GHz wireless stereo headset developed specifically for VoIP calls.

Not only does the "ClearChat PC Wireless" headset allow more freedom to walk and talk, but it also has "laser-tuned audio drivers" that can enhance stereo ouput up to 33 feet from the computer for music and gaming as well, according to Slippery Brick. Call it a small but brave step toward freeing the masses from forced desk labor.

(Credit: HomeVisions)

Almost exactly a year ago we posted an item on the "Sonic Bomb" alarm clock, which turned out to be just the first in a string of eardrum-killing devices for those who engage in the sport of extreme sleep. Now there's another gadget that applies the same principle to the telephone.

But the understatedly named "UltraClear" doesn't stop at sensory overload of the auditory canals. In addition to its extra loud ringer, a "bright flashing strobe" is activated whenever it detects an incoming call. So while its reaches a full 95 decibels, the device will scare the hell out of any living thing in the house by imitating a runaway ambulence siren. (Not recommended for epileptics.)