Belkin SportCommand – A Giant Remote for Your iPod

The Belkin SportCommand is a neat addition to the already impressive range of accessories developed around the iPod. It is a simple yet necessary invention – basically a remote to operate your iPod in conditions where you’d feel better with the iPod safe inside your backpack or jacket pocket rather than in your hands. Thus, the gadget nicely fills the niche for a device that could enable the sporty types to listen to their iPod while cycling, rappelling, mountain climbing or trekking.

The gadget is essentially a remote control inside a weatherproof and water resistant fabric armband which allows you to manipulate the iPod via a small transmitter that can be attached to the iPod’s dock connector. The receiver dongle carrying the transmitter is a flexible piece which does not take much space once plugged into the iPod. Sturdy Velcro ensures that the SportCommand for iPod stays fastened to your arm while the oversized buttons are hard to miss thus ensuring easy control of volume, playlist, etc. The layout of the buttons is such that they can be used without having to see them. No worries even if you’re wearing gloves, you can nicely manage the remote.

The Belkin SportCommand kit comes with the remote and its battery, a dongle to be plugged into the dock port of the iPod, a carabiner to attach the gadget to a loop on the backpack, and extra Velcro straps. 30 seconds of inactivity turns off the SportCommand thereby saving battery.

The device costs $79.99 if purchased from the Belkin website. It is compatible with iPods from the the 4th generation onwards; this includes the Nano.