So you bought an iPod. It's cool and you love the way the interface works, the quality of the sound, how much storage you have for music and audio books, and the way you can use it like a flash drive. Wait. You didn't know you could store stuff besides music on there? Just open up your iPod on your computer the way you would a data CD and drag and drop, baby.

There are so many things you can do with an iPod, but you will need to get accessories for some things. If you do an Internet search for "ipod accessories" you will find millions of choices, making it really tough to just find the good things. For example, narrowing down to iPod add ons and replacement parts that are compatible with your specific hardware is almost impossible when you do such a broad search. If you want to narrow in on what will work for you, search for the model name and generation of your iPod when you start looking for accessories.

But what can you buy? For replacement parts, only the screen, battery, and headphones are really replaceable. You'll only want to replace the first two if they break (and if they break while the warrantee is still going strong, send the iPod back to the manufacturer for repair). New headphones can make a world of difference in the sound quality of your iPod, and to a point you get what you pay for. Beware audiophile garbage sites that suggest stuff that's up there with mystic incantations to improve sound, though.

There are many kinds of iPod accessories available. These include arm ban holders that you can wear during workouts, protective skins made from silicon rubber or leather, and nearly-invisible plastic films that protect the device from scratches. For years companies have offered speaker docking stations, allowing iPod owners to turn their device into a stereo system. Even car companies are following this trend, creating cars that include connections designed just for the iPod.

Remember, there are so many choices of pre-designed electronic add ons available, ranging from mileage trackers for runners to DJ mixing tables. So far, however, there does not seem to be an available GPS receiver. You might often find the best items in the store on the manufacturer's website, but you might want to check around and compare prices before you make your purchase. In your search, you might find something cool that you hadn't thought about before.

If you really want to immerse yourself in a strange world of electronic culture, search for "iPod hacking." You'll learn weird stuff like how to replace the basic operating system of the iPod with something more geek friendly, and how to replace parts of the innards to make dramatic changes in sound quality. It's not for everyone, and it's all guaranteed to void your warrantee. Have fun, but be careful.

For more information on IPOD accessories try visiting http://all-things-ipod.info, a website that specializes in providing helpful ipod tips, advice and resources to include and more.