I have yet to delve too deeply into the actual exercise functions of this thing--while I did wear it during my work out, last night, my routine generally consists of a two-mile run on the treadmill, and thus most of the actual workout features were rendered a bit moot--I will, however echo the call for a heart rate monitor on this bad boy.

In terms of actual exercise features, I'd be loath to recommend the i-Control over the fuller-featured Nike + iPod Sport Kit, which features better iPod integration, a pedometer, and clocks in at a fraction of the $125 price. However, whereas the Nike kit only works with the nano, the Ironman can also connect to standard 5G iPods (and iPhones in airplane mode), via a wireless dongle that connects to the port of the bottom of the player. Of course, Apple doesn't really recommend running around with a 5G on your person, due to the potential skippage, thanks to movable parts inside.

The iPod controls themselves aren't really enough reason to justify the purchase of the Ironman--save for the initial novelty of being able to control your iPod from watch (and, naturally, showing said fact off to everyone you bump into on the street)--there's no real benefit of having controls on your wrist, rather than, say, on your ear, via a pair of Bluetooth headphones, which afford you the added luxury of being able to toss the device in your backpack. Until Timex introduces a watch with a display on it, and controls that go beyond Pause/Play, volume, and track forward/back, the Ironman's iPod capabilities are rather limited.

I will say this: I underestimated the handiness of being able to control my iPod's volume from the watch. It's a convenient feature, when entering different environments, like, say, getting out of a subway station, or getting on an elevator. Play/Pause is cool too, but it's a bit of a shame that you can't actually turn the iPod off, by holding down the button. I utilized the track skip button a bit, but without fast-forward/rewind features and menu/track display capabilities, my fickle music-listening tendencies still had me pulling my iPod out my pocket fairly often.

The buttons take a bit of getting used to--save for Play/Pause, the buttons are standard watch-size, and often take a few presses to trigger, when familiarizing yourself with device. The Play/Pause and Track Back buttons also have workout features attached to them, so from time to time, I found myself triggering laps, when all I want to do was hear a song again.

Perhaps I'm being a bit too hard on the device. In terms of workout features and as a standard watch, the Ironman delivers just fine--when it comes to iPod integration, however, while certain features were handy, it's hard not to view the overall package as something of a missed opportunity.