September 24, 2008 10:43 AM PDT
Shure SE102 earphones play nice with music phones
(Credit:
Shure)
Purists might not like it, but mobile phones and MP3 players are converging at a record pace. Even reputable professional audio companies are starting to take notice, as evidenced by Shure's latest personal earphone offering, the SE102 MPA.
The $99 sound-isolating set comes bundled with an extension cable with an inline mic and call button, so it's designed to play nice with your iPhone or other music phone. The SE102s aren't the best Shure earbuds we've laid ears on--the type and number of ear fittings is limited and audio is a bit brittle at times--but they're still a big improvement over the sets that come with most music mobiles.
For more than five years, Jasmine France has covered a variety of tech products for CNET--from scanners to keyboards to GPS devices--but she's happiest where she is now: sitting atop a pile of MP3 players, "testing" every music service known to man, and jamming a variety of earbuds in every shape and color into her absurdly small ears. E-mail Jasmine. 
