headsets

Three awesome ways to spend your holiday cash

Did Santa bring you cash this year? A big fat gift card? An unexpected work bonus? Whatever the case, you're probably primed and ready for a little splurging.

And on this one day out of the entire year, I'm going to recommend three decidedly splurge-y items. They're not necessarily deals (though I've found the best possible price for each of them); they're just items I've enjoyed myself in recent months.

1. A second monitor After years of hearing how great it is to run side-by-side monitors, I finally took the plunge. Guess what? It … Read more

How to buy a Bluetooth headset

Even though many still think wearing a Bluetooth headset is a terrible fashion statement, they're often a necessary evil if you want a hands-free cell phone solution. Besides, many Bluetooth headsets are quite stylish and discreet these days. So if you want to get a new headset for your phone this holiday season, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Sound quality: Before you start thinking about design and features, you should be looking for a headset with superior audio quality. This applies to both outgoing and incoming sound. After all, what's the point of … Read more

Skullcandy Smokin' Buds are anything but subtle

Skullcandy has made quite a name for itself in the headphone world, thanks largely to its focus on funky fashion and durable designs aimed at extreme-sports enthusiasts. Indeed, the company is known for a variety of things, and we seriously doubt you'll find subtlety among them.

If ever a product could illustrate this point, it's the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds earphones ($30), with an in-your-face name worthy of their loud design. As we've come to expect from the company's earbuds, these 'phones aren't terribly impressive in terms of sound quality, but they do offer a solid … Read more

Philips Tapster shies away from retail

Philips' sleek and unique stereo Bluetooth headset, dubbed the Tapster for its slick touch-sensitive controls, garnered early praise from press and even took home an iF Product Design Award. Sadly, the gadget will never grace retail shelves, and while Philips elected not to enlighten us as to why, I think I have an idea: it doesn't work.

Well, at least our review sample didn't. The major draw of the Tapster is the playback and volume controls, which are manipulated via light tapping and swiping on the ear modules. In theory, this is a sweet idea, because pressing tactile … Read more

Plantronics Voyager Pro UC headset designed for cell and PC calls

Plantronics trotted out a new Bluetooth headset on Monday, the Voyager Pro UC headset, which adds a plug-and-play Bluetooth USB adapter "to deliver richer wideband audio on softphones along with Voyager Pro's superior noise and wind cancellation on both mobile phones and softphones."

On the consumer front, the Voyager Pro UC is geared toward Skype users and has some firmware in the dongle that lets you answer Skype calls or swap between a cell and Skype call by simply pressing a button on the headset. Additionally, Plantronics says the dongle helps improve audio quality and range.

The … Read more

Klipsch Image S4i a great buy for iPhone owners

The Klipsch Image S4i earphones are nearly identical to their sibling, the Image S4. They not only provide the same comfortable fit and stellar sound quality, but also offer the added bonus of an integrated mic and call answer button, as well as volume controls and remote playback for the iPod. Call quality through the inline mic is solid, though not overly spectacular for a wired headset. At $99, the Image S4i costs $20 more, which is probably worth it for those with an iPhone. For more information, read our full review of the Klipsch Image S4 headphones.

Apple patents headset MP3 player

In a future where we're all walking around wondering how our iPod brain implants came to exist, historians can point back to this Apple patent application from 2008 and glimpse the missing link: an in-ear iPod.

Of course, others may see this as simply a Bluetooth headset with integrated memory and audio playback capabilities (music, voice mails). The Orwellian in me, though, is fairly certain this gadget will mark Apple's slow crawl into our skulls. Read the patent's abstract to judge for yourself:

Additional functionality in a wireless headset allows it to be used during times that … Read more

Motorola reveals H17 Bluetooth headset

Motorola has recently launched the Motorola H17 Bluetooth headset.

It's a tiny little thing and has a small flip boom mic similar in style to the Motorola H15's. It promises CrystalTalk noise-cancellation, voice prompts, several ear bud options, multipoint technology, up to five hours of talk time, and the capability to toggle the power by flipping the boom. No word on pricing yet, but it'll probably be available soon.

Sony Ericsson changing world--with instant-on headset?

Remember how Sony Ericsson was going to make it so "the way you listen to music changes forever"? Well, apparently it's doing so with a fancy headset. Really, guys?

The rumor, via DailyMobile, is that it'll be a headset that automatically starts the music when you put it on. Interesting, we guess, but not mind-blowing. We'll reserve judgment until the official announcement on September 21 (which will be Webcast), but it seems like SE should cut down on the hyperbole a little bit.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

Hands On: Jabra Halo stereo Bluetooth headset

Cords suck. That's why people who switch to Bluetooth headsets have a hard time going back to the wired kind. And once you've tried a stereo headset, well, you're spoiled for life.

Consider me spoiled. The new Jabra Halo headset cuts the cord in style, giving music and movie fans a terrific wireless listening experience while allowing chatterboxes to keep conversing.

Alas, it's not quite perfect, owing to one design flaw and one technical glitch that's actually Apple's fault.

Smart features are everywhere. For starters, the Halo has no on/off button. Rather, these … Read more