2009's Sixteen Best iPod + iPhone Products Announced by iLounge

SEATTLE, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinciding with the release of the 2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide, iLounge.com's sixth annual guide to Apple's top media players, accessories, and software, the editors of iLounge proudly announce the winners of the prestigious iPod + iPhone Best of the Year Awards. From cases to speakers, games and applications, the Awards spotlight top picks across major Apple hardware and software categories, and were selected by iLounge's editors without any influence from advertisers, Apple, or other interests. Recipients were selected purely on the basis of merit from thousands of candidates, and represent the outstanding efforts of small and large developers from a variety of different countries.

"The past year has seen a tidal wave of new releases, particularly new games and iPhone applications," explained Jeremy Horwitz, Editor-in-Chief of iLounge and the Buyers' Guide. "Our selections this year focused on truly excellent, standout products that exemplified thoughtful design, great features, and fair pricing."

Best of the Year Award winners include:

* Speck Products' CandyShell, selected as 2009 Accessory of the Year and iPhone 3G/3GS Case of the Year.

* iHome, selected as 2009 Accessory Maker of the Year, and for iPod/iPhone Speaker of the Year - iP1 Studio Series.

* Gameloft, selected as 2009 iPod/iPhone Game Developer of the Year, and for iPhone/iPod touch Game of the Year - Modern Combat: Sandstorm.

* Facebook, selected as 2009 Application Developer of the Year, and for iPhone/iPod touch Application of the Year - Facebook.

* SwitchEasy, selected for 2009 iPod nano Case of the Year - CapsuleThins, and for 2009 iPod classic Case of the Year - CapsuleClassic.

Single editorially-selected Award recipients include Apple, Core Cases, DLO, Elgato Systems, Griffin Technology, iVoice, Memorex, Scosche, Square Enix, and Ultimate Ears. Separately, iLounge's Readers' Choice Awards saw thousands of readers pick winners in four categories: including Apple Digital Media Product of the Year (iPhone 3GS), Accessory Maker of the Year (iHome), iPod/iPhone Game Developer of the Year (Tapulous), and iPod/iPhone Application Developer of the Year (Facebook). For full details on the winners, runners-up, and ratings of thousands of other accessories and applications, download the 2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide, available immediately for free from http://www.ilounge.com/2010bg/ .

With offices in Seattle, Washington and East Amherst, New York, iLounge Inc. is the world's leading provider of iPod, iPhone, and iTunes information, fully independent of Apple Inc. and vendors of related hardware, software, and services. iLounge is the exclusive partner of the Consumer Electronics Association for the iLounge Pavilion, a unified exhibition area for iPod, iPhone, and Mac-related products at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Founded only days after Apple announced the first iPod in 2001, iLounge has exploded in popularity, today boasting millions of visitors and tens of millions of page views each month. Its editorial content is in no way influenced by advertising, paid placements, or other unsavory practices. iLounge has been hailed by publications such as Forbes, Time Magazine, cNet, and The Wall Street Journal as the leader in iPod-related information online, the former deeming iLounge "the ultimate in product reviews and tutorials on all things iPod." The site, its publisher and editors have been spotlighted by the Associated Press, CNBC, The Guardian (UK), Italian Vogue, The Los Angeles Times, National Post (Canada), The New York Times, PC Magazine, Reuters, Stuff (UK), TechTV and more.