The developers and engineers at Jabra have this week unveiled a new headset aimed at the fitness-oriented going by the name Sport Wireless+. This pair of wrap-around earbuds is a second generation product after the original Jabra Sport, working here with Bluetooth technology to make their music-blasting experience wireless while the full setup has been […]
Plantronics has announced its next generation Bluetooth earbuds, the BackBeat GO 2. The earbuds are designed to meet a variety of needs, and feature a battery life of up to 10 hours. The earbuds are available for purchase as of yesterday from the company’s retail partners and online in the US, Canada, Europe, and Hong Kong. Price comes in at $79.99 USD.
The BackBeat GO 2 were designed to be usable for those who are exercising or other such activities with the use of Sweat Proof coating, offering P2i moisture protection. In addition, the fit and stabilizers have been improved over the previous generation of the earbuds, improving both the audio quality and how comfortable they are to wear.
One of the particularly nice extras that come with the GO 2 is the portable case, which includes a battery that can be pre-charged before, for example, a long trip or a day at the beach. This portable case can be used to charge the earbuds two times before it needs to be recharged, tripling the estimated life of the earphones. When used with an iPhone or iPad, there’s also a battery status meter.
In addition to the charge meter, there are also voice prompts that are played to advise the user of how much of a charge is remaining. DeepSleep hibernation mode is also featured, which shuts down the device and will maintain the battery’s charge for up to six months. The 10 hour battery life includes the two charges from the portable case; without that, it comes in at around 4.5 hours with extended listen.
Plantronics’ Senior Category Manager of Stereo Solutions Greg Miller said: “Because our lives are a blend of personal and professional engagements that span the entire day, Plantronics recognizes that headsets need to be as versatile as we are – ready to dip in and out of media consumption, phone conversations, and conference calls. The BackBeat GO 2 allows users to easily transition through their busy day without skipping a beat, losing their charge, or getting tangled in cords. It’s the indispensable companion for the always-on, connected professional and media enthusiast.”
SOURCE: Plantronics
Plantronics BackBeat GO 2 Bluetooth earbuds unveiled is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The USPTO is big on Apple patents this morning, with a new application published around earbud technology spotted by AppleInsider. Apple’s own earbud designs have been mostly underwhelming, even if the last change for the stock set that comes with iPhones and iPods was an improvement. The new patent application describes tech that could be truly game-changing, however, by adjusting earbud output to match any user’s specific ear canal size and shape.
The somewhat sci-fi patent applications describes a method that measures earbud fit based on various signals, including electrical current, acoustic indicators with a mic including signal frequency and more. The ultimate result of those evaluations would then inform the earbuds how they need to change audio delivery to compensate for a less than perfect seal, altering balance, changing equalizer settings and adjusting noise cancellation response.
In addition to changing its sound output levels to try to counteract the effects of a less-than-perfect seal, the Apple method described in the patent would also be able to alert users of the imperfect fit on their device, presumably so that they could reseat the earbud in their ear themselves. But if the compensation methods put to work to fix problems like left-to-right balance that result from bad earbud fit are good enough, users shouldn’t have to worry all that much about getting things just right, adjusting during runs or other activity or anything else to change the quality on their own.
Apple has taken a few cracks at earphones, including its in-ear variant and the latest stock earbud redesign, but it has yet to hit a home run. If this patent comes into play with shipping products, that could change everything, and the in-ear model Apple sells is definitely due for a refresh
Does your Android sound different from your iOS or WP? Perhaps a little, but each has their own quirks when it comes to audio output and hands-free kits. To that end, Jays will launch the a-JAYS Five earphones this summer with a separate version for each. The new buds will draw from the company’s experience with the a-JAYS Four, bringing its Swedish design flair along with revised ergonomics, refined sound, an updated version of its flat, tangle free cables, a new cable clip and a premium MEMS microphone. It’ll carry a three-button control setup similar to the last model, but will be optimized work differently depending on whether you have the iOS, Windows Phone or Android version — a concept the company calls “iWA.” We’re not sure if that’ll simmer down any flame wars, but you’ll be able to grab one for €90 (or $100) in black or white sometime this summer.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Wearables
Source: Jays
Back when I had time to go to the gym one of the things that seemed to happen all the time was that I would end up getting the cord to my headphones caught on some of the equipment and jerk my iPhone right out of my pocket. I always expected to pick it up with a shattered screen, but luckily that never happened. I bet I’m not the only one that has a problem with their media player falling out of the pocket when they are being active.
A new project has turned up on Kickstarter for an media player that promises to be perfect for the active user.
With the ITreq, there are no long cables to get in your way or to become tangled up on something. The entire player hangs off the back of your ear using a medical grade silicone ear hook. The enclosure itself is certified IP53 water resistant so it should handle sweat and the occasional downpour just fine.
The player has an attached earbud that sticks into your ear canal and a 3.5 mm port allowing you to run another earbud around to your other ear for stereo sound. Music is stored on MicroSD cards so you can upgrade the player to as much as 32GB of storage. It’s compatible with audio files in MP3. WMA, secure WMA V7, FLAC and Ogg Vorbis formats. Battery life is estimated at eight hours per charge.
Assuming the project hits its funding goal, a pledge of $59(USD) or more will get you your own ITreq when it ships this September.
Apple EarPods—or whatever crap headphones came with your phone—aren’t the best way to listen to music, but nice gear is expensive. You can’t blame people for not wanting to spend a lot of money on something they’re just going to lose or destroy. Well here’s a $40 alternative to garbage that’s almost certain to sound pretty good. More »
Fans of the JRR Tolkien novel series Lord of the Rings will remember the mystical metal known as Mithril, rare and precious as the finest diamonds, as strong as the hills themselves. Here in the earbuds known as Mythro from the folks at Moshi, the excellence in the name is called upon to present a pair of sound blasters that are surrounded by a durable metal casing, bring on high-quality sound, and don’t cost a mint doing so. Have a peek at what the makers of fine accessories have conjured up!
With the Mythro you’ve got a collection of color choices at your hands including gunmetal gray, jet silver, tyrian purple, satin gold, rose pink, and burgundy red. You’ll be picking these little monsters up for a cool $29 USD, which should throw up a red flag for you quality seekers out there – but no worries! These buds are for you!
– DR8 Neodymium drivers (15Hz-20kHz / -10dB@1kHz) in an anodized aluminum casing.
– Integrated microphone with universal button control.
– Hybrid injection silicone earbuds in three sizes for superior noise isolation and comfort.
– A convenient Velcro HandyStrap cable manager.
The strap you get with the buds wrap around the cord real hand-like, keeping everything in order for transport. The color of the different sized buds you get in the package reflect the specific color of the buds you’ve purchased, and you’ve got a unique application available for your experience right out of the box as well. With the unique “Burn In Tool” app available for free from the iTunes App Store you’ll have a curated series of sounds played from your iPhone through your new set of earbuds that’ll break in or “burn in” the phones for a more satisfying experience from the start.
By playing back a curated list of tones/frequencies, the Moshi Audio Burn-In Tool allows the headphone diaphragms to relax and reach their optimal level of sonic performance. Simply install the burn-in tool on any iOS device and select the headphone and desired burn-in period. The burn-in tool is customized for all Moshi Audio headphones, but also includes support for any third-party audio headsets as well.
These little buds will be exactly what you need if you’ve got a twenty dollar bill, a ten dollar bill, and a love of fashionable audio accessories for your smartphone or tablet. Grab them right this minute – and have a peek at the timeline below for more Moshi excellence as well!
Moshi Mythro Earbuds offer high-end sound with Tolkien twist is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
On April 12, Panasonic is releasing 2 models of its new earphones headset with remote control; “RP-HJC19″ is for iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and “RP-TCM19″ is for smart phone and iPhone.
It’s a compact earphone that has a remote control with a microphone to remotely operate a music player or phone on your smart device. It is designed to get less air circulation to enable the earphone to play high quality low pitch sound.
There are 6 different colors – blue, …
When it comes to earphones, it’s best to have a couple of pairs around because you never know when you’ll lose your favorite pair or you’ll break them. These earbuds offer a surprising good audio response for their price, and are good entry-level, or backup earphones for your favorite pair.
RHA MA150 earphones come in a compact eco-friendly package, and you’ll be surprised at the sound that comes from them, with solid bass for their size. The cords are a wee bit thin for my taste, but compared to other headphones in the sub-$25 range, they are definitely something you should look at. The package comes with some adapters to make sure they fit snugly in your ears as well, which is cool for this price.
Frequency response for the RHA MA150 earphones is rated at 16-22,000Hz, with a sensitivity of 103dB. They’re available for $24.95(USD) over at RHA’s website.
Tangled earbuds may pass as artwork in Portland(ia), but in real life, they’re nothing short of an irritating mess. Fortunately, that’s where Bluetooth alternatives come into play, and there’s a new set that combines style and intelligent functions. Meet Elroy, the brainchild of Timbuk2’s founder, Rob Honeycutt. Elroy took to Kickstarter this morning, and as a nice twist, the setup features magnetic docking mounts that hold your earbuds secure when they’re not in use. Better yet, Elroy allows you to answer calls or play music by removing the earbuds from the magnetic mounts. Likewise, you’ll be able to end calls or pause your music by attaching the earbuds to the Bluetooth unit. Speaking of Bluetooth, it’s based on the W32 audio module from Bluegiga, which supports pairing with up to seven devices. The Elroy includes a set of short earbuds, but if you’d prefer to use your own, there’s a 3.5mm jack for compatibility sake. Kickstarter backers can snag an Elroy — which is made in the US, by the way — for a donation of $79, which is scheduled to ship in August. If that’s a bit too rich for your blood, however, you can also snag a nice warm fuzzy feeling for $10.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
Source: Kickstarter
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