While there are some nicely done hybrid products available, there aren’t a whole lot of pure armband options on the market for use with the iPhone or iPod touch – and for a simple enough reason: how many users really want to go jogging with a device that bulky strapped to their upper arm anyway? In fact a number of iPhone and iPod touch users also keep a nano or shuffle around specifically for exercise purposes. And so the lack of demand for such an armband leads to a lack of options, which generally means far too few good options. Which is why those iPhone and iPod touch users who really do want to wear their device on their arm may view XtremeMac’s forthcoming Sportwrap as more of a relief than anything; it’s not particularly flashy and isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done well.



Neoprene is generally the most comfortable material when it comes to armbands, so it came as no surprise that the Sportwrap felt plenty comfy on my arm once I adjusted the strap to the appropriate size. And the almost-clear material over the screen is easy enough to use the touchscreen through it. I say “almost clear” though because for some reason the chosen material is a bit grainy when you look through it. Not so much a big deal, as it’s not like you’re going to be doing heavy websurfing or reading the fine print of an email while you’re jogging and your device is mounted to your arm, but the blurry screen cover did cost the Sportwrap what otherwise would have been a four and a half star rating. Of course star ratings are comparative, and so the argument for the Sportwrap is helped by the lack of competition in general.



The single biggest issue when wearing an iPhone or iPod touch on your arm remains the fact that the auto-rotation can’t be turned off during music playback, causing the device to go into and out of Cover Flow mode every time you move your arm – but that ongoing fiasco is entirely Apple’s fault. The only real thing that armband fans are likely to fault XtremeMac for is the fact that the Sportwrap isn’t yet shipping.

Learn more about the Sportwrap at XtremeMac.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Most open-face iPhone protection these days comes in the form of a shield that protects its back and sides but not its top and bottom nor the frontmost edge of its easily scratchable chrome bezel, so in that sense XtremeMac’s Tuffwrap is something of a breath of fresh air. A full blown case, the one-piece soft rubber Tuffwrap fully covers the bezel all around, along with the entirety of the iPhone’s top, bottom and sides, save for small cut-outs for the ports and controls.



But understandably, you’re probably more interested in hearing about the dizzying array of colors and color combinations that the Tuffwrap series is offered in. You can opt for anything from straight-up yellow to a blue center outlined in orange, or an all-pink design with white swirls on it. Take your pick, according to your own tastes. I’m not sure how many of the “yellow-lined pink” models XtremeMac expects to sell, but the option is there nonetheless.



Back on the practical side of things, the Tuffwrap comes with not only screen film but also a clear hard plastic stand, similar to the one Apple included with the iPod touch – but this is much larger, nearly three inches in length. In addition to being larger than it probably should be, the stand slants the iPhone back a little too far when stood up horizontally (though still stable), but works nicely when the iPhone is stood sideways for watching video. I’ve seen a few other cases come with better stands, but cases most don’t include one at all, so it’s tough to complain about the inclusion of one here.



My one complaint about the case itself is that the cut-out for the silencer switch is too small to be easily accessed, which should or shouldn’t play into your buying decision depending on how often you typically access it. The Tuffwrap is so new that it’s not yet available for order on XtremeMac’s website, and it’s unclear where each model falls within the $19-$29 suggested MSRP, so our star rating will have to wait until then.

Learn more about the Tuffwrap at XtremeMac.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Another day, another major vendor enters the “iPhone plastic shield” fray. While these one piece snap-on pieces of hardshell protection for the iPhone’s back, sides, and corners may not be much to write home about in general, at least XtremeMac was courteous enough to release theirs in a number of varieties. In addition to the clear plastic Microshield itself, the Microshield Tatu line offers a choice of three different etched patterns on clear plastic, and the Microshield Accent offers a choice of four colors rimming the edges of a smoky translucent plastic center.



These shields are, in a word, fun. They’re all see-through to varying degrees, which allows your iPhone to retain some of its identity while simultaneously being personalized. Ranging in price from $24-29, the Microshield series is significantly thicker, sturdier, and better looking than the generic $9 iPhone shields that have generally preceded it. It’s also easy to attach and remove from your iPhone, and it comes with screen film. However, my tests showed the cut-out for the silencer switch to be too small, making it tricky to access it with your fingernail – so iPhone users who frequently access that switch should probably look elsewhere.

Learn more about the Microshield at XtremeMac.com.

review by Bill Palmer

Back at Macworld Expo in January of 2008, while being given a tour of the XtremeMac booth, I spotted a super-slim iPod/iPhone alarm clock called the Luna Voyager. Excited by the prospects I asked for a demo but was told that it wasn’t a finished functioning unit. Fast forward twenty-one months, so long a span of time that XtremeMac has since become part of Imation, and the fully functioning Luna Voyager has finally arrived. And it’s even tinier than I remembered.



Which is a good thing, of course, as traveling with something like an iPod alarm clock can be a pain if it’s too large, particularly with luggage restrictions of late. Minimalistic in every sense, the Voyager only has two tiny visible buttons and a wheel, with recessed speaker grilles on each side. Not much more than an inch tall, the product looks vaguely like an external hard drive laid on its side, both in terms of size and styling. But plug it in (or pop in batteries) and the front lights up with the time of day in bright blue. Drop your iPhone or iPod into the centered dock on the top, set the alarm with a few buttons (the Voyager can automatically set the time of day by getting it from your iPhone or iPod), and you’re off to the races. You can even make a “Luna” playlist in iTunes and wake to that instead of the most recent song played.



Any iPod/iPhone alarm clock is going to necessarily draw comparisons to iHome’s leading line of similar products, and in this case I was expecting the Luna Voyager to square off directly with iHome’s similarly portable iP27 product. However, putting the two next to each other, the iP27 suddenly looks monster-sized – something of a revelation considering how many thousands of miles I’ve traveled with the iP27, and never thought of it as being oversized until now. Actually come to think of it, iHome’s earlier iH26 was smaller than the current model, but the Luna Voyager is significantly smaller than even the iH26.



With that revelation, my expectations for audio quality changed altogether. And as it turned out, my revised expectations proved to be correct. The Luna Voyager sounds merely okay. Impressive audio for its size, actually, but it’s immediately apparent how they managed to get it so small in the first place. I wouldn’t mind waking up to it every day, but the compromise comes when you consider using it for music playback during the rest of the day when you’re fully awake. Whereas the iP27 sounds (just barely) good enough to be used as an all-day speaker system while on the road, the Luna Voyager just doesn’t cut it in that department.



None of which is to distract from its appeal when it comes to its strictly intended use, which is to allow you to wake up to your own music. In my tests I found that the two buttons didn’t suffer in their ease of use due to their tininess, and the alarm fades in with a gradual volume increase, as I’d hoped it would. And the Luna Voyager manages to accomplish with two buttons and a wheel (plus two switches on the back) what it took iHome nine different buttons to pull off on the iP27. Still, I can tell you from experience that traveling with a product like this usually means that you’ll be in a hotel and looking to use it as a daytime playback device at one point in your trip or another. And the Luna Voyager doesn’t sound that much better than the middling speakers built into my laptop.



When it comes to the value proposition, the $79 Luna Voyager comes with basically nothing, whereas the $99 iP27 comes with a remote control and velcro carrying case. Pick up the Luna Voyager for its current $62 price on Amazon.com and it becomes a much better value, but the bottom line is that the product’s lone significant feature is that it’s slim and light and therefore very easy to fit into your suitcase.



I’m just not sure how many users would want to bother lugging along an iPhone alarm clock, even one this tiny, if they’re only going to get this kind of audio quality when they get there; it just has the feeling of “niche product” written all over it. That having been said, this product does one thing and does it really well, and I actually look forward to traveling with it on trips where I need to pack light or when I know I’m not going to have any idle time back at the hotel to use it for daytime music playback anyway.



I suppose I’m personally disappointed with the results because I’ve had high expectations for it the past two years, and it’s turned out to be merely mortal after all. But you’ll probably eat it up if you’re a part of the niche that the Luna Voyager is squarely aimed at.

Learn more about the Luna Voyager at XtremeMac.com.