Mostly Harmless

I finally received the iSkin eVo2 for my iPod last week. The problem is that it’s not entirely compatible with the PocketDock. The eVo2 has a flap over the dock connector but the cutout is only big enough for the standard Apple dock cable, the PocketDock is considerably larger (meaning: a few millimeters).

Now, I could have taken an X-Acto knife to the silicone to create a couple of additional flaps on the sides to accommodate the PocketDock but I was concerned the flaps might be prone to tearing and, furthermore, they might be “untidy,” in general. Better to modify the plastic of the PocketDock. A simple beveling with ye old Dremel would do nicely.

A not so gentle prying apart of the PocketDock confirmed that nothing important resided in the corners of the plastic shell — so I introduced it to my Dremel’s cutting disc and lopped off the corners at a 45° angle, more or less. Some further beveling along the front and back sides with a small grinding disc made it fit like a glove. If I could find my teeny spy camera I’d take a picture… (I know the camera is in my backpack but that doesn’t make it easier to find.)

So, now that the PocketDock has been modded to fit the eVo2 I have, of course, spent the last 5 hours listening to the iPod with my ER-6 earphones in the headphone jack instead. (The ER-6i came out right after I bought mine… pity, I wouldn’t mind some extra bass. The ER-6s take some getting used to but now I can’t stand listening to my old earbuds — not that they were comfortable enough to wear for more than 30 minutes anyway. After listening to the ER-6s for a while the bass seems perfectly normal, BTW.)

If I had one of these I could use the ER-6s and the PocketDock at the same time. That’d be swell. But I’d need a utility belt to carry that headphone amp along with my iPod, cell phone, and pager.