“This is the best sounding in-ear product below $250,” SteelSeries’ Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Rom, told us between songs. “I’ll go on record saying that.” Rom was talking about the firm’s new Flux In-Ear Pro headset, and had similar words for the brand’s foldable on-ear Flux cans. The earbuds and their full sized companions are part of the company’s “freedom to play” campaign, and it has the utmost confidence in them. Rom even told us the foldable Flux headset lasted 90 minutes in the firm’s “soccer test,” a SteelSeries tradition that plays out exactly like it sounds: international football with consumer electronics. Our hands-on was decidedly less rough.
Yesterday saw no lack of accessory reveals for Nokia‘s incoming Windows Phone 8 devices, the Lumia 820 and 920. It seems that one was left out of the party, though: the new Luna Bluetooth headset, which is naturally recommended for use with Nokia’s two new devices. Nokia unveiled the new headset today, giving us an ad with a rather bumping soundtrack to go along with the announcement.
Nokia is hitting the whole wireless charging deal hard with its line up of new Lumia accessories and devices, and it’s no different with the Luna. The Luna appears to function just like any other Bluetooth headset, but there kicker here is in the ability to wirelessly charge. Just plop the Luna’s cradle down on one of Nokia’s new charging pillows or charging plates, and you’re good to go (or at least you will be when your headset is done charging).
The Luna comes with Nokia’s Always Ready technology, which takes care of powering up, connecting to your phone, and answering calls automatically once you remove it from the cradle. As is typically the case with Nokia peripherals, you have a range of colors to choose from, including blue, white, red, black, and of course, bright yellow. The battery in this tiny lil’ beast provides enough power for up to 8 hours of talk time and 35 hours of standby, so the instances where you’ll be on the verge of running out of juice will likely be few and far between.
However, those moments do happen, and just to be on the safe side of things, Nokia has included a micro USB port on the cradle for regular old wired charging should the need arise. There isn’t any pricing or release date information available on the Luna Bluetooth headset yet, but we can probably expect it arrive around the same time as the Lumia 920 and 820. Stay tuned for new details, as we’ll likely be getting more soon.
So yesterday saw a whole bunch of new Nokia-related goodies. There were phones (of course), charging pillows, a slew of retailers offering charging stations, and a bevy of new apps. One thing that didn’t get a mention was the new Luna Bluetooth headsets. These may look familiar, but in keeping with the trend, these now also support wireless charging. As always, you have a near rainbow of color choices, and can expect up to eight hours talk time and 35 hours on standby. The NFC-enabled headsets do also have a micro-USB port, should you find yourself away from wireless power options. Sadly, no word on pricing and availability at this time.
I admit to owning a Bluetooth headset. This was years ago, and I was often driving in my car, so I needed one to field calls from employees, as well as my bosses and clients. Needless to say that these days, I don’t need one, and rarely talk on my phone. However if you need to talk often on your smartphone, then this Nendo-designed headset looks like a cool choice.
Nendo(JP) designed this ultra-modern headset, called Stylo – the French word for pen – since it looks kind of like one. They designed it for the Japanese company Logitec(JP) (not to be confused with Logitech (WTF?)).
They used anodized aluminum sections for the main housing, and the mechanical guts are packed into a stylus-like shape, which can clip to a front pocket when not in use. The lightweight, 8-gram device has a rechargeable battery that provides you with 5 hours of talk time.
It’s already available in Japan from Logitec and sells for ¥3,480 (~$44 USD).
If Nokia doesn’t show off at least one banana-huedLumia smartphone come September 5th, we’re going to be extremely confused. Say howdy to the Pro-monikered followup to its corded Purity HD stereo headset by Monster, which gains Bluetooth (no word on what version), NFC for pairing and active noise cancellation. Similar to its recently revealed PlayUp speaker, the company’s teasing the the Purity HD Pro as an audio accessory that’ll “perfectly match your Lumia” in a choice of black, white, red and yellow. The Pro is essentially identical to its predecessor, but now the folding earcups also serve as a pseudo-on/off switch for its anc functionality for the unit itself. As you might expect, all that tech and Monster branding will cost ya a spendy €299 (about $376) — nearly as much as Parrot’s Zik by Starck. Further details are currently unavailable, except that the cans will reach store shelves near this year’s close.
Update: You’ll find a video hands-on by way of The Nokia Bloghere. According a Nokia rep in that video, the earpads have a head detection sensor for automatically enabling ANC (similar to the Zik), while plugging in an included cable will let the headphones function sans Bluetooth. Furthermore, the company also noted to TNB that the battery should last about 24 hours for music or calls, with a week’s worth of life on standby.
Love the look of Razer’sBattlefield 3-branded BlackShark headset that we laid our peepers on back at E3? Don’t want to commit yourself exclusively to one title? Good news: the West Coast outfit has just announced a variant that lacks any game specifics and is clothed in the signature black and green hues. You can expect a unit that wears the same, aviator-inspired stylings as the original — right down to the leatherette-sealed earcups, detachable boom microphone and splitter adapter cable. Sound good? Well, the unit will arrive sometime in September ready to dock your wallet $119.99. For a closer look or a bit more info, consult the gallery below and full PR after the break.
Serious PC gamers require serious gaming kit and here at IFA 2012, Plantronics is showcasing a product built precisely for that segment. Announced at Gamescom, the limited edition (not to be confused) GameCom Commander headset bakes Dolby 7.1 ProLogic sound and noise isolation tech into a ruggedized form factor — so it’ll survive your late night Max Payne-related tantrums. We tried the headset on for size and were delighted with just how light it actually is — definitely a plus for marathon gaming sessions. As for that mic, it’s placed a good distance from your mouth and, of course, adjusts to suit your needs. If you’re looking for a wireless option, then this set’s not for you, given it features breakaway wires, but it does feature an adapter to connect you with a mobile phone. All told, it’s an understated set that might be worth your while. Take a look at our associated gallery below.
Logitech acquired Ultimate Ears awhile back to take advantage of its experience with professional audio, and now it’s leveraged some of that institutional knowledge to create a UE line of headphones aimed at consumers. First up, there’s the $100 UE 4000 on-ear model that comes in three colors: black, blue and magenta, plus a detachable cord with an in-line mic and audio controls compatible with iOS devices. The UE 6000 model takes things up a notch with an over-ear design that folds up for easy storage on the go, has an in-line remote, plus it adds active noise cancellation technology for $200. Then there’s the UE 9000 Bluetooth wireless cans that also have ANC and a full suite of on-ear controls for iPhone or iPad, which can be had for $400. Lastly, there’s the $400 UE 900 in-ear headphones sporting a quad-armature design and two sets braided cables — one with in-line controls, and one without. All of the UE models start shipping in the US today, and will be available in Europe next month. We got to try on and try out all of Logitech’s new gear for a brief listening session awhile back, so join us after the break for our impressions.
Companies are no strangers to superlatives where new kit is concerned and Mad Catz is definitely no exception. With the release of its newest flagship, the Tritton Warhead 7.1, the outfit’s claiming a novelty in the Xbox 360 space, labeling these cans as the “first… to deliver two-way communication” without the need for wires or controller adapters. Made specifically for Microsoft’s green X gaming platform, the pair of 50mm drivers pump out Dolby 7.1 virtual surround sound over a 5.8GHz channel for up to 33ft of interference-free smack talk. The headset also offers gamers the ability to monitor their in-ear voice levels (SVM), control the volume of other players, as well as select EQ presets for a variety of media playback. And just so you never have to press pause to keep the friendly banter (read: cusses) flowing, the company’s bundled in a dock and pair of of Li-ion batteries for “hot-swappable” recharging. These over-ears are available now for a cool $299 at BestBuy and the company’s own site, so if you take your first-person action seriously, prepare to part with a few Benjamins. Official presser after the break.
Thought Tritton was satisfied with only pumping out Xbox-licensed gaming headsets in the last year? Fret not ye’ PS3 and PC gamers, instead, say hello to its latest cross-platform unit, the AX Pro+. Although its color scheme is similar to the Dolby Headphone-enabled AX 720 virtual surround sound headset, the moniker pits it as a follow up to the AX Pro. Like its predecessor, the Pro+ sports a trio of drivers and one subwoofer in each of its earcups, aiming to offer “true 5.1 surround sound.” Among other design tweaks, its cups can rotate flat for added comfort (a sorely missed feature on the original), and the drivers have been repositioned for “superior surround sound separation and improved bass response.” An included Dolby decoder box handles its connections, while the headset’s inline remote allows you to adjust each driver’s individual volume level, the balance of game / voice audio, and enable voice monitoring through its detachable mic. Better yet, the whole setup is powered by one wall plug, rather than two as was the annoyance with the older model. Discrete 5.1 headsets haven’timpressed us in the past, but you can pre-order the Pro+ for $200 from Tritton if you’re willing to give its cramped surround sound setup a try during Call of Duty fragging sessions come this September.
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