headsets

CES 2009 preview: Cell phones and smartphones

As the holidays approach, we're thinking about more than gift shopping and spiking the eggnog; we're thinking about CES, which looms soon after New Year's Day. Though cell phones tend to play a supporting role at CES, I guarantee that we'll see a few new handsets debuting. Of course, Apple always shuns the event for its own Macworld--it runs the same week as CES--but most of the major players will be in Sin City. Since most announcements are shrouded in secrecy until the show opens, we don't have anything firm to report just yet. But … Read more

V-moda Vibe II: fashion-forward, bass-heavy earphones for your iPhone

V-moda has gained quite a reputation for its stylish, low-profile earbuds. The good word has been helped along by the fact that these 'phones are not just lookers, but they offer impressive sound quality as well. The latest model to be pumped out of the V-moda factory, the Vibe II, is no exception. This $128 pair offers: solid sound quality; a sleek design with a unique cable and a built-in mic for use with the iPhone and other music phones; and an updated plug housing that's designed to withstand more wear and tear than previous models. Just make sure … Read more

Radius Atomic Bass earphones for iPhone offer improved style and sound

The iPhone is a great multimedia device, but it's not perfect. One of the most glaring oversights for this music phone is the lack of stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) compatibility. As a result, you're limited to clunky adapters or wired headsets if you want to enjoy music and conversation to the fullest.

Now, you can count on another wired option from Radius, the Atomic Bass earphones for iPhone. These headphones will only set you back about 50 bucks, and they retain the built-in mic found on the set included with the phone while offering improved audio and comfort. In … Read more

Aliph introduces accessories for the Jawbone

Accessories for a Bluetooth headset may seem a little much, but Aliph has recently announced a few new add-ons to its popular Aliph Jawbone 2 Bluetooth headset. First, it addresses a few complaints about the Jawbone 2 fit with these new fit earbuds. These rubber ear cushions come with an additional rubber loop made to fit securely within the folds of the outer ear, so you won't need the Jawbone ear hook any more. Aliph also claims that these new ear cushions will make it easier for consumers to place the Voice Activity Sensor correctly.

Next is the Jawbone … Read more

Nikon debuts hands-free media center for your head

Has Nikon gone into the portable entertainment space? Come December 12, the camera manufacturer will be unleashing two multimedia playback headsets that mark its entry into a brand new genre.

The Media Port UP 300 (4GB) and the higher-performance 300X (8GB) work in tandem with Apple iPods and come with built-in Wi-Fi capability. Demo corners have apparently been set up in Tokyo for passersby to try out the headgear, which comes with a built-in screen for video playback/streaming and Web surfing. If this smacks of the Apple-friendly Myvu Crystal video playback glasses, you're not far wrong.

Despite this … Read more

Cut the cord with $19.99 stereo Bluetooth headset

Grumble, grumble. I was going to post about the Asus Eee PC 900a that Best Buy is selling for $299, but fellow CNET blogger Michael Horowitz beat me to it. (Still waiting to learn what Netbooks have to do with "defensive computing," Michael. Ahem.)

Instead, let's revisit the Jabra BT8010, a stereo Bluetooth headset that TigerDirect has on sale for $19.99. I've covered it before: CNET rated it four stars out of five for its convertible design, OLED display, and music-playback features.

During business hours, the BT8010 functions as a fairly standard headset, albeit one … Read more

Talk hands-free with $20 Samsung Bluetooth headset

Still holding your cell phone to your ear? How 20th century. With a Bluetooth headset, you can leave your phone in your pocket--and walk around looking as if you're talking to yourself. Car Toys has the Samsung WEP200 Bluetooth headset for just $19.99, plus a ridiculously reasonable $1.95 for UPS shipping.

The WEP200 is a couple of years old, but even by today's standards, it's impressively compact. As noted in CNET's review (and the First Look video up above), it fits comfortably in the ear and has good controls, good sound quality, and a … Read more

Motorola reveals two new Bluetooth headsets

Motorola announced two new Bluetooth headsets Thursday, namely the Motorola Pure H15 and the Motorola H780.

The Pure H15 (code name Adonis) is the star of the show with a compact and lightweight design along with a flip boom mic, which we haven't seen in a lot of headsets. The flip also acts as a power switch of sorts--open it to talk and close it to conserve battery life. Even though both headsets come with CrystalTalk technology that enhances voice clarity, the H15 takes it a step further with background noise cancellation.

Both the H15 and the H780 have … Read more

Plantronics reveals the Voyager 835

In an effort to keep up with the Joneses in the Bluetooth headset world, Plantronics is revealing its first-ever dual-microphone headset, dubbed the Voyager 835. Dual-microphone headsets are typically used to enhance your voice while keeping the surrounding background noise down. Some of our favorite headsets, including the Aliph Jawbone 2 and the BlueAnt V1, utilize this technology to boost outgoing audio quality.

The Voyager 835 is definitely designed for the mobile professional with its no-nonsense look and feel. It's not as flashy and feature-rich as other headsets in its category, but it still delivered good audio quality with … Read more

Battle of the wireless headsets

We recently took a look at two new wireless headsets available on the market and pitted them against one another. The Creative Digital Wireless Gaming headset HS-1200 and the Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless headset both offer similar functionality, but only one can be worth your hard-earned cash.

Both the Creative and Logitech are rechargeable units that use USB dongles to transmit audio to their respective headset. However, we were much happier with the transmission radius of the Creative. The Logitech gave us up to 20 feet of freedom, but the Creative was able to let us travel up to 60 feet away from our PC. This was especially nice while using the VoIP chatting program Skype.

Speaking of Skype,… Read more