Review: What If Widgets Earbud Jack

iPod earbud cords are probably one of the most annoying things to deal with when using the device. Wrapping them around the iPod works pretty well, but then removing them can result in a tangled mess. Cases with built-in cable wraps are nice, but many don’t work with third-party products. What If Widgets has created a product, called Earbud Jack, that allows you to wrap your cables on something separate.

The idea of the $9 product is similar to Sumajin’s Smartwrap: wrap your iPod’s earbud cords around it when you’re not using them to prevent tangling, the cords from being bent too sharply, and the earbuds snagging on things in your bag or pocket. Place the earbuds over the shoulders of the small plastic character. The cords go around the feet and then wrap around the top of the head and back around the feet. Finally, the 3.5mm headphone jack goes into his hand. It’s a pretty ingenious design.

Although Earbud Jack sells for about $4 more than the comparable Smartwrap, it is a slightly different product. It’s considerably bigger, less flexible, and leaves the unwrapped cord a bit less…should we say….curly. However, it is not as bulky as the $15 earBuddy. Also, it is a bit nice that 5% of the proceeds go to hearing health organizations for when you blow out your eardrum from listening to too much “Enter Sandman”.

While in use, you can leave Earbud Jack clipped to the cord, but it can get in the way if you use your iPod while working out or running. In this case, it probably would be a good idea to put Earbud Jack in your pocket.

One other thing to note is that it tends to work best with earbuds, not over-the-ear headphones, or other such products, just because of the way thing wrap up. We used ours with a pair of Sony ‘buds and Apple’s stock set with no trouble.

In summary, Earbud Jack is a pretty interesting product, although we found ourselves getting lazy and not using it every time. If you are serious about keeping the cord of your earbuds untangled and organized, it does its job and it does it well.