I love this job. Almost every day cool iPod or iPhone peripherals and accessories show up on my doorstep, often without my even asking. And as often as not it's a product I hadn't yet seen and didn't know I needed.

Ear Armour by Case-Mate is a case in point. It's a small zippered case for your earbuds. There's nothing flashy about it. Other than the zipper there are no moving parts. It does exactly what it's supposed to do and includes one useful feature I hadn't thought of before -- a removable key ring. Some of my earphones come with carrying cases but none had a keyring. I like having earbuds with me at all times and this keyring thng means I never leave home without them. Sweet!

The outer shell is textured black ballistic nylon that's reinforced so your earbuds don't get crushed. I'm a big guy and the case easily withstood a crushing blow from my fanny. (In fact, my keys did more damage to my butt than my butt did to the Ear Armour case.)

Inside is a spool with cutouts at either end for the plug and earbuds. You put the buds in the center, wrap the cord around the spool, then zip it up.

I would have liked just a little bit more room between the spool and the outer shell. While the stock iPod ear buds fit just fine, some of my better earphones have slightly thicker cords and were a tight fit. And the zipper was sometimes a little balky with thicker-corded earphones.

The Bottom Line

Ear Armour is solidly constructed and feels like it will last a long time. It does what it's supposed to and the keyring is a nice touch. If you need a place for your buds to hang out, you need look no further.