[HAK] YAPS (Yet Another Pair of Shufflephones)

IMAGE_216.jpg
Originally uploaded by jblanton.

A quick link to another pair of shufflephones which showed up on flickr.

[DIY] Altoids Battery Pack for iPod shuffle

Altoids Battery Pack
Originally uploaded by Champuru.

I thought this looked like a mix of our Altoids shuffle case and the DIY shuffle charger. See flickr for more photos and info

[HAK] Shufflephones 4.0?

20050520_213210
Originally uploaded by sivadselim.

Picked this up off flickr. Looks like we have a pint-sized hackster in the making here. More on flickr.

[$$$] Review: shuffletatus

[click for larger image in a new window]

Fred at Tatuz International (formerly shuffletatu.com) sent me over some samples of their shuffleTatu’s for review. I took a week or so to try them out and wanted to give our readers my impressions of their product.

Looks:
I was excited by the selection of different looks that were included in the package. There were 5 solid iPod mini-esque colors including pink, purple, light blue, grey, and my favorite, mint green. Others included graphics of cow spots (very Gateway-like) and the Canadian, UK, Italian, and Irish flags. I personally liked the solid colors over the graphic Tatus. I might like to see some sort of do-it-yourself printer kit so people could print their own designs perhaps with a clear layer to apply once it’s printed. On the down side I could see what seemed like tiny air pockets under the outer shiny layer of the stickers. I think this came from the adhesive used to attach the outermost layer. It wasn’t terribly noticeable but I noticed it.

Price:
At $2.49 – $2.99 a pop and with $2.75 for ground shipping I think their prices are too high. The shipping on the package with free sapmples I received (which included 10 shuffletatus) was $0.49 via USPS First Class. From years of experience doing eBay I know when people are getting charged too much for shipping. What price would I be willing to pay? I would pay $15.00 for 10 tatus if they included free shipping. Also selling them individually doesn’t seem as attractive as selling packs. Half the fun I had with the samples was switching them out for others according to my mood.

Fit:
I was surprised at how closely the stickers fit the iPod shuffle. The outside dimensions were exactly the same as the shuffle. I did notice however that no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get the circle cut out for the controls to line up. One side of the controls always seemed bumped up. I figure that the hole cut for the controls was a bit too small. It is a little complaint but it made it so the sticker never sat exactly flat.

Feel:
How do these feel? They do have a clear shiny outer layer that mimics the finish of the iPod shuffle. I noticed they had a slightly “mushy” feel to them. I think this was due to the thickness of the stickers.

Ease of Use:
I wish the packaging had at least a few instructions on how to apply them. I suppose they assume people can figure it out. I had to reapply them a couple of times to get just the exact fit.

Functionality:
I was hopeful that due to the “Post-It” like adhesive that these might be able to be applied, removed, and reapplied. I was able to successfully reapply my mint green sticker. I think with careful care you can reapply these a few times. It has to be noted that although the front and cap of the shuffle will be protected from scratches the sides and back are uncovered meaning that they can still get scratched.

Pros:
I really like the removable Post-It-like adhesive. It makes applying (and reapplying) the Tatus easy. I liked how the shuffle looked different from others shuffles.

Cons:
Overpriced. Circle opening for controls a bit too small.

Would I recommend buying them? I would say if you are looking for an easy way to differentiate your shuffle from others this is a good (if expensive) way.

All in all I give shuffletatus a 3 out of 5.

To find out more visit shuffletatu.com

UPDATE: Fred wrote in to comment on their shipping costs:

I would like to comment on pricing.
In ref to pricing on shipping the products.We charge $2.75 and that covers the package envelop, Delivery Confirmation and bubbled wrapped product to make sure the customers get the product in excellent shape and time. That does add up. It is not like place them in envelop and mail @ 49.00. Your package went the normal way due our policy toward sending samples out. With no cost to the receiver.

UPDATE 2: I gave one of the samples to a fellow shuffler and he let me know that the sticker for the non-lanyard (AKA regular) cap didn't fit right. He ended up trimming the lanyard sticker to fit the regular cap. I have not verified this but i'll check into it.

[HAK] XBOX Controller iPod shuffle Charger

Not content to sit by and watch the Playstation 2 get all the shuffle love Hoodman sent us deets on how he hacked an iPod shuffle charger into his XBOX controller. I've put his pics and instructions into a flicker photoset. For those too lazy to make the jump here are the basics: find a female USB connector, crack open the controller, solder some stuff, add some hot glue, and charge!

[link via shufflehacks on flickr]

[DIY] Make an iPod shuffle clip for 8 cents.

Matt Parker sent in a link to his page on how to make a shuffle clip for 8 cents.

I thought someone might me interested in my hack to make a clip for the iPod Shuffle. It could not be any simpler and it only costs $.79 for enough material to make 10. I only spent about 20 minutes fabricating it, why spend $20.

To build it I cut the lanyard from the supplied cap. Then I went Home Depot and bought 1 foot of white chain that is used for hanging lights from the ceiling. Then, on one link, I cut a piece from each side of the joint to make the opening big enough to fit around the cap. After this, it was just a matter using a rag to protect the finish while tightening the chain link into the holes. It looks pretty good, in my opinion. I noticed the white finish started to peel at the bends but it's not too bad.
It is still compatible with any case that supports the lanyard cap. Now I can use a carabiner, any other type of clip or my own lanyard, just like this image.

On the next version I plan to add some kind of swivel or a ring so that I can rotate the carabiner.

Can't wait until these show up on eBay for $5. 6200% profit sounds good!
[link via mattparker]

[REQ] Possible to Run Linux off an iPod Shuffle?

Photo by Dawn Endico

CJ Forbes sent in this reader request:

I had the idea of running linux from an iPod shuffle. I did a quick google seach (run linux on an iPod shuffle) but nothing came up. I then thought I'd find the answer at shufflehacks but nothing. I was wondering if you knew of any site where I could make this possible. I do not want to run linux on the iPod shuffle but from it. That means I can plug the shuffle in and I can have linux boot up from the shuffle. I am not looking for somthing like ipodlinux.org.

Anyone got any ideas? If so please post them in the comments. Off hand I think there are a few Linux distros built specifically for USB jump drives. Perhaps one of these could work. Comments anyone?

[DIY] Hand Crank Powered iPod shuffle Charger

Reader Craig brought this nifty hand powered charger hack to out attention. It is by one of our favorite blogger/hackers Phillip Torrone over at Make. Phillip writes:

Okay, this is what my friends call a "Torronesque" project. This is where I usually come up with something and build it, and it really has no purpose or usefulness- but on further inspection it's kinda neat. This is the iPod shuffle hand charger, actually recharger. There are many "crank powered" accessories floating around, so I thought I'd try a few and figure out if the iPod shuffle can be recharged with one. Well, it can, sorta. Here it is in action! I am still working out the best voltage regulator and wiring, as I figure it out, I'll post the details, I don't what to screw up everyone's shuffles. What I'd really like to do is add little power generating motors to more things. Imagine getting a little power charge everytime you press a key or open your or phone laptop, maybe it wouldn't matter that much, but multiply that by a billion people and perhaps it would...

[link via Make]

[BUZ] New Flickr Group for Shufflehacks

I've started a Flickr group for shufflehacks. For those of you who use Flickr and especially Flickr's Organizer I've created a shufflehacks group to allow you to easily share your shufflehacks. Please feel free to join the group and add hacks to the photo pool.

[HAK] Clear iPod shuffle hack

Reader Lau sent in photos of his hack involving stripping down the shuffle to it's guts and sticking them into a shuffle waterproof case. The result is simple and effective.

[DIY] Duct Tape shuffle Case (that doesn't suck)

John Spain from Tallahassee Florida procrastinated studying for his finals long enough to come up with this fine iPod shuffle case made out of duct tape. Personally I'm a sucker for anything made out of duct tape. He goes through quite a few versions. I like to see someone who is always trying to make something better. Check out all the sticky details here as well as see, as he puts it, "a crapload of pictures".