If you're going to go through the expense of buying an iPod Touch or iPod nano, it only makes sense to pick up some protection.  Screen protection, that is.  Proporta (www.proporta.com) has come out with the Echo Mirrored Screen Protector for the Touch and the nano that is a combination of style and substance.

When the iPod's on, the Echo is great protection.  When the iPod's off, you've got a cool reflective surface that sets your player apart from the crowd.  The Echo can be removed, cleaned, and reapplied with its handy application card.  The price?  Ten bucks.

Monster has jumped ahead of the competition in an already-crowded iPod accessory market.  While there are plenty of adapters that allow you to play your iPod's music on your home stereo, the iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge (monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=4622) for iPod (quite the mouthful) is aiming to crush the competition.  On paper, the numbers are impressive.

The iSoniCast not only transmits its wireless signal at 2.4Ghz, allowing for improved sound, it also streams at 4Mbps for a significantly clearer audio experience than the competitors.  The iSoniCast is in stores now and runs for about $100.

I can almost hear Steve Jobs yelling, "To infinity, and beyond!" iPods in space have been getting a fair amount of attention in the press lately. From space agency contests to create playlists to astronauts taking iPods loaded up with songs by their kids on space flights, the iPod is going where no compressed audio file format-based playback device has gone before.

The modders out there will be happy to know that the standard iPod battery is a no-go for shuttle flights, so an alternative is used by astronauts. What's a little troubling, however, is that the iPods are not allowed on the International Space Station. They have not been cleared yet by regulators for astronaut safety, which makes you wonder what they know that we don't...

We were all impressed when Apple partnered with Nike to launch the Nike+ apparel and sneaker mod. The sneaker chip told your iPod all about your running and the iPod told Nike's website to graph it all out for you. It made us feel like Steve Austin, the Bionic Man.

Now, Apple and Nike are taking this concept a step or two further. Their partnership will be developing gym equipment that will collect even more data from your workouts and convert it into even more graphs and charts. This has gotta still cost less than a personal trainer.

Apple has finally come to a decision on whether they will allow VoIP on the iPhone. It turns out they are going for an approach they will appease both ATT and the consumers. VoIP software will be included if you use the WiFi network, but you aren't allowed to use VoIP if you're using ATT's EDGE network.

This will good news for many people out there who would like to not use their minutes or have a dedicated WiFi phone at home. It is also great for those who want to make cheap international calls. We all know those cell phone rates for international calls are out of this world. Good news, but lets see it actually happen first Apple!

This is a fair warning to all the youngings who have parents who are likely to put parental controls on their devices. To those parents, it's now your lucky day! There is strong indication that Apple is introducing Parental controls on the iPhone. This is because the newest developer version of the iPhone software has hints of it.

This is definitely interesting because it means there is a sizable demand by parents to somehow to control the device. I can understand the reasoning because the iPhone is a pretty powerful device and it could do pretty much anything. With an always connected internet connection, you can do anything anywhere. We'll see if Apple is really doing it or not.

If you're big on working out and big on the iPod, then you're in good hands. Nike and Apple will continue their partnership, but now to the gym. Awhile back, Nike released a product that connected to an iPod nano and then a chip was placed in special shoes. It would record progress to goals and other interesting information.

Nike and Apple just announced a new product but it is now with gym equipment. When certain equipment is connected to an iPod, it will record the workout information and then upload it to Nike's website. The only problem is that you'll need to convince gyms to buy new equipment, but I'm sure the trendy ones don't mind.

Did you think the Apple Stores in New York City are something special? Well, you may not know that the one in London blows those away. The one in London is housed in an amazing old building that is very well kept. It almost looks wrong that Apple has managed to secure such a space.

The store must cost a fortune to rent, but despite that, it is one of the best performing Apple stores which really says a lot about the volume of sales they have. To top it off, they are building another London Apple store just a mile away which will occupy 25,000 square feet which is only 3000 square feet smaller than the big one. It will be three stories and may outshine the original.

Apple stores have now become some sort of work of art rather than a retailer. It's hard to see how they can outdo themselves.