DLO Cool Caps

The iPod shuffle includes a white lanyard for wearing the shuffle around your neck. It’s a nice touch, but it suffers from one minor flaw: Adjusting its length involves tying a knot — it’s not adjustable. And I’ll admit to hearing a few complaints that it’s only available in boring white.

If either of these complaints sound familiar, DLO’s Cool Caps are for you. Each Cool Cap — they come in sets of five — is its own replacement lanyard, complete with securely-fitting USB cap and thin rope. However, Cool Caps differ from Apple’s lanyard cap in three ways. For one, they’re round instead of square. But more importantly, they feature adjustable ropes and come in five different color combinations:

– Dark purple cap, light purple trim, light purple rope – Orange cap, gray trim, gray rope – Light gray cap, dark gray trim, white rope – Dark aqua cap, light blue trim, light blue rope – Light green cap, green trim, iPod-mini-green rope

The Cool Cap’s laynard offers adjustable length via a spring-loaded pinch clip — press it to pull more or less rope through the clip and determine how high or low your iPod shuffle hangs around your neck. In fact, because the lanyard ropes aren’t permanently attached like the rope in Apple’s lanyard, you can mix and match ropes and caps to make your own perfect color combination (or remove the rope altogether to use the cap by itself).

Unfortunately, you can’t buy Cool Caps separately — you have to buy a set of five for $30. I understand the reasons behind this; handling and shipping costs for a $6 product wouldn’t leave much for profit. But unless you’re really into fashion, you probably won’t need all five. I recommend splitting a box of Cool Caps with a friend.

(Playlist book readers: For a review of the DLO Jam Caps, please see the separate review in our Accessories section.)–Dan Frakes