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 array of compelling features for the price. Teens and tweens will no doubt be more than satisfied with this set.
Read the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds review.
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 buttons on an in-ear headset has a tendency to dislodge the earbuds. Unfortunately, although we tested the Tapster with four different devices, it never worked completely as advertised. Sigh...well, at least we got some pictures worthy of ogling.
Due out later this month, the Voyager Pro UC lists for $199.99.
(Credit: Planatronics)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 Voyager Pro UC (the UC stands for "unified communications") is also compatible with enterprise softphone applications from Avaya, Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft, and works with Google Talk, though you'll have to use your PC's mouse to answer and end calls (in other words, there are no special features geared toward Google Talk users).
In case you're wondering, you cannot pair the original Voyager Pro headset with the dongle. It's also worth noting that this "UC" version is enhanced for PC communications but should sound the same as the identically styled Voyager Pro for cell calls.
The Voyager Pro UC will be available this month and carries a list price of $199.95. For a complete list of supported softphone applications, visit www.plantronics.com/personosuite.
Anybody want one? Should we do this as a Crave giveaway of the week?
On Sale Now: $152.99
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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.
On Sale Now: $99.00 - $99.99
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On Sale Now: $79.00 - $79.99
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An Apple patent design shows what would happen if its iPod Shuffle and Bluetooth headset mated.
(Credit: United States Patent Application)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 the external device with which it is wirelessly coupled is not being used, but when the headset is nevertheless being worn. This is accomplished by integrating a media player into the wireless headset. The media player may be an audio player, capable, e.g., of playing audio files such as MPEG-3 ("MP3") files. Optionally, the media player may include a recording function as well, so that a user can record voice notes. In addition, if the external device is a telephone (mobile or landline), the availability of a recording function could make it possible for the user to record all or part of a conversation. Similarly, voicemail messages received on the user's telephone could be uploaded into the headset for later off-line playback. Media files recorded by the headset also could be downloaded to the external device.
(Via Electronista)
JayBird's Tiger Eyes are one of the better-looking choices.
Now that Apple is thoroughly touting the headphone remote capability of its various iPods, third-party headphone manufacturers are scrambling to provide products with integrated playback controls. One solution we've seen is the in-line remote cable attachment that can connect to any set of headphones, thereby letting you simply update your favorite pair.
Of course, if you need to upgrade from Apple's stock earbuds anyway, picking up a brand new model with the controls (and mic, if applicable) built-in makes more sense. There isn't a huge variety to choose from right now, but we managed to round up four sets of earphones that offer the feature.
Motorola H17
(Credit: Motorola)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.
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.
The comfy, folding Jabra Halo headset isn't 100 percent compatible with the iPhone, but it's still a worthwhile investment.
(Credit: Jabra)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 folding, over-the-ear headphones turn on when unfolded and off again when you fold them. Love that!
LEDs embedded in the headband show power, pairing, and battery status. I had an easy time pairing the Halo with an iPhone 3G and a second-gen iPod Touch.
In fact, I was able to keep both paired thanks to the headset's MultiUse technology, which supports connections to two Bluetooth devices. (A more real-world application would be pairing to your iPhone and your laptop.) Very handy.
The Halo has just two physical controls. The first is a slightly indented button in the outer face of the right earpiece; it's used to play/pause music and answer/end phone calls.
The second is a disastrously bad touch slider for controlling volume and skipping tracks (the latter done by double-tapping the top or bottom of the controller--a nearly impossible task given that you can't see where you're tapping). It's my one and only complaint with the Halo; a simple rocker control would have been vastly superior.
I have a second complaint, but it's with Apple's implementation of Bluetooth. Because there's no support (yet) for Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP), the Halo's controls are rendered partially inoperative. You can raise and lower volume, but I couldn't get play/pause or track skip to work.
These aren't deal-breakers (as noted above, these controls suck anyway), but they're definitely annoyances. For what it's worth, everything worked fine with my AVRCP-rocking Palm Pre.
On the unequivocal plus side, music sounds terrific, at least to my ears, and callers reported that I sounded just as swell. That surprised me given the Halo's lack of a visible microphone, but the headset actually has two of them--one of which cancels background noise.
Other perks include a patch cord for using the Halo with non-Bluetooth MP3 players; AC and USB charging cables (the Halo relies on a microUSB connector); and a Neoprene carrying case.
All this can be yours for $129.99, which is a pretty steep price for a headset. Shopping around, I managed to find it for $99, but even that's not an impulse-buy price.
On the other hand, if you routinely use your iPhone on a treadmill, at the gym, or even while lounging around the house, a headset like this is a very worthwhile luxury. We just need Apple to roll out some much-needed Bluetooth updates (add printer support while you're at it!) and the Jabra Halo will rank among the top products in its class (for iPhone users, that is).
Sound ID 400
(Credit: Sound ID)We've been fans of Sound ID headsets in the past, and so have many of you, so we're pleased to see the company come out with its latest and greatest headset, the Sound ID 400.
Taking the form factor of the Sound ID 300 but combining it with the high-end technology of the Sound ID SM100, the Sound ID 400 is quite possibly the company's best headset yet. It has a rather slim and nondescript appearance, but underneath that are quite a few features. They include up to three "Personal Sound" listening modes that promise to improve speech clarity without volume, and "Environmental Mode" so you don't have to take the headset off to hear sounds around you.
Last but not least, the Sound ID 400 is compatible with an optional Sound ID CompanionLink Remote Microphone. This yet-to-be-released CompanionLink device can be clipped on to a sound source--say another person--so you can hear it better. It essentially acts as a single focus hearing aid, which seems especially useful in noisy environments.
Other features include NoiseNavigation, which is the company's noise-canceling and DSP technology, and multi-point technology that lets you connect up to two devices at once. Both the Sound ID 400 and the Sound ID CompanionLink Remote Microphone will be available later this year for $129.99 and $79.99 each.
