One of the best iPhone accessories that I have reviewed and gotten the most use out of has been the original Mophie Juice Pack. It is the perfect companion on long trips such as flights and car rides. My main issue with it was it did not totally cover the iPhone 3G causing it to ruin the aesthetic appearance of Apple’s sleek phone and it was bulky. Thankfully Mophie resolved that issue by housing a rechargeable 1200mAh lithium polymer battery inside of a form fitting iPhone 3G case. With the release of the Mophie Juice Pack Air the user is able to carry a spare battery and a case all in one.

The earlier Juice Pack was on all the time, for this newer model Mophie also included an on/off switch for the battery; so you are not left wondering if the iPhone is being charged. The four LED charge status lights found on the original Juice Pack are still found on the back of the Mophie Juice Pack Air. Now you can carry an iPhone 3G with three times the battery capacity, all in a protective hard shell case.

Like the previous version for earlier iPhones, the Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4 comes with a USB-to-micro USB cable that is used for syncing and charging the case. The four LEDs that are used to indicate the amount of charge in the battery pack are still there, but have moved to the bottom of the case from the back — I’m speculating that this was done to make the case thinner.

The older Juice Pack seemed somewhat flimsy to me, but the iPhone 4 edition seems to have been designed with more strength in mind. The case has a silver-colored band around the side to mimic the iPhone 4′s stainless steel antenna, and comes in either black, red or white plastic. Installing the case is a cinch: you slide off the top of the case, slide in the iPhone 4 dock connector first, and then slide the top of the case onto the top of the iPhone. The weight of my “naked” iPhone 4 is 4.9 ounces (139 grams); the Juice Pack Air brought the total weight up to 7.3 ounces (207 grams).

Music specialist IK Multimedia has created the AmpliTube iRig to allow a guitar to be attached directly to an Apple-branded product. A single adaptor handles the guitar input and plugs directly into the smartphone using the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The strumming of a guitar can then be played back through a speaker or enjoyed more personally by plugging headphones into the iRig itself. Given its function, the adaptor is surprisingly small and its jack is also thin enough to fit into the headphone slot even if an iPhone is buried in a thick case.

The iRig in itself is a very simple item. Essentially, it allows you to plug a mono 1/4″ jack (from your guitar / bass / keyboard / instrument) into your iPhone, and then take the output via stereo 1/8″ mini-jack to your external source (headphones, powered speakers, mixer, or an amp). However, depending on your PA or mixer, and we expect most amps, you’ll need a 1/8″ mini-jack to a 1/4″ jack converter lead so you can plug it in.

Small in size and sturdy in feel, the iRig will fit right in with your other cables and patch leads. Similar to your “built like a tank” pedal case, the iRig will have no problem being chucked around with the rest of your gear. If anything, you’ll be trying to find the misplaced thing much like your mysteriously vanishing capo 20 minutes after you should have left for the gig.

AmpliTube iRig is an instrument adapter specially designed for iDevices. It takes your guitar, bass or other 1/4 inch input and converts it to a format that is optimal for an iDevice line in. The iRig plugs you guitar into your iDevice’s headphone jack, and still allows you to connect your headphones. One side gets the instrument in, and the other has an output. You could also use this as a line out to an amp or PA system. It looks pretty simple, but it’s more complicated than just a 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch adapter. IK Multimedia says that the iRig not only converts a guitar or bass cable to the standard 1/8 inch cable format, it also shapes the signal to best take advantage of an iDevice headphone port. If you used a standard 1/4 to 1/8 inch adapter, you’d get pretty crappy results.

The Altec Lansing inMotion IM9 is the latest in Altec Lansing’s now enormous line of iPod speakers. Dubbed the SUV of the line, this ruggedized iPod speaker/dock runs off of AC power or four C batteries. The perfect shape to toss into a backpack, it has enough oomph in the low end to avoid sounding tinny outside.

It’s also powerful enough for nearby listening outdoors and in small rooms indoors, though it does tend to distort the closer you get to maximum volume. The accessory bundle includes a pretty hip-looking mini backpack that has a few pockets for extra stuff. Given its price, however, I would have liked more responsive controls and less distortion when you get near top volume.

Measuring 7.8 by 11 by 3 inches (HWD) and weighing about 4 pounds without batteries, this rectangular-shaped speaker/dock consists of two tweeters and two woofers covered by a sturdy metal grille. The ruggedized black shell is made of a combination of plastic and hard rubber, which protects against bumps and scrapes (though keep in mind that the speaker drivers can still be damaged by excessive jarring motions). An eject button on the top of the unit releases a carriage that holds any iPod equipped with a dock connector. Several adapters for different iPod models are included. There’s also the same ratchet mechanism that the Altec Lansing inMotion IM7 has for ensuring a snug fit, though the iPod nano adapter didn’t quite keep my nano from moving around a bit. Other buttons along the top include power and volume controls. The volume controls don’t give you any tactile feedback and aren’t as responsive as they should be, but for the most part the speaker is very easy to operate.

The first thing you notice about the iM9 is its design. Instead of the gloss-white or gloss-black plastic of other inMotion models, the iM9 has a thick, matte-black plastic black, a black metal speaker grill on the front, and—most significant—thick rubber all the way around the sides, top, and bottom. Silver trim provides accents. Altec Lansing says the iM9 is “shock-resistant,” and that seems like an apt description; with the exception of Sonic Impact’s iFusion, which is built into a water-resistant, rigid case, the iM9 feels sturdier than any iPod speaker system we’ve tested.

Although smaller than Altec Lansing’s award-winning inMotion iM7 (a $250 system that’s more “transportable” than portable), the iM9 is still quite large as portable speaker systems go: a chunky 11 inches wide by almost 8 inches high by 3 inches deep. And at approximately 4 pounds with batteries, the iM9 adds some heft to a suitcase or carry-on. Perhaps recognizing this, Altec Lansing includes a custom-fitting sling backpack with the iM9. The pack holds the iM9 and a book or similar cargo in its main pocket; your iPod, the system’s AC adapter, and a few cables in a smaller front pocket; and a water bottle in a mesh side pocket. The bag also has a handle on top and a mobile-phone pocket on its shoulder strap. And although the iM9 itself doesn’t have a true handle, an indentation on the top-rear of the iM9 makes it easy enough to pick up.

Live your iPhone life to the fullest by pairing it with the extraordinary sound and intuitive convenience of the Altec Lansing T612. Made to complement iPhone’s command of the digital world, the T612 extends your iPhone’s high-end audio capabilities with beautifully transparent music reproduction. 60 Watts of power RMS (120 Watts Peak) fill the room while keeping you perfectly in touch – because with the T612 there’s no need to use “Flight Mode” while you listen to music. Instead, keep the phone turned on; when a call comes in the T612 gives priority to the call by interrupting the music.

When Altec created M602—a 14” wide, 8.2” high, and 5.4” deep silver and white plastic speaker dock with a full-width metal grille in front—it was obviously targeting Bose’s SoundDock with a similar, but slightly edgier design. T612 preserves M602’s shape, its silver top and sides, and its metal front grille, but strips out virtually all of the white and silver front and back coloration in favor of black. With the hints of its silver top and sides showing through on the front, it mimics the silver-rimmed iPhone, with the black metal grille and soft touch black rubberized plastic dominating the rest of the visual experience. T612 otherwise continues M602’s traditions: five blue lights are hidden behind the metal grille, providing a way for you to see the current volume level, while five buttons are on the unit’s top for power, volume, bass, and treble toggles. These lights and buttons perform like M602’s, while an included Infrared remote—also now black—features volume, bass, treble, and standard play/pause/track controls. Altec ships T612’s remote battery separately from the remote to avoid power drain, so you install it once you’re ready to use the system for the first time; the remote continues to work reliably from a distance of around 15 feet before commands become less predictable. The company again offers a wall mounting kit for T612 for only $3, the price of shipping and handling.

Before you look at the $199.95 Altec Lansing T612 speaker system and yawn, you should know it has an ace up its sleeve: the ability to work with an iPhone. More important, it works with the iPhone without having to switch the phone to Airplane mode—a first among docking speaker systems. Previous speaker systems either weren’t compatible with the iPhone or suffered from annoying GSM crackling. The T612 also works with iPods, of course, but merely average sound quality holds back this otherwise welcome product.

Setup is a 10-second affair: You just plug in the 8.2x14x5.4-inch (HWD) speakers and turn on the power. A plastic adapter in the dock makes the iPhone the default device, but you can remove the adapter and dock any iPod with a dock connector. The T612 charges the device while it’s resting in the dock.

You operate the T612 either by pressing buttons on top of the unit or via a small, easy-to-use remote control that lets you play or pause the music, turn the system on or off, and also adjust volume, bass, and treble settings. Altec Lansing has implemented a clever system to communicate volume, bass, and treble levels: A row of blue LEDs lies behind the speaker grille in the middle of the unit. Though they are not visible during normal operation, they briefly appear when you adjust volume, bass, or treble to show you the level of that setting. We’re happy for the visual feedback when making adjustments, and given how annoyingly bright blue LEDs can be, we’re also happy not to have to look at them all the time.

The Griffin Wave for iPhone 3G uses a unique wave lock design to create a snug fit for the iPhone and offer solid protection. The hard plastic case was unique among competitor’s offerings because instead of choosing a slide mechanism to connect the case together, it uses a front piece and a back piece to hold the iPhone. Does the Griffin Wave succeed as a case? We think so. Read on to see why.

Made of a polycarbonate material and available in Red, Pink, Orange, Green, Blue, Black, and White, I was sent the Pink version. Normally, I’m not a big fan of Pink, but I actually like this shade. The translucency reminds me of Gummy Bears. The Wave case is comprised of two parts. A bottom section and a front bezel, both of which has a soft and slightly rubberized texture.

The Wave gives access to all the major ports and buttons. It also does a good job of protecting all the sides and corners of the iPhone. The cool thing about this case is that you can buy them in packs of two. Since each case is the same, this means you can mix and match colors! So with two cases, this allows you to have 4 different combinations of tops and bottoms.