While iPod’s newest shuffle has more features than your local megaplex, one piece of functionality left by the proverbial roadside was the standard USB interface. ThoughtOut’s KEY prototype hopes to resolve some of these problems, but it’s not out yet. In the meantime, you can avoid carrying around that somewhat bulky minidock with Diatec’s new Mobile Cruizer for iPod shuffle.
Aside from the gratuitous use of a ‘z’ in the name, the Mobile Cruizer is fairly sweet. It’s a 25cm minijack to standard USB cable that’s pretty useful all by its lonesome—but lest you think that’s all the package includes, the main event is really a compact USB power adapter for the shuffle. At the moment it appears to be Japan only, though you can probably snag an import. It’ll run you ¥3,400 (~$29 for us Yanks).
[via Engadget]
