MIT grad Limor Fried decided to build an MP3 player using an Altoids tin as the case. The player is the latest in a line of electronic devices that make use of the tins, according to an Altoids marketing representative.

"Altoids tins were originally used for shortwave radios," said Chris Peddy, marketing director at Callard & Bowser-Suchard, which makes Altoids. "So way before the iPod, people were finding creative ways to use the tin."

"Ham radio operators have been using tin boxes for a long time," says Limor Fried. "They block electromagnetic interference, and it’s protected from spurious RF waves."

Make your own iPod

You could get a sandisk 1gig flash drive and its SanDisk Cruzer Micro Companion MP3 Player attachment for around $100 total or less and stick it in this tin.

Then just pickup more 1gig flash drives for around $20 to $30 right now and store them in the tin as well for easy switch out.

Could even store the headphones in the tin along with everything else and it would look like all you have is a tin of Altoids.