This week's roundup of iOS accessories brings you new ways to dock your new phone, as well as batteries galore.

We’re still waiting for iPhone 5 docks that have Apple’s new Lightning connector built in. Instead, Belkin’s $30 Charge + Sync Dock with Audio Port uses your iPhone's own Lightning-connector cable: Just thread the cable through the Charge + Sync’s base, and it plugs into your phone’s Lightning-connector port whenever you dock the phone, letting you charge the handset and sync it with your Mac. (The dock also works with the latest iPod touch.)

A pass-through headphone plug lets you listen to headphones (or powered speakers) while your phone is docked, and you can easily remove your Lightning cable when you need to take it with you. The dock is made of plastic, but it still matches Apple’s aluminum products well.

There are a number of sub-$50 in-ear headphones available, including ultra-budget models such as the $20 Altec Lansing Muzx Mesh MZX106W ( ). However, most models in the sub-$50 price range are missing the useful inline remote/microphone module you’ll find on more-expensive models. And even among those models that do have a remote and microphone, such as the $40 Radius Atomic Bass 2 + Mic ( ), the remote itself often includes only a single (Play/Pause/Call/End) button, rather than the newer three-button style that includes volume controls. For that reason alone, the $50 iLuv iEP515 stands out—this is the least expensive three-button headset Macworld has reviewed. But the iEP515 is more intriguing when you consider that it’s frequently available for around $20, making it even less expensive than an extra set of Apple’s ubiquitous Earphones with Remote and Mic.

The iEP515 is a canalbud-style headset, which means it splits the difference in design between traditional earbuds and in-ear-canal (“canalphone”) models. (See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more details.) Since they fit partially in the ear canal, canalbuds block some external noise and aim to form an acoustic seal that improves bass performance. However, they don’t block as much sound as true in-ear-canal models, and, as with those models, getting a proper fit can be tricky; the cord can produce unwanted microphonic noise in a listener’s ear; and using the headset function can be weird due to the occlusion effect of having your ears plugged while talking.

The iEP515’s spherical earpieces have a two-layer design, with a combination of chrome-finish plastic and clear-over-chrome plastic; each earpiece sports a protruding nozzle onto which the eartips attach. The look is a little dated—Apple stopped producing clear-plastic designs long ago—but not bad, and most people won’t spend much time looking at the earpieces. A black cable exits each earpiece from a gray-plastic piece that provides a bit of cable-strain relief. The earpiece cables differ in length—the right-hand cable is longer so it can be worn behind your neck, with the main cable routed down the left side of your body. Just below the left/right cable junction is the three-button remote module, which is a little larger than most I’ve tested but has buttons that are very easy to distinguish. The cable terminates in a straight 3.5mm (1/8-inch) miniplug. The iEP515’s included accessories are minimal: gray, silicone eartips in small, medium, and large sizes, along with a shirt clip.

In use, I found the iEP515 relatively comfortable, with a shallow fit that nevertheless allows for an easy—if incomplete—seal. The iEP515 provides less isolation than most in-ears, but still enough to help you tune out ambient noise when music is playing. I did find that microphonics were loud with the iEP515, though wearing the earpieces “up” with the cables routed back over my ears helped, as did the included shirt clip. My only other ergonomic complaint is that the cord is a little short, especially if you tend to keep your iPhone or other device in your right pocket or in a bag that hangs low.

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[Editor’s note: Last week, we posted our initial hands-on impressions of Apple’s new EarPods. Now that we’ve had the EarPods for a week, we’ve expanded on those initial impressions for this formal review.]

It’s become de rigueur to describe Apple’s white earbuds as “ubiquitous” and “iconic”—and justifiably so. Not only are they almost inextricably linked to the company’s iPods and iPhones, but Apple revealed at its recent press event that it had shipped 600 million sets of the headphones, a number that almost certainly makes them the most-used piece of gear in the history of audio reproduction.

Beyond their ubiquity and iconic status, though, Apple’s earbuds have frequently been derided as offering sub-par sound. They’ve also occasionally been praised—despite their mediocre sound quality compared to higher-end headphones, it’s amazing that they sound as good as they do considering that designing good earbuds is inherently difficult. (Not to mention that Apple produces them at incredible scale and includes them with many products at no additional cost.)

Apple has clearly invested significant engineering effort in its earbuds over the years. The product’s history includes several minor revisions, including the addition of a rubberized ring to help the earphones stay in place, and an inline remote/microphone module introduced to complement the iPhone. The company has also made—with mixed results—two attempts at premium, after-market headphones: the long-discontinued $39 Apple In-Ear Headphones ( ), and the still-available, $79 dual-driver Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic ( ).

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It’s become de rigueur to describe Apple’s white earbuds as “ubiquitous” and “iconic”—and justifiably so. Not only are they almost inextricably linked to the company’s iPods and iPhones, but Apple revealed at its recent press event that it had shipped 600 million sets of the headphones, a number that almost certainly makes them the most-used piece of gear in the history of audio reproduction.

Beyond their ubiquity and iconic status, though, Apple’s earbuds have frequently been derided as offering sub-par sound. They’ve also occasionally been praised—despite their mediocre sound quality compared to higher-end headphones, it’s amazing that they sound as good as they do considering that designing good earbuds is inherently difficult, not to mention that Apple produces them at incredible scale and includes them with many products at no additional cost.

Apple has clearly invested significant engineering effort in its earbuds over the years. The product’s history includes several minor revisions, including the addition of a rubberized ring to help the earphones stay in place, and an inline remote/microphone module introduced to complement the iPhone. The company has also made two attempts at premium, after-market headphones, including the long-discontinued $39 Apple In-Ear Headphones (), and the still-available, $79 dual-driver Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic ()—with mixed results.

All of that is to say that it didn’t come as a shock when Apple introduced, alongside the iPhone 5, a completely redesigned version of its classic earbuds, the $29 Apple EarPods. (The name is a cute portmanteau of earbuds and iPod, though it’s one that’s been used before by the earPod headphone case.) Still, though Apple is known for its willingness to introduce both evolutionary updates and complete redesigns of its existing products, it’s big news in the audio world when the most pervasive earbuds of all time get replaced with something that’s purportedly much better—Apple says the EarPods have been in the works for three years and boasts that the “audio quality is so superior, they rival high-end headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more.”

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Audio manufacturer Velodyne has traditionally been known for its high-end subwoofers. Indeed, a visit to the company’s home page reveals photos of speakers designed to provide the lowest of the low frequencies in a home-audio system, ensuring that bass sounds are clearly heard (and felt). These high-quality subs include fancy features such as 18-inch drivers, servo-based woofer control, and digital equalization for room correction.

But alongside this series of nondescript black cubes, the Velodyne home page shows something very different these days: headphones. More specifically, the company’s $99 vPulse In-Ear Headphones.

Velodyne isn’t the first speaker company to turn to headphones. Klipsch, Bowers and Wilkins, PSB, Harman-Kardon, Paradigm, and Polk—not to mention Bose—have found inspiration (or perhaps have seen dollar signs) in the booming market for headphones created by the iPod, iPhone, and other portable media players that have become pervasive over the last decade.

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Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has long been a respected name in high-end audio, producing jaw-dropping “statement” products such as the Nautlius loudspeaker, applying new materials to speaker design such as diamond-coated tweeters, and placing its speakers in well-respected studios such as Abbey Road. Over the past few years, the company has expanded its focus from perfectionist, high-end audio to the general consumer electronics market—and Apple accessories in particular—with docking speaker systems such as the Zeppelin Air ( ), computer speakers such as the MM-1 ( ), and the company’s first headphone/headset, the P5 ( ). B&W recently released a second headset model—the company’s first in-ear design—the $180 C5 In-Ear Headphones. Given B&W’s history and the accolades its other Apple-focused products have received, the C5 has a lot to live up to.

Emphasis on design

With the C5, B&W opted for a canalbud-style design. Canalbuds split the difference between traditional earbuds and in-ear-canal (“canalphone”) models. They’re also usually less expensive than canalphones, but the C5 is an exception, falling squarely in canalphone price range. Since they fit partially in the ear canal, canalbuds block some external noise and aim to form an acoustic seal that improves bass performance. However, they don’t block as much sound as true in-ear-canal models, and, as with those models, getting a proper fit can be tricky, the cord can produce unwanted microphonic noise in a listener’s ear, and using the headset function can be weird due to the occlusion effect of having your ears plugged while talking. (See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more details.)

Given B&W’s tradition of striking-but-functional design and exotic or luxurious (but, again, functional) materials, it’s not surprising to find some clever touches in the C5. Each earpiece is primarily a gloss-black cylinder, with one end capped by a tungsten nozzle with a silicone eartip attached. (B&W includes one pair each of extra-small, small, medium, and large eartips.) The tips are made with a double-shot-molding process—similar to those on models from Apple, Moshi, and V-moda—that produces a thick inner core that’s easier to fit on the earpieces and keeps the tips secure. The nozzle itself is the external portion of a tube that balances the earpieces toward the ear for a more secure fit.

The opposite end of each cylinder is filled with what B&W calls a micro porous filter, a feature the company says tunes bass response, like a traditional bass port, but also enhances the spaciousness of audio. True or not, it gives the C5 a unique and stylish appearance. But the C5’s most distinctive design feature is the stiff portion of cable that exits the earpieces at a 9 o’clock position and then curves around to route through a shallow notch on the opposite side, forming a p-shaped loop. The cable is stiff but flexible, letting you resize it to fit firmly within your ear to stabilize the earpiece. If you prefer, the cable can be removed from the notch and routed downward or up and over the ear.

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When I reviewed Denon’s $50 AH-C351K ( ), I found it to be a good value for an affordable set of canalbuds, but otherwise unexciting. So when the company sent its $100 AH-C560R canalbud headset, I was curious to see what improvements a couple of years and a step up in price would yield. In Denon’s current lineup, the AH-C560R sits between the $50 AH-C360 and the $150 AH-C710, both of which omit headset functionality.

Canalbuds like the AH-C560R essentially split the difference in design and (usually) price between traditional earbuds and in-ear-canal (“canalphone”) models. (See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more details.) Since they fit partially in the ear canal, canalbuds block some external noise and aim to form an acoustic seal that improves bass performance. However, they don’t block as much sound as true in-ear-canal models, and, as with those models, getting a proper fit can be tricky, the cord can produce unwanted microphonic noise in a listener’s ear, and using the headset function can be weird due to the occlusion effect of having your ears plugged while talking.

The AH-C560R sports black earpieces with metal highlights; each eartip attaches to its earpiece at an angle. At the junction of the cables for the left and right earpieces sits a moderately sized, three-button (Volume Up, Volume Down, and Play/Pause/Call) remote with a microphone. Denon includes with the AH-C560R an ovular, semi-rigid, zippered carrying case; three pairs of silicone eartips in small, medium, and large sizes; a set of medium-sized foam Comply Tips ( ); and a shirt clip.

Although Denon’s restrained styling lacks the “luxurious” design of competitors such as V-moda, the AH-C560R’s build quality feels solid—I suspect these headphones could take a pretty good beating. Because of the angle of the eartips, the earpieces have a fairly shallow fit, which I found to be comfortable, although it didn’t feel very secure. Turning the earpieces upside-down and routing the cables over and behind my ears—an approach some canalbud vendors recommend by default—allowed for a deeper and more secure, though less comfortable, fit. (Using the Comply foam tips improved comfort.) The remote’s buttons have a stiff, satisfying action, although the buttons are identically sized and shaped—even though the volume buttons are embossed with + and - symbols, and the center button is slightly recessed, it isn’t easy to tell them apart in normal use.

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Future Sonics has been around for 20 years, and the company’s founder was making custom in-ear-canal headphones for ten years before that, making Future Sonics one of the elder statesmen of the canalphone market. The company introduced the original universal-fit Atrio ( ; $199) in 2007, but recently released the upgraded Atrio m5 Professional Earphones ($200), which use the company’s newly-developed MG7 driver (miniature speaker).

Some quick background info: canalphones typically fit snugly—and fairly deeply—in your ear canals, blocking most external noise and creating a solid acoustic seal to improve bass performance. (Canalbud designs are similar but don’t sit as deep or block as much sound. See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more info.) The downsides of canalphones are that some people find it tricky to get a proper fit, and you may hear some microphonic cable noise—bumps and scrapes of the cable that are amplified by the canalphones’ tight coupling with your ear canals.

The Atrio is set apart from most other canalphones by Future Sonics’ driver-design philosophy. Most canalbuds have moving-coil (also known as dynamic) drivers that produce strong bass but aren’t always of high quality, while most canalphones have balanced-armature drivers that generally give you better overall audio quality but don’t produce comparable bass volume unless multiple drivers are used in each earpiece. Future Sonics, on the other hand, believes in using a single, high-quality dynamic driver that the company designs and manufactures. The theory is that this approach offers the high-quality audio of balanced-armature designs but retains the simplicity and powerful bass of moving-coil designs.

The Atrio’s plastic earpieces are each shaped like an apostrophe, with the eartips at the larger, rounded end and the headphone cable exiting from the thinner end. Future Sonics provided Macworld with the Atrio Special Edition, which comes in a “chocolate” (dark brown and black) color scheme, but the Atrio is also available in black, blue, and red, as well as a blue “Roberto Alomar Hall of Fame edition.” The company’s newly eco-friendly package includes a cleaning tool, two-flange silicone eartips (one pair each of small, medium, and large sizes), and foam eartips (two pairs each—one black, one flesh-toned—of small and large sizes). Also new with this upgraded version of the Atrio is a nifty ear-shaped, zippered case (designed by fashion-accessory maker Passchal) made from recycled tires and other recycled and renewable materials.

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Creative’s $90 Sound Blaster Tactic3D Sigma is one of the best headsets to use if you want to tune out the world around you. Creative claims that the headset’s earphones let you hear sounds from multiple directions, (above, below, and around), so you feel almost fully immersed in sound environments. It does a great job at doing what it promises, though it could produce better bass, and its microphone could be less powerful.

The Tactic3D Sigma comes with high-resolution 50 mm speakers that are attached to a steel-core reinforced headband. A noise-cancelling microphone and a tangle-free flat cable are affixed to the headband. The cable has a volume control device that not only adjusts the volume of the speakers, but also controls the power of the mic. I found little problem with the design of the headset, but I did find its non-adjustable headband to be a little loose on my head. Right below the volume control device on the cord is a small clip that allows you to attach the control device to your shirt for easy volume adjustment.

Overall, the Tactic3D Sigma work well. The earphones do a great job at blocking outside noises, as I was able to listen to music, play games, and do other audio-related tasks without hearing much around me. While using the headset at a medium volume setting, I couldn’t hear my immediate desk mate’s typing or talking. Unfortunately, the earphones do almost too good a job at blocking outside noises—I suffered a bit of the occlusion effect when I talked to others around me.

I was quite pleased with the Tactic3D Sigma’s sound quality. Listening to games, music, and movie trailers, the headset does make you feel like you’re hearing sound from multiple directions. If you’re playing an RPG game and someone walks behind your character, you might actually feel like someone has actually walked behind you. If something explodes above you in the game, you might actually feel like something has exploded above you.

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Jays is a Swedish headphone company with the goal of creating strikingly designed headphones with strong audio performance at affordable prices. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a similar backstory to that of Jays’ countrymen, Nocs, makers of the NS200 ( ) I recently reviewed. However, Jays has been around longer than Nocs, and where I felt the design and performance of the $70 NS200 verged on bland, Jays’ designs have more obvious flare. Specifically, I tested the company’s $70 a-Jays Four canalbud headset and $100 t-Jays Three canalbuds.

(Three non-headset a-Jays models, the $40 a-Jays One, $50 Two, and $60 Three, offer similar designs, with sound quality and included accessories increasing with price. Likewise, the $70 t-Jays One and $90 Two are less-expensive versions of the t-Jays Three that include fewer accessories, different finishes, and variations in audio performance.)

Canalbuds like the a-Jays and t-Jays essentially split the difference in design and price between traditional earbuds and in-ear-canal (“canalphone”) models. (See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more details.) Since they fit partially in the ear canal, canalbuds block some external noise and aim to form an acoustic seal that improves bass performance. However, they don’t block as much sound as true in-ear-canal models, and, as with those models, getting a proper fit can be tricky, the cord can produce unwanted microphonic noise in a listener’s ear, and using the headset function can be weird due to the occlusion effect of having your ears plugged while talking.

a-Jays Four

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Swedish audio company Nocs was founded in 2008 by “a couple of guys addicted to Apple products” with the goal of creating headphones that match the aesthetics and performance of Apple’s own devices. The company offers three in-ear models, and I recently had the chance to test the least-expensive model, the $70 NS200 Aluminum.

Canalbuds like the NS200 essentially split the difference in design and price between traditional earbuds and in-ear-canal (“canalphone”) models. (See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more details.) Since they fit partially in the ear canal, canalbuds block some external noise and aim to form an acoustic seal that improves bass performance. However, they don’t block as much sound as true in-ear-canal models, and, as with those models, getting a proper fit can be tricky, the cord can produce unwanted microphonic noise in a listener’s ear, and using the headset function can be weird due to the occlusion effect of having your ears plugged while talking.

If Nocs’ goal is to match Apple’s design prowess, the company has certainly nailed Apple’s penchant for minimalism. However, the NS200 also lacks the drama of Apple’s designs, and I’m split on whether this makes the NS200 a great complement to Apple’s products by virtue of not upstaging them, or if the NS200 is simply plain to the point of looking generic. The NS200’s earpieces are matte-black capsules adorned with only a small Nocs logo and hosting black, silicone eartips. Black, rubbery, kevlar-reinforced cables are attached to the earpieces, with the right-hand side of this split cord sporting a simple remote/microphone module with three identically sized and shaped—and unlabeled—buttons (for volume up, play/pause/call, and volume down). The size and positioning of the buttons makes them relatively easy to identify and push, but I’d still prefer a way—such as different shapes or a raised hint on the center button—to explicitly identify which button does what.

Bundled accessories include a shirt clip; one pair each of small and large eartips; two pairs of medium tips; and a carrying pouch.

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V-Moda has a reputation for stylish headphones with thoughtful design touches and a fun, bass-heavy sound. Although the $100 Remix Remote ( ) was the chronological successor to the company’s older $120 Vibe II ( ), V-Moda’s new $130 Vibrato is the Vibe II’s direct descendent, updating that model with a three-button remote and a few minor design tweaks. Notably, the Vibrato is sold exclusively through the Apple Store.

Like its siblings, the Vibrato is a canalbud-style headset. Canalbuds essentially split the difference in design and price between traditional earbuds and in-ear-canal (“canalphone”) models. (See our in-ear-canal headphone primer for more details.) Since they fit partially in the ear canal, canalbuds block some external noise and form an acoustic seal that improves bass performance. However, they don’t block as much sound as true in-ear-canal models, and, as with those in-ear-canal models, getting a proper fit can be tricky, the cord can produce unwanted microphonic noise in a listener’s ear, and using the headset function can be weird due to the occlusion effect of having your ears plugged while talking.

The Vibrato’s jewelry-like earpieces are almost identical to those of the Vibe II, though the Vibrato combines the Vibe II’s lovely cloth-wrapped cable with the kevlar reinforcement found in the Remix. While the Vibe II’s single-button remote/microphone module was located in a chrome-like housing where the left and right cables come together, the Vibrato’s inline module is positioned more conveniently on the right-hand cable, higher up, and has been upgraded to an Apple-style three-button (Volume Up, Play/Pause, Volume Down) version. (A chrome-like housing remains at the cable junction for decorative purposes, although I find it creates a pull on the earpieces.) I mostly like the remote, and its position and housing are improvements over the modules of the Vibe II and Remix Remote. However, as with the Remix’s remote, the center button is slightly difficult to press due to the way it’s recessed between the volume buttons.

The Vibrato comes with the same stylish faux-leather case as the Vibe II and, like both previous models, includes a shirt clip and ear hooks for active use. The Vibrato’s eartips—included are extra-small, small, medium, and large sizes, in black or clear—are a new hybrid design with a stiffer core than previous V-Moda eartips. The new tips are easier to fit on the earpieces, a convenient touch that’s been used before in canalbuds from Apple and Moshi. These tips are also conveniently color-coded by size. A V-Moda representative said the new eartips were designed to be more comfortable, but I didn’t notice much difference from other V-Moda tips I’ve used, which have all been comfortable and easy to insert.

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Alongside its new iPhone and iPod models, Apple also unveiled a new set of $29 earphones.

The new product—dubbed EarPods—replaces the earphones that have been shipping with Apple’s portable devices for more than a decade.

Apple vice president of iPod, iPhone, and iOS product marketing Greg Joswiak said that Apple has shipped over 600 million sets of headphones—making 1.2 billion little speakers in the process. “Doing a great headphone is hard, because ears are really really challenging,” he said. “But you gotta make one size fit all.”

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This week’s roundup of new iOS gear offers items to make music, keep your hands warm, look at tiny things, and keep track of your Apple TV. Here are the accessories that caught our eye this week.

Bloc: Admittedly, we don’t see accessories for the Apple TV come along too often, but the $39 Bloc for Apple TV is a nice exception to the rule. It’s a wooden tray—it comes in cherry, maple, or walnut—with slots for both the Apple TV and its remote control. The device lets you create a permanent resting spot for your Apple TV, keeps the perhaps-too-small-and-light device from being pulled behind your entertainment center by heavy cables, and helps you stop losing the remote in the crevices of your couch.

DAS Concepts: Sure, you may still be healing from your last sunburn of the summer, but it’s not too early to think about keeping your hands warm and touchscreen-ready this winter. The new Concepts line of gloves can help on both fronts. The gloves in the lineup range from $15 to $25, reflecting a variety of sizes and just how cold you expect the weather to get. The thicker gloves for colder climates aren’t yet available, but the $15 varieties are ready to ship.

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This week’s roundup of new iOS accessories includes our first hint that iPhones will lead the forthcoming robot uprising. Read on for the gear that caught our eye this week.

CableJive: The $29 ProJive XLR is an adapter that lets you connect XLR microphones and mixing boards to your iPad or iPhone for recording high-quality audio. It comes with a four-foot-long cable and plugs directly into your iOS device without the need for an accompanying app—you just open an app such as GarageBand and start recording. The adapter also includes a stereo audio-out jack, so you can connect your headphones to hear the music you’re making while they’re making it.

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British high-end audio manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins only recently jumped into the headphone business, but the company is already expanding its product line—on Thursday, the company announced new Apple-compatible P3 headphones.

The $200 P3 comes in black or white, can fold up to be stowed in a hardshell case, and ships with two cables—one featuring a inline, three-button remote/microphone module for use with Apple devices. This cable allows for hands-free phone conversations and music and volume control without removing your iOS device from your pocket or bag.

Bowers & Wilkins’ announcement follows 2010's release of the $300 P5 headphones, which Macworld reviewed; the P3 is aimed at a somewhat more cost-conscious crowd than the P5. Gone are supple-leather earpads; the P3 instead has fabric ear pads, and the company says its audio components have been designed “from the ground up” for the new product. (Bowers & Wilkins also offers the $180 C5 in-ear earphones.)

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Though the International Consumer Electronics Show officially starts Tuesday, electronics and gadget makers look to get a head start on the rush of product announcements at Monday night’s Digital Experience. The annual press-only event held by tech showcase company Pepcom usually features a cavalcade of new products, some of which are of particular interest to Mac and iOS device users. We spent a few hours combing the floor and found a few Mac and iOS things that stood out.

iHealth Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor

2012 is the year of getting healthy: We couldn’t walk down a full aisle at Digital Experience without running into at least one fitness- or health-related product. iHealth demonstrated its Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor that measures your blood pressure and then sends it to an iOS app. The app gives you a reading on how normal (or dangerous) your current blood pressure is, and also lets you track your blood pressure across time. The company plans on releasing the product in summer of 2012; the price is still to be announced.

Dropcam HD

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This week's roundup of iOS accessories features the usual array of iPhone and iPad add-ons, but with a focus on gadgets that bring your MP3 collection to life.

ColorWare: Some iOS accessory makers love to give their products complicated designs and complicated names. Not ColorWare, whose $200 Wedge iPad stand is pretty much exactly what its blunt name suggests. The Wedge is a precision-machined block of aluminum, with slots cut into it to allow an iPad to be displayed at 40-, 50-, 70-, and 80-degree angles. The stand also features rubber soles to keep it from sliding around on a desk or tabletop, and each slot is lined with suede to prevent scratches to your tablet.

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Just a few short weeks after the iPad 2 was announced, it's in the wild and available for purchase. (Well, sort of.) In fact, we suspect many of you already have one in your excited paws. But those of you still contemplating the purchase are likely wondering if such an outlay will render your stash of existing accessories—for iPad, iPhone, or even iPod—obsolete. After all, when you're spending $500, $600, $700, or more on a new iPad, who wants to hand over even more for new add-ons? As we do with each new i-device, we've put the iPad 2 through the accessory wringer to see what works and what doesn't. Here's what we've found so far.

Chargers and batteries

The iPad 2 has the same dock-connector port and power requirements as the original iPad, which means that if you have a charger or battery pack specifically made for the original iPad, it should work just fine with the new model.

However, if your current charger or battery wasn't made for the iPad, the answer is a bit more complicated. As we covered last year, the iPad requires more juice than any iPhone or iPod, so power accessories made for those devices—in other words, those that don't sport the Made for iPad badge—won't charge the iPad as quickly as its own 10-Watt USB charger. High-power iPhone chargers, such as Apple's iPhone Power Adapter and some AC and auto chargers designed specifically for the iPhone, will charge the iPad more slowly, even while the iPad is in use. Other iPhone chargers and most chargers designed for iPods don't provide enough juice to charge the iPad's battery during use; you'll see the message Not charging in the iPad's menu bar. (These lower-power accessories will power the iPad during use; they just can't charge the battery at the same time. When you put the iPad to sleep, the iPad's battery will charge, but very slowly.)

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Editor's note: We've published an updated version of this article, Buying Guide: Find the Best Headphones (2012).

If you're looking to improve the audio coming from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, new headphones will do wonders. Similarly, a good set of headphones is a must-have for those times you want to listen to your Mac privately. However, the variety of styles and options is wider than ever—and the opportunities for in-person testing fewer. To help you find the perfect set of headphones, here’s the 2011 edition of our yearly buying guide: what to look (and listen) for, descriptions of the different types, and specific recommendations. (We covered speakers in our annual speakers buying guide.)

Whichever model you choose, don't forget to protect your hearing.

What to look for when shopping

Unlike with speakers, headphones don't differ much on features—you plug them in, put the earpieces on (or in) your ears, and listen. (One exception, covered below, relates to remote/headset functionality.) For the most part, the main differences between models are type, comfort, and sound quality. I cover the different types of headphones below, but here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping.

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Reader Dan G. finds listening to his MP3 player an unsatisfying experience due to variable hearing loss. He writes:

You’ve told a reader who’s deaf in one ear how to rip his tunes in mono, but I’ve never been able to find a solution to my partial—and variable—loss of hearing in one ear. I don’t want to rip my music off-balance. Is there some kind of an inline balance control I can plug into my earbuds cable? I’ve never found an MP3 player with a balance control so I’m stuck listening to my laptop. You ever try jogging with a laptop?

Doing so would require that I jog at all, and I try to leave that kind of dangerous (and ungeekish) activity to Adam Engst, so let’s just amble along at a reasonable pace, shall we?

First, I’d like to update the “rip as mono” advice. If you’re using an iPhone 3GS, a third-generation iPod touch, or an iPad, you can ask these devices to play all audio in mono. To do so, plug one of these devices into your Mac, fire up iTunes, select the device in iTunes’ Source list, and in the resulting Summary pane click the Configure Universal Access button. In the Universal Access window that appears, enable the Use Mono Audio option and click OK.

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One of the long-awaited features the iPhone 3.0 software update brings to the iPhone and iPod touch—specifically, the iPhone 3G and 3GS and the second-generation iPod touch—is Bluetooth’s Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP). A2DP lets you stream stereo audio to other devices over Bluetooth; for example, so you can listen to music and other audio through wireless headphones or speakers or a Bluetooth-equipped car audio system without having to connect any cables. We briefly covered this new functionality in our review of the iPhone 3.0 software, but here’s a more in-depth look.

I tested A2DP with an iPhone 3G, an iPhone 3GS, and a second-generation iPod touch, connecting each to two different A2DP accessories: Altec Lansing’s inMotion SoundBlade speaker system and BackBeat 903 stereo headset. Although neither device is officially Made For iPhone—no Bluetooth speakers or headphones are yet—both are standard A2DP accessories.

Pair and pair alike

You pair an A2DP accessory with your iPhone or iPod touch the same way you do a Bluetooth phone headset. One the iPhone or iPod, you launch the Settings app and go to General -> Bluetooth. Make sure Bluetooth is On, and you’ll see the “searching” indicator next to Devices. Then you put your Bluetooth accessory into pairing mode; for most accessories, this involves holding down a connection button until an LED flashes blue and red. Tap on the accessory’s name when it appears in the Devices list on your iPhone or iPod, and in a few seconds it should connect automatically. (Some accessories will require a passcode—usually 0000—when you connect; if so, a keypad will appear on the iPhone or iPod’s screen.)

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Apple’s white earbuds, included with every iPod, are pretty good as far as earbuds go. The iPhone version even features a microphone for phone calls, and a button for basic playback control. But if you’re still using those included earbuds, you’re not enjoying your iPod to its full sonic potential—a new set of headphones is probably the most rewarding iPod upgrade you can make. To help you find the perfect set, here’s a quick rundown of the different types of headphones on the market, the pros and cons of each type, and some of our favorites at various prices.

Earbuds

Earbuds, the type of headphones included with every iPod and iPhone, sit loosely in your outer ears. Although earbuds don't produce outstanding sound, they’re compact and relatively inexpensive.

Recommended Models

• Sennheiser MX 460 and MX 560 ($25 and $30, respectively);
• V-Moda Remix M-Class ($50)

In-Ear-Canal Headphones

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Sure, sure, we know: you only use your laptop for work. But on those rare occasions when you’re on the road, you’re done with the labors of the day, and you need a little diversion, that PowerBook, MacBook Pro, or iBook makes a dandy little portable entertainment center— if you had the foresight to bring along the right software and peripherals. Here’s what I recommend.

Remote Controls

Keyspan Express Remote

Take Control If you’ve got one of the new MacBook Pros, you’ve got an Apple Remote Control. If not, you’ll need a little bit of help controlling your laptop media center from a hotel-room bed. Griffin Technology’s diminutive AirClick USB (   ) is a five-button remote that comes preconfigured for many applications. Keyspan’s $60 infrared Express Remote (   ) is bulkier and comes with a USB-connected receiver; the device is extremely configurable. (A $40 model works with Front Row only, but does more than Apple’s remote.) Finally, if you’ve got a Bluetooth-capable mobile phone, Salling Software’s $24 Salling Clicker gives you the ability to use your cell phone to control (via Bluetooth) multimedia applications on your Mac, and the free MediaCentral Remote enables you to use Salling Clicker with MediaCentral.

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Apple has created a winning combination with iTunes and the iPod—products that are both fun and easy to use. But even these well-designed feats of Apple software and hardware engineering can cause a few headaches from time to time (some of the new difficulties are due to changes wrought by Tiger). Here are some problems you’re likely to encounter and how to fix them.

Sync contacts and calendars

I used to use iSync to sync my Mac’s Address Book contacts and iCal calendars with my iPod. Now that I’ve switched to Tiger, my iPod no longer shows up in iSync.

With Tiger, Apple removed syncing for iPods (but not for PDAs and cell phones) from its iSync 2.0 synchronization application and moved that functionality into iTunes. To activate synchronization of calendars and contacts with your iPod, first go to iTunes’ iPod preference pane. There you’ll find both Contacts and Calendars tabs. Within each, you can choose to enable synchronization, as well as whether to sync all contacts or calendars or just selected groups or calendars (see top screenshot). The big benefit to moving these functions into iTunes is that the information will automatically update whenever you plug in your iPod—you no longer need to remember to launch iSync and click on the Sync Devices button.

Access your protected music files

After I upgraded to Tiger, songs I had purchased from the iTunes Music Store stopped syncing with my iPod and no longer played in iTunes.

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