I have a stash of cases and boxes that I rummage through whenever I have a new digital device that needs protection from the world. Most of the time, when I say to myself, "I wonder if this will fit into that?", it doesn't. Not only doesn't it fit, it's usually too big by the slimmest of margins. Ack!
So you can imagine my surprise when a new iPod shuffle, earbuds, lanyard, and instruction card fit snugly into a metal Altoids box. I put the instruction card in the bottom to serve as dual-purpose liner, and everything else goes on top. It's slick!
Aside from being well-protected, the shuffle is less likely to get heisted... that is, unless the would-be thief had an overdose of garlic for lunch.
Derrick Story is the author of The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers, The Digital Photography Companion, and Digital Photography Hacks, and coauthor of iPhoto: The Missing Manual, with David Pogue. You can follow him on Twitter or visit www.thedigitalstory.com.
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