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zirconia

Where earbuds and engagement rings intersect

Zirconia isn't just for ring-shopping fiances on a budget anymore. The diamond imposter is now being used to make earphones, of all things.

Panasonic's latest buds have been made with the material because it's apparently good at reducing distortion, according to Akihabara News. Another unusual feature of the RP-HJE900 earphones--one that will undoubtedly be more noticeable--is their removable cables. It's not entirely clear why one might want those, unless you habitually bury your buds deep into the aural canal and want a breakaway safety feature.

Apple files for patent on zirconia iPhone

Ah, cubic zirconia. How would underpaid journalists get married without it?

In August, Apple filed for a patent that would protect the use of zirconia as a casing material for a number of wireless handhelds, including a certain still-unannounced-but-geez-where-is-it product: the iPhone.

Apparently, zirconia is a good material for any small device that needs to transmit radio frequency signals--like cell phones--in that it is strong enough to protect the internal components but wireless signals can still easily pass through, according to Apple's patent filing, disclosed Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office and spotted by numerous Apple … Read more