While there are any number of vastly better-sounding third party options available, the reality is that most iPhone and iPod users stick with the earbuds that came with their device. And while carrying those (or any) earbuds in your pocket without using any form of protective case or pouch will eventually lead to their certain demise, most people do it anyway. So for those users of Apple’s earbuds who can’t bother keeping them inside something protective, Deos offers a solution that might at least slow the rate at which they get the crap beaten out of them in your pocket – and even if they don’t achieve that, they’ll at least make your earbuds look a little more stylish.

These pair of thin soft silicone rubber pieces slides onto the left and right buds of your Apple earbuds and covers the entire outer shell and stem while slightly recessing the speaker grilles. The good news is that I found them easy to slide on and to remove, and more importantly, they didn’t make wearing the Apple earbuds any less comfortable or block the grilles in a way that would affect the audio. The flipside is that my experience in testing thin silicone products is that they’re more adept at protecting against cosmetic scratches than impact-related damage, meaning that this product is realistically more about styling than it is about protection. This might be best evidenced by the fact that while the simple silicone Deos that I’ve tested here sells for a mere ten dollars, the company also offers sparking and diamond-studded versions of the product at higher prices.

My advice on iPhone and iPod earbuds remains the same: spend a few bucks and get a pouch to carry them in. Or better yet, spend twenty bucks on in-ear earbuds, and then carry them in a pouch. But if you’re more interested in making your existing earbuds look more stylish, while adding a layer of possible protection, I can report that the Deos does indeed work as advertised.

Learn more about Deos at DeosLive.com

I’m the first to admit that I generally consider bottom snap-on batteries to be the bottom rung of the external iPhone battery ladder – but with good reason. Such products are typically the least stable and offer the least capacity, which explains why they’re also the least expensive. But with the 1800, RichardSolo attempts to bring a touch of class to the snap-on battery by giving it more power, more stability, and a host of extras that place it in a different class that most of the other bottom-mounters I’ve spent time with.

For starters, a clear hard plastic support brace snaps onto the top of the battery and form-fits to the bottom of the iPhone 3G and 3GS, helping alleviate the fear that always comes with these batteries, which is that the whole thing is going to get snapped off, damaging your iPhone. The fear is further abated by the pair of releases buttons on the 1800 which have to both be pressed in order for the iPhone to be released.

Does this mean that I’d be willing to put my iPhone in my pocket with the 1800 attached? Of course not. If nothing else, the 1800’s large-ish size (like an iPod nano but thicker) makes your iPhone nearly twice as tall, meaning you can’t realistically charge your iPhone while it’s in your pocket. Nor would I toss my iPhone freely into a backpack with the 1800 connected. But despite its size, the 1800 doesn’t get in the way when you’re holding your iPhone in your hand, and the whole combo lays nicely flat on a desk or a nightstand.

Of course the size is for a reason, as the 1800 offers (as its name suggests) 1800 mAh of battery life as opposed to the 1000 mAH that most bottom snap-on batteries offer. Mathematically means that the 1800 should essentially double your iPhone’s battery life, and my tests showed that to essentially be the case (measuring battery life is never easy because different activities on the iPhone can burn through the battery at vastly different rates).

But the real fun comes in the form of the 1800’s additional built in features. The three blue lights on the front that indicate the remaining battery life aren’t the 1800’s only built in lights, as a pair of built in buttons activate a small flashlight and red laser pointer, both of which are aimed out the bottom of the battery (both work whether the 1800 is connected to an iPhone or not, and while I can’t imagine why you’d want to, the laser and flashlight can both light up at the same time).

Necessary? No. Handy? Maybe. The laser pointer suggests that the 1800 is aimed at business travelers, while the flashlight is similar to what you might on some keychains. But those are just the built-in features, as the packaging also includes a mini-USB cable for recharging the 1800 via your computer’s USB port. Such a cable is a standard inclusion for all iPhone batteries, but this one is retractable. What’s not standard is the inclusion of a wall charger and a dual-USB car charger. And while both of those are on the generic-looking side, they do help ensure that you can keep both the 1800 and your iPhone charged up in the widest array of ways possible.

There are a couple things not to like here: even with the built-in safety measures, you can’t realistically charge your iPhone in your pocket with the 1800 in the way that you can with nearly any iPhone battery case or battery cradle. And while you can charge both the 1800 and your iPhone simultaneously by connecting them and then using the included cable to connect it to your computer, this doesn’t allow pass-through syncing for your iPhone, which is the case with some of the better iPhone batteries on the market. And after having used Dexim’s P-Flip for the past month, I kept finding myself wishing that the 1800 could be swiveled backward into a dock formation as well.

But all that having been said, the RichardSolo 1800 does provide the best overall user experience of any non-swiveling snap-on iPhone battery I’ve used yet. Those extras don’t come for free, as its $69 price is $15 more than the P-Flip, and $30 more than the typical featureless snap-on battery – but the 1800 does bring a touch of class to what is otherwise largely a generic segment of products.

Learn more about the RichardSolo 1800 at RichardSolo.com

Most users who’ve spent time with both in-ear earbuds (the kind that go inside your ear canal) and on-ear earbuds (like the kind that come with your iPod) will agree that in-ear runs circles around on-ear when it comes to audio quality, for the simple reason that placing the audio inside your ear canal makes for a more intimate and less degraded listening experience. So Phiaton’s description of its new PS 210 earbuds as being “half in-ear” initially sounded like a curious experiment, but one I wanted to hear. After all, it’s not every day you get to listen to an entirely new kind of earbuds.

The best way to describe the PS 210 is to imagine your iPod or iPhone’s bundled earbuds as they are, but with a rubber piece jutting out of each bud into your ear canals. While I’ve never had a comfort problem with in-ear earbuds, putting on the PS 210 immediately made me realize their best feature: for those who have never been comfortable wearing in-ear earbuds that basically rely on nothing more than suction to stay in your ears, the PS 210 does offer something a little less daunting, as the outer piece stays firmly wedged in the outer area of your ear, holding the in-ear piece in place. And as a side note, Phiaton’s bizarre decision to include almost no bass on its earlier PS 200 earbuds has been alleviated here, as the PS 210 has a nice treble-bass balance. And having some of the audio coming out of the outer bud, instead of all of it coming from the in-ear piece, makes for a nice expansive sound.

The trouble comes when you compare the $119 PS 210 to the top-rated traditional in-ear earbuds at various price points. Shure’s $119 SE115 sounds noticeably crisper and more expansive overall, and even Scosche’s $79 IDR600 sounds little better. So while Phiaton’s PS 210 is a novel idea that wears comfortably and sounds good, it’s difficult to recommend them over regular in-ear earbuds unless you’ve never liked the physical feel of wearing the latter.

Learn more about Phiaton PS 210 at Phiaton.com

Slug wars is all about winning, right in the lane of fire. Armed with indomitable army snails and slugs, the basic objective of this game is to wipe out the enemy coming from the other lane. Played out on the garden battlefield divided into 3 lanes, at your disposal are 8 different kinds of soldiers, with different strengths, speeds and ranges of attack.

Slug Wars follows the basic tenets of the tower defense/real time strategy genre – there are fast and easy units to create and mobilize, medium-range types that do a little more damage and the super weapons that do maximum damage. The occasional flower blooming on the field is the currency of unit deployment and survival. Since the game plays out on three lanes only, your focus will be on managing your queue of soldiers, making sure they are equal or superior to, the enemy’s.

The control scheme is fairly simple. You use the slider to select which unit you want to deploy and tapping on the lane of your choice to send units. At the same time, you can view what the opponent is likewise sending out to meet you since the other side of the field is a mirror image of your own. From here, you can anticipate which units to use and when.

There are three basic modes: Campaign, Skirmish and Slug it Out. Skirmish is all out war with the AI player while Slug It Out allows two human players to fight it out. The tricky part in Slug Wars is managing the queues. This game has a strong offensive component – one of its plus points and you need to gain ground as you not only push back the enemy, you have to dominate the lane in order to capture his side. There are only three chances to survive the onslaught, and after a while it gets harder to keep track of all the activities happening in each lane.

Graphics and sounds play a pivotal role and making Slug Wars stand out not among only similar games, but even as against the seminal Plants vs Zombies which arrived recently. The slugs are cute, funny and feisty creatures – armed with salt shakers, lobbing pellets and attacking with gusto. Voice acting makes a huge difference here, as the distinct and funny battle cry of each slug makes the game a friendly and hilarious assault on the senses – “Yamler?” will find its way into your head for the rest of the day after playing the game. I enjoy the sound effects very much, but some in-game music or the option to play my own music would also be a good option to have.

While Slug Wars is a rip roaring experience the first few times you play it, it still needs some depth and variety in order to effectively compete against an ever growing TD/RTS genre. Even with different levels of difficulty, it’s not that difficult to play in part owing to the lack of variety in the gameplay. It needs to up the ante in terms of challenge – for example, it deviates from most TD/RTS games in the sense that there’s no recharging time for each unit: a simple, yet effective stumbling block in the deployment of units. More lanes in the higher levels would also be a good addition. The slider controls need some minor tweaking so it’s easier to monitor unit deployment – highlighting the unit deployed to confirm that the slug has been sent out to the queue will minimize confusion and make queue management a lot easier.

There’s no option yet to upgrade units and weapons, as well as power ups, more obstacles and additional twists to the gameplay. The developers have promised to incorporate user feedback and I am looking forward to a massive update. In this update, I hope to see Open Feint and social media integration, as well as achievements to be unlocked.

Overall, Slug Wars has a huge potential to become a breakout TD/RTS game with some enhancements and updates. As it is, it’s definitely a game worth having and the continuous updates worth waiting for.

Learn more about Slug Wars for iPhone and iPod touch in the App Store

This is far from the first time we’ve seen waterproof housing for iPods and iPhones, but often they come in the form of a hardshell case that you can technically strap to your arm in such a manner that’s not exactly flexible in the water. The latest products from H2O Audio seek to push the evolution with a true softbody waterproof armband for iPhone and iPod touch, a new set of waterproof earbuds that ratchet up the audio quality, and a waterproof iPod shuffle housing with built-in earbuds that straps itself to the back of your head.

Because it’s the most novel and because surprisingly enough it turned out to be the most practical of the bunch, we’ll start with the Interval for iPod shuffle. Setup is simple enough: pry open the watertight lid on the housing, insert the shuffle, snap it shut, and attach it to your swim goggles – yes, this product is designed for use with swim goggles – the photos of Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin on the front may have given that away (the company does offer another shuffle product that doesn’t require goggles; this one is designed for real swimmers, not pool waders). The earbud cables extend several inches out from the housing, long enough to reach the ears of even large-headed users. The in-ear earbuds turn out to have an audio which roughly matches the top $50 non-waterproof earbuds I’ve tested, just for a reference point; obviously you’d expect to pay more for waterproof functionality, so this product’s $99 price tag (including the shuffle housing and the built in earbuds) seems like something of a bargain. Three buttons on the top of the shuffle housing replicate the functionality that is typically built into shuffle earbud cables. This means that you do have to reach behind your head in order to adjust the volume or pause the music, but the three buttons are fairly large and well spaced enough that hitting the right isn’t a problem even despite not being able to see what you’re doing. And yes, the earbuds actually are waterproof: although there was no nearby pool or ocean to test them in, a combination of showering while wearing the product and then leaving the entire apparatus submerged in the sink while playing for about an hour sufficiently confirmed that fact to my mind. Much as I don’t like to give out five-star ratings more than occasionally, the H2O Interval for iPod shuffle has earned one.

For those users sporting larger devices, H2O’s Amphibx for iPhone, iPod touch and iPod classic (also available in a separate model for iPod nano, not tested) seeks to offer the same experience by placing your iPhone or iPod on your arm. Here things get more complicated, as you’re talking about sealing the device into a waterproof housing that still allows you to access its controls through a sheet of clear plastic, and in the case of the iPhone and iPod touch, attempting to use a multitouch interface through said plastic. I found that inserting and removing the device from the Amphibx was anything but easy, as you’re sliding the device through a side pocket in such a way that requires being fleet of fingertips, which I’m not. Even after I got it in there and sealed it up, I couldn’t get the iPhone’s home button to remain more than halfway accessible through the plastic; I never would have guessed that that would be a problem, while doing multitouch gestures on the iPhone’s screen through the plastic wouldn’t be. Once I put the product on my arm I found it to be comfortable from a feel standpoint, but overbearing for my weakling arms from a weight standpoint (I’ve tested a number of iPhone armbands over the years, and this one weighs a lot).

Despite those complaints it’s still a well done product generally – I just wish it were less cumbersome. When taking a triple digit priced electronics product into water, you do have to be absolutely certain that it’s sealed up well, so I never expect these housings to be too svelte to begin with. This product has got to be more practical for well-built swimmers who want to use it for doing laps than the various hard-box plastic cases strapped to an armband are, but I’m not over-the-top sold on it as a product for people who aren’t Olympic gold medalists. I give it four starts for being well done and getting a lot of things right, but I just can’t go any higher even though it does work as advertised.

Of course a waterproof housing for your iPhone or iPod doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless there are waterproof earbuds to go with it, hence H2O’s Surge Pro earbuds. In this case they’re $99 earbuds whose audio quality turned out to be just a little inferior to the top $79 non-waterproof earbuds I’ve tested, so again, you’re getting a bargain in terms of not paying too much extra for the waterproof functionality. Surprisingly enough, the come with not just the usual few sets of different-sized rubber earbud tips, but also with two pairs of foam tips. I wouldn’t have expected the foam to hold up when met with water, but that turned out fine.

These earbuds are comfortable, lightweight, and you wouldn’t even be able to identify them as being specifically waterproof if not for the oversized headphone plug that’s designed specifically to create a tight seal with the Amphibx line (for those of you who’ve gotten overexcited at the prospects, it’s probably worth reminding the obvious fact that using waterproof earbuds with an unprotected iPhone or iPod does nothing to keep your iPhone or iPod from getting wet – these earbuds are for use with waterproof device housings).

My one problem with these earbuds is that this is 2010, not 2006. The play-pause button has been part of the iPhone interface for years now, and in the past year that’s shifted to a three-button interface (including volume control) for not only the iPhone but the iPod as well. But these earbuds, despite being marketed specifically toward iPhone and iPod users, have no on-board controls at all. I’m not yet to the point where I’m going to start subtracting off from an earbud star rating due to not offering iPhone/iPod specific controls (that point will likely be reached before the year is over), but it is worth pointing out that these earbuds lack a feature that can be found on even the cheap-o earbuds that come with current iPhones and iPods in the box. So even with all that ranting, the Surge Pro still gets four and a half stars for kicking butt on audio quality, comfort and overall svelteness.

In all, even though some of these new products from H2O are more equal than others, they all serve to push the boundaries even further in the right direction when it comes to being able to use your iPod or iPhone in a practical manner while in the water.

Learn more about the Amphibx, Surge Pro, and Interval at H2OAudio.com

Here in its third decade, Macworld is still the annual epicenter of the Apple universe, in a landscape that now includes everything from the Macintosh to the iPhone and iPod to everything in between – and now the iPad as well. Next week six members of the iProng team will be on-site to cover the relevant product rollouts and happenings from hundreds of Apple-oriented exhibitors. But in the mean time, here’s the latest scoop the man in charge of Macworld himself.

Apple just announced the iPad tablet computer. What iPad-related content will you offer Macworld 2010 attendees?

Macworld is always timely in covering issues and products of importance to Apple product users. We announced our iPad Special Event a few hours after Apple’s product announcement. The event will feature Macworld’s editorial director and VP Jason Snell and a panel of pundits dissecting the new iPad’s features and meaning (from what we know about it now). It will be very informative and help people make a buying decision on this first generation product. Someone at the event will actually win an iPad that we’ll deliver as soon as it ships.

Macworld has traditionally been in early January. Why did you move it to mid-February this year?

Macworld 2010 has moved from our traditional first week of January dates to February 9-13th the based on input from exhibitors and attendees. It was a stress to exhibitors to get new products ready and deal with the logistics of planning for the show through the holidays. Similarly for many attendees, the first week of the year is typically a back to work week after having time off through the holidays. We’d heard the the input to move for years – this year, some suitable dates became available at Moscone and we were able to take advantage of the opportunity and deliver on probably our top customer request.

You’ve had a significant amount of participation from the iPhone and iPod community from the start, but the App Pavilion in the exhibit hall is new this year. What’s that all about?

Macworld is always a mirror of what’s going on in the Apple products marketplace. Obviously one of the most interesting and dynamic areas this year has been the explosive growth in iPhone and iPod touch apps. We launched the Mobile App Showcase at Macworld 2010 to be the first place where attendees can get face to face exposure to new apps – try them out and meet representatives from the companies that develop the app. In many cases, attendees will get to interact with the actual developer.  We expect to host around 100 app developers all together. It’s an exciting new addition to the show that we think people are really going to enjoy.

What have you got on tap for the conference tracks this time around?

There’s education everywhere at Macworld 2010 – our conference sessions cover a host of topics to help people get more use out of their Mac, iPhone and favorite apps. The conferences offer power user tips on using Snow Leopard, techniques to further your interest in photography and videography, how Apple technology is being used in education and small business. We’re presenting over 150 total sessions – lectures, demonstrations and panel discussions, taught by a stellar faculty of experts from around the world. We also have quite a bit of free education on the show floor, including our Music Studio where the Berklee College of music, and special guests, will be presenting how to make music with Apple technology- great content for music educators, songwriters, bands and musicians.

“Silent Bob” himself, acclaimed director/screenwriter Kevin Smith, will be one of the featured speakers. I know he’s been an iPhone user from day one, because he was standing in line with the rest of us to buy one at the Apple Store back in 2007. What can we expect from Kevin?

In a word – humor. In two words – adult humor. Kevin will be doing the Q&A format he’s made popular on his speaking tours and DVD. Anything goes, and attendees should be prepared for answers very much in the style of Kevin’s films – thoughtful, funny and often laced with the kind of language that his home state of New Jersey is known for. This will definitely be a highlight for attendees – admission is free, but lines for this will be long and it is first come, first served. Those who make it in will be treated to wit and wisdom from one of the great Apple-using storytellers of our time.

David Pogue and Leo Laporte will also be speaking. What have they got on tap for attendees?

David moves to our opening slot to deliver “Late Night with David Pogue” – even though it’s at 9am, and we look forward to David being his infamous wry, witty, entertaining and insightful self. Along with thoughts on what’s going on in the tech industry in general and the Apple market in particular, I expect a song parody or two and a few other surprises. Leo Laporte is taking over David’s old spot as the host of “Macworld Live” – a Conan-style talk show featuring guests of interest from around the technology and entertainment industries. Leo’s shared with me some of the guests he’s inviting – it’s still a surprise, but suffice it to say attendees will see some very cool people and enjoy hearing from Leo, one of the best regarding personalities in the tech world today.

There are bound to be some skeptics wondering if they should still attend Macworld 2010 now that Apple is no longer participating in trade shows. What do you say to those skeptics?

This is the new era of Macworld. For 25 years we’ve been helping product developers and users find each other in this interesting “marketplace” called Macworld. It’s part fanfest, part shopping excursion, part social networking brought to life, and part professional development university. Close to 300 companies will be exhibiting this year, many of them new to the marketplace. Additionally, the Mobile App Showcase will be the largest face to face showing of iPhone apps. All of this makes for a compelling product viewing experience. Our conferences continue to deliver timely, relevant training information to help everyone from the IT professional to the hobbyist become more proficient and get more enjoyment out of the Apple-related products. There’s really no conference environment like it in the world – putting musicians, photographers, videographers, IT professionals, educators, graphic designers, small business people, hobbyists and pro-sumers alike into a learning environment. Like interests find each other and help each other at appropriate levels, and the cross-pollination expands horizons for all involved.

And of course, our faculty is second to none – the best thinkers and doers in the Apple community sharing what they’ve learned over the past year on all things related to using Apple-products. And then there’s the social vibe, which Macworld is really kind of famous for. The impromptu conversations of people sitting in circle on the floor, the after hours get togethers, the social parties. In a world where people increasingly interact virtually, the value of a week of face to face interaction can’t be understated.

What’s the scoop on this year’s Macworld Blast Party?

Friday, Feb 12 at the Mezzanine in SF. My band, The Houserockers, will be playing and it will be a fun, crowded, dancing, socializing, blow out. Speakers, press, exhibitors and conference attendees will be there as well as several special guests who win tickets.  Lots of prizes, good company, a great time awaits!

We have several messages and announcements to share between now and the show, so interested readers should definitely follow us on Twitter and Fan the Facebook page. It’s going to be a great show – Kevin Smith, David Pogue, Leo Laporte, our outstanding conference and a show floor full of some of the most interesting and useful products to use with your Mac, iPod and iPhone. Register today!

Learn more at MacworldExpo.com • Free iMacworld iPhone app for attendees • Twitter

In my eight-plus years as an iPod and iPhone user, I’ve never had a sync cable go bad on me. Then again, I’ve never run over one with a car, either. So if you’re clumsy enough or unlucky enough or live a sufficiently adventurous traveler’s life such that you’re wearing out sync cables on a regular basis, then CableJive’s new duraSync cable might be what you’re looking for. It’s a thick, strongly padded cable that the company claims can take a heavy beating and still manage to go right on charging and syncing your iPhone or iPod.

Rather than stunt-testing the product by trying to smash it with a hammer or other such scenarios that are unlikely to happen in any kind of real world use, I instead tried whacking the duraSync with the heel of my shoe several times, on both plugs and in the middle part of the cable, to simulate the kind of repeated blunt impact that the cable might receive over the lifetime of a strenuous user. Not only did I see no visible damage, the cable functioned just fine afterwards when I used it to sync my iPhone to my computer.

I have no idea whether a product like the duraSync has a potential audience of any size, or whether it’s more of a “buy this just because you’re paranoid” kind of product. But in any case it’s available for those who think they might need it, and it does appear to hold up well when taking a bit of a beating. It’s not cheap, though.

Learn more about the CableJive duraSync at CableJive.com

Can you believe we got to talk with Rosanne Cash? Neither can I. Her new album is based on a song list her dad once gave her (Johnny Cash, maybe you’ve heard of him too), and she’s an iPhone user.

Fishbone is one of the coolest bands of the past three decades. So glad they’re interviewed in this issue. And we take an expanded look at Macworld 2010, which is just around the corner, with Paul Kent. More iPad commentary, new iPhone and iPod nano cases, and a few iPhone apps on parade: Super Monkey Ball 2, GrooveMaker and Magellan GPS.

iProng Magazine: Music. Podcasting. iPhone. iPod. iPad. Social Media. All of the above, mixed into one magazine, along with anything else worth telling you about. Hope you enjoy this issue.

Much thanks,
Bill Palmer
Editor in Chief

Read this issue now • Subscribe