Hay River (Feb 28/05) - So you've got your iPod, Palm Pilot and/or cellphone. What now?

Well, the technological fun doesn't end there, as there are a variety of accessories for those modern gadgets.

An iPod is Apple Computer's market-leading small digital music player.

Kevin Woolley of Hay River, holds an iRiver digital music player. Quality headphones add to the thrill. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Kevin Woolley, a salesperson at Radio Shack in Hay River, says headphones/earphones are the first accessory people seek for iPods or other digital players, such as the iRiver.

"They really leave it up to you to get a good set of headphones," Woolley says.

"They'll give you a little in-ear type to get you going."

Those supplied earphones sound OK, he says, but other earphones/headphones are available with prices ranging from about $15 to $300.

"A close second is vehicle attachments," Woolley says, explaining they can feed the music into a car's sound system.

There is even a device called iTrip, which can emit a low-powered FM signal from a digital player which can be picked up by a vehicle's FM radio. It sells for about $80.

Aside from that, people buy carrying cases, including arm bands for the players to allow easy walking or exercising. However, Woolley says not many accessories are needed. "It's really almost a self-contained product."

As for Palm Pilots and other PDAs (personal digital assistants), Woolley says the major addition is extra memory storage.

"Most people go for storage and a case and that's about it," he says.

Craig Kovatch, the manager of Superior Sound in Hay River, says the main accessory for a cellphone, aside from a carrying case, is a charger to plug into a car's cigarette lighter outlet. They cost about $40 each.

They are particularly popular in communities like Hay River and Fort Smith, which operate on analogue systems. There, a cellphone will last about five hours between rechargings, while in a digital system, such as in Yellowknife, they can go about two days.

Kovatch says desk-top chargers are also fairly popular. They cost about $70.

A high capacity battery is also a popular upgrade, says Kovatch, noting they sell for about $100.

Some people also occasionally require replacement antennas, at about $30 each, he notes.

Something new is an amplifier and antenna that can extend the range of cellphones. Depending on terrain, such amplifiers can mean about a 50 per cent increase in range.