Hasta La Gadget!

How seriously is Apple considering the possibility of adding inductive charging to its line of iOS devices? Seriously enough to submit some crudely drawn images to the USPTO, at least. The company’s application for “Using an Audio Cable as an Inductive Charging Coil” surfaced today, featuring some interesting solutions to the problem of inductive charging. The first looks a bit like an iPhone scratching post. It’s a big monolith you wrap an audio cord around several times, effectively turning the cable into an inductive receiving coil. The earphones in the example have a metal mesh that serve as a contact for charging the device.

Another proposed system also puts the earphones to work — though without the need for that giant charging post. Instead the headphones slip into an acoustic charger, which cause their speakers to vibrate, creating a current that charges the device. As ever, just because a patent application surfaces doesn’t mean a final product will ever see the light of day — and these methods (particularly that big charging post) do seem like a long way to go to shave off the precious millimeters that inductive charging traditionally brings. But hey, Apple’s all about the svelte devices, and stranger things have certainly happened.

Apple’s inductive charging patent application finally puts its earbuds to good use originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first-ever earbuds designed to be drenched they aren’t, but they just might be one of the first to actually be “washable.” Sure enough, Pioneer’s new SE-CL331 headphones ($59.99) — available in white, pink and bright blue hues — can reportedly be “soaked and washed after every sports session without damaging sensitive electronic equipment.” Furthermore, they boast a newfangled ear holder that keeps ’em in place while your body’s in motion, and there’s a two-layer mesh and rubber ring that’ll prevent water from seeping in while submerged up to one meter of goop. The built-in 9mm drivers probably won’t live up to Westone standards, but then again, you can’t exactly take your ES5s into the kiddie pool.

Pioneer’s SE-CL331 earbuds are just begging to be washed originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jul 2011 06:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer’s waterproof headphones can survive a trip through the washing machine

Running your iPod through a washing machine cycle might not be fatal, but it’s certainly not a good idea. On the other hand, sometimes I wish I could wash the earbuds I use with it, especially after they get to be a few months old and end up caked with wax and fluff.

So I’m very interested in Pioneer’s Washable Inner-Ear Sports Earphones, which are rated as waterproof to one meter. You might not want to swim with them (your MP3 player is still not waterproof, remember?) but you can throw them into the washing machine or just rinse them out in the shower after a workout. Better still, you can sweat as much as you like while wearing them. I’m sure I have killed at least one set of ‘buds with excessive perspiration.

Pioneer’s earbuds are available now, for $60, and come in a bewilderment of hideously bright colors.

Washable Inner-Ear Sports Earphones [Audiocubes]

See Also:

• Earbuds Beat Depression by Shining Lights Into Your Brain
• Noise-Canceling Earbuds Have Got Your Concha Covered
• Note-Worthy Panasonic Earbuds Have Best Packaging Ever
• Vacuum-Packed: Waterproof Case for Tablets
• Darwin Award Nominee: The Waterproof Power Strip

Continue reading Asius’ ADEL earbud balloon promises to take some pressure off your poor eardrums

Asius’ ADEL earbud balloon promises to take some pressure off your poor eardrums originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maxell has taken a slightly different approach to the bone conduction trope with its new Vibrabone HP-VBC40 earbuds – headphones that combine standard stereo drivers with the same bone-rattling, vibration-based technology we’ve all come to know and love. According to Maxell, the Vibrabone’s hybrid system enhances the bass that would be coursing its way through your cranium, while its dual volume control allows users to fine tune that bass flow. Apparently, this bass adjustment mechanism puts less stress on your eardrums, which might make the entire bone conduction concept seem slightly less creepy. The earbuds come in black, blue and white, and will be available in Japan toward the end of April, for a little under ¥4,000 or about $50.

Maxell’s Vibrabone HP-VBC40 earbuds can rattle your skull, if you’d like originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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