While smartphones and their cases tend to be neatly sleek, the earbuds and their cables are anything but. People try wrapping the buds around the phone, storing them in separate cases and winding them into little skeins, among other strategies.
The new Sound Pockets Freedom case offers a built-in compartment for storing earbuds tidily out of the way.
The case itself is simple, made of durable plastic that snaps snugly onto your iPhone 5 ($40), iPhone 4 ($35) or the iPod Touch ($35).
The back of the case has a bulbous hatch that opens on a hinge. Inside is an “earbud caddy” that organizes your Apple earbuds and cable. Pop the earbuds into the appropriate slots, wind the cable around the caddy and then clip the 3.5 mm plug into its housing for neat storage.
In the open position, the door of the storage hatch serves as a kickstand to hold the phone up in either horizontal or vertical orientation.
Cases are available in purple, pink, red, orange, blue, green, white and black. The case bodies are opaque and the hatches are translucent so you can see that your earbuds are inside.
While the case has a certain neatnik appeal, it also adds a prodigious hump to the back of your phone. The rounded bump fits comfortably in the palm of your hand when you hold it. If your goal is to have a phone that slips unnoticeably into a pocket, however, this is not your best option.
Brands other than iPhone earbuds may not fit on the caddy, but you can always just stuff them into the compartment.
The cases are available through the Sound Pockets Web site.