Remember the 3rd generation iPod shuffle having a proprietary control chip? You don’t have to worry about that anymore since Belkin has reverse engineered (and probably licensed it from Apple too) the in-line controller that’s integrated onto the standard 3rd generation iPod shuffle headset.

What it essentially does, is simply providing an open 3.5mm jack for you to plug in your own headphone/earphone/headset. The controls are as follows:

• Play/Pause: Single-Click
• Next track: Double-Click
• Previous track: Triple-Click
• Hear title and artist of song playing (VoiceOver): Press and hold the multifunction button
• Move between playlists (VoiceOver): Press and hold, and then release the multifunction button after you hear a tone. Click to select playlist.

The Belkin Headphone Adapter for the 3rd generation iPod shuffle (F8Z452) is priced at $19.99 and will be available in the US by the end of July 2009. The adapter will start appearing everywhere else starting mid-August.

There’s just something weird, this thing costs 25% of an iPod shuffle!

[via Belkin]