Just as the Creative TravelSound i50 for the iPod shuffle undermined the player's most compelling feature (its size), the newly announced TravelSound i80 pounces on the iPod nano and negates its thinness. That Creative agreed to begin making iPod accessories only after Apple was forced to pay them $100 million in 2006 (lawsuit recap here) makes their "excess-ories" seem like rubbing salt into the wound. I mean, does equipping the i80 with a USB port, volume rocker, and power button justify the fact that it makes the nano about three times thicker and adds 3.2 ounces to its 1.7-ounce frame?

Thanks for joining the Made for iPod gang, guys. The speakers are really in keeping with Apple's whole "thin is in" obsession.

Due for a pre-summer release in Asia, the TravelSound i80 will carry a list price of S$129 (about $93 USD according to today's conversion rates). No word yet on when it will reach U.S. shores.

Via OhGizmo!