Product purpose: The WaterField iPod Hi-Fi Speaker Case is a play-through carrying bag for the iPod Hi-Fi.

Positives: Fully protects and fully disguises iPod Hi-Fi when not in use. Front flap opens to reveal Hi-Fi's dock and volume controls, as well as an opening for the speakers to play through. Several storage pockets, including pouch for remote. Opening on back for power port and audio-in port. Includes detachable handle and shoulder strap. Choice of three colors.

Concerns: Hi-Fi must be removed from Speaker Case in order to install new batteries.

Pricing and availability: currently available from WaterField Designs for $149.00.

Company website: SFbags.com

Works with: iPod Hi-Fi

In detail:

Various members of the iPod Garage staff have expressed the opinion that Apple's new iPod Hi-Fi speaker system may grow to become a platform of its own, and there's no better evidence of that than the Waterfield Designs iPod Hi-Fi Speaker Case. Here in 2006 it seems that even the iPod accessories now have their own accessories. Sure, we've seen travel bags for iPod speaker systems before, but this is different. Far from merely being a tote bag, the Speaker Case is designed to allow the iPod Hi-Fi to operate while it's still inside the case.

Adopting the rectangular shape of the Hi-Fi itself, the Speaker Case features a flap which seals with velcro to cover the entire top and front surfaces of the case. With the flap fully open and two zippers undone, the iPod Hi-Fi is inserted into the top of the Speaker Case so that its three frontside speakers are exposed through an oval-shaped opening. Close the top two zippers, and just enough of the Hi-Fi's top is exposed to make the iPod dock and volume controls accessible.

The idea here is that once you place the Hi-Fi inside the case, you may never need to remove it. Open the main flap to insert your iPod and play your music, close the flap while the unit is in transit. And rather than simply hanging freely when opened, the flap folds in on itself so that it can be tucked into the backside of the case. A small hidden opening on the back of the Case provides access to the power port and audio-in port when needed. The only time you'll need to remove the Hi-Fi is to insert new batteries.

For $150 you'd expect them to think of everything, and they more or less have. Included are an attachable handle and shoulder strap, both of which clip onto the Case at two points, giving you a pair of well-balanced carrying options. Because the Hi-Fi weighs seventeen pounds and it's conceivable that you'd want to switch back and forth between the two options with some degree of regularity, the Case is designed so that both the handle and the shoulder strap can be attached at the same time, making it easy to go back and forth at will.

The Speaker Case features five pockets in all. The velcro pockets on each side of the case are easy to spot, and include padded pouches inside for any size iPod, the Hi-Fi's remote and other small items. The two flaps on either side of the iPod dock also turn out to be pockets, and finally the entire top surface of the flap itself turns out to be a zippered pocket. While these pockets all combine to provide plenty of carrying space, the each add little to no bulk to the overall Case when empty. The only potential concern we could come up with is the fact that you do need to remove the Hi-Fi from the bag in order to replace the batteries. But we can't help but feel that we're being overly picky by complaining about this, and in fact it's a complete non-issue for those users who strictly use the power cable.

Waterfield Designs has essentially created the perfect companion for the iPod Hi-Fi. There will be those who will argue that the Hi-Fi with its pair of built-in handles doesn't need a carrying case, but the Speaker Case upgrades the Hi-Fi from being fairly easy to move around the house, to being extremely easy to take anywhere with you - and it keeps the Hi-Fi protected from the elements as well as rather thoroughly disguised to potential thieves. One hundred and fifty dollars may be a lot of money for a carrying case, even one done as well as this one, but we expect that anyone who can afford the iPod Hi-Fi can probably afford the iPod Hi-Fi Speaker Case as well.