Hasta La Gadget!

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Simon, who seems to be not-so-secretly hoping to drown out his entire office. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I need a headset which can block out the background from a busy office. I’m talking repetitive noises such as drilling, background chatter, keyboard clattering, computer fan whirring and the endless static from our building’s air conditioner. I would love if this headset had a fair to good quality of sound for MP3s, and it would of course have to have a good microphone for IP phone telephony and Skype. If it didn’t look like something from Radio Shack that would be a bonus, and if the microphone was a bit discreet for street and airplane use that would be an added benefit. Lastly the connection to a workstation could be both USB and Bluetooth, with a preference for wireless. Thanks!”

Bluetooth headsets have evolved quite a bit since the last time we had this discussion, so we’re curious what you’re currently using to make work a wee bit more bearable? No need in keeping secrets, right? Speak out in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best (non-ugly) noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset for drowning out office noise? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Jonathan, who can’t be bothered to burn off calories on a normal bike once he heads of to university next year. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“My college of choice has a big, hilly campus, and driving is pretty heavily discouraged, so I’ve been looking at getting an electric bike. I have to keep it under $900 (I may be able to up to around $1100, but that would be a tough sell). I’d like it to look somewhat low-key, not unlike a typical street / mountain bike. It doesn’t have to be crazy powerful, but it does need to be strong enough to tackle hills on a regular basis, and it needs batteries to match that usage pattern. I prefer the flexibility of a mid-drive mounted motor, since that would let the motor take advantage of the gears, and it would let me easily switch between power-assisted and all-electric pedaling, but I wouldn’t mind a different setup. Finally, the university has a lot of fog and rain, so weather-resistance is probably important. I already own a street-bike with 26-inch wheels and a diamond-frame body, so if a conversion kit would be a strong option, I’m also open to modifying my current bike. Finally, if the bike most suitable for my needs falls outside of my price range, what would the price-range for that bike be, and what alternatives could I pursue? (I don’t really want a motorbike or a scooter / moped.) Thanks!”

Phew, looks like this guy’s going to be quite the wordsmith! For those of you currently cruising around campus on a power-assisted bike, which did you use? And how’d you secure it while in class? Throw this fellow a bone — he’s obviously more interested in nabbing a 4.0 than cranking on a set of pedals, and that’s a-okay with us.

Ask Engadget: best electric bicycle under $1000 for college campus cruising? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Ben, who needs a good, great or amazing LCD monitor for $200 or less. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’m currently in the market for a new computer monitor, and I’m trying to find the biggest “bang for my buck” under the order of around $200. I would be using this monitor a lot for video and photo editing, so sharpness and contrast is a must, but I’ll also be using it a lot for watching HD movies and playing games. It needs to have a both an HDMII and VGA port in it, and a built-in TV tuner would be nice, too. In short, I need the biggest, sharpest, and most well-built monitor I can get for under two bills. Thanks!”

Two years ago, there’d be just a handful of options when pondering this question. Today, there are loads of monitors for under $200, particularly when an actual screen size isn’t required. Any choice options from the folks in the crowd? Contribute your own down in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best LCD monitor on the market for under $200? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Colin, who needs his jams on the cheap. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I have been looking for a decent set of speakers that can kick out fairly good sound. Ideally, I’d use these in a bedroom, mostly for television viewing and Xbox gaming. I don’t need anything too powerful as I’m not filling a gigantic room with sound. I’ve heard good things about Logitech boxed kits, but have also heard that soundbars are great space-saving alternatives. I’m open to pretty much anything: HTIB, soundbars, etc, but am hoping to spend around $100 or less. Thank you!”

We know, you’re looking to pinch pennies in order to take that special someone out on a fantastically fine date tomorrow. We get it. But these days, $100 can actually buy you quite a bit of sound. We’d echo those positive sentiments on Logitech’s boxed kits, but if anyone has any other input, comments are open down below.

Ask Engadget: best sound system / soundbar for around $100? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Cris, who can’t seem to find a latex-free mouse that he needs to prevent allergic reactions. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I work in an office environment for ten hours a day in front of a computer where my right hand spends most of it’s time on my wireless Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 2.0. It’s a mouse I’ve loved, but there’s an issue. I have discovered that I’m allergic to the rubber latex used in the mouse. Although I have not had a tough time finding posts online from people complaining of the same problem, I have had a very difficult time finding a solution. I need a latex-free mouse, preferably with similar features to the Intellimouse I love so much. It’s easy to find many things in a latex-free variety; obviously mice aren’t in that group. Thanks!”

So, any suggestions for Cris? Quite a few folks are allergic to latex rubber, and it’s borderline impossible to believe that no latex-free mouse lives in a world chock full of options. If you’ve managed to uncover a gem that fits the bill (or a particular keyboard, while we’re on the subject), drop a hint in comments below.

Ask Engadget: best latex-free mouse and keyboard solution? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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