Over the last few years I’ve had several iPods, they are simply a part of my life at this point and I couldn’t imagine living without one. In my car, the radio is rarely used anymore, my iPod now connects directly to my head unit and is nicely hidden away, I can scroll through the entire contents through the screen on the head unit. When I go to the gym I watch video podcasts or TV shows I want to get caught up on. For plane rides it has become essential, both to listen to music on and watch movies, as a laptop is nearly impossible to open up and watch in coach.

During this time, I’ve realized that the first thing anyone should do when they get an iPod is to get a skin to help protect against scratching and give it a bit more cushion. My first skin was from some country out near China, I really don’t recall the name, but this is going back about three years now. At the time, they were one of the only companies that offered a product that covered the touch wheel. It was nice, but the quality of plastic was such that it attracted dust and lint. If you put it in your pocket, it would come out fuzzy from the fabric lining.

About a year and a half ago I upgraded to the newer 5th generation video iPods and again went out searching for a skin. After some quick research and asking questions on forums, everyone and their mom suggested the iSkin Evo3. Point blank, this is the best skin / case you can buy for your iPod.

OK great, I’ve made my point, I really like this case, its held up with no signs of use or abuse in the last 18 months of use and several friends have bought it on my recommendations and really enjoy it as well. There is a downside to this thing though, it won’t fit in the Apple dock or any other dock for any other third party piece of hardware. All those nice looking all-in-one speaker units, like the iHome, won’t work without painfully removing the skin, which defeats the purpose. Not a super big deal for me, I can charge it without using the dock, hell Apple doesn’t even give you one for free like they used to, and I can play music through my home stereo by using the headphone jack. Still, I’ve like the idea of an iHome for the bedroom, but haven’t been able to even consider purchasing one because my iPod simply won’t fit.

Along comes a product that was, at the time, just a concept on some tech blog I read, this was close to a year ago. I signed up on their site to be notified if the product ever went into production, well it finally has. It is called the Dock Extender and is designed for iPods with skins to be able to use docking devices. It simply gives clearance by about an inch and has two thin metal supports up the back for the iPod, so it doesn’t fall backwards. Brilliant!

Admittedly, I haven’t bought one yet, I’ve got some other bills to take care of before I look at buying an iHome, but this product is a no-brainer and should have come on the market a long time ago. If anyone is using this, please leave a comment.

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