Sennheiser and Adidas Expand Partnership

cx_680i_sports_cable_r.jpgAudio powerhouse Sennheiser and sporting good manufacturer Adidas are extending their joint headphone line with the addition of the CX 680i Sports ($129.95; shown here), OMX 680i Sports ($89.95), and PMX 680i Sports ($89.95) headphones. All three have been designed for use with the iPhone, combining great sound with a hands-free design. They offer a remote and microphone built into the cable, so that you can switch between music and calls with just a push. The CX 680i has an ear-canal design, the OMX 680i an ear-clip design, the PMX 680i a neckband design, and the original MX 680 an earbud design.

All four models in the Sennheiser/Adidas line are equipped with Sennheiser’s moisture protection system. This not only protects them from sweat and rain, but also allows them to be rinsed under the tap for easy cleaning.

Motorola sneaks out Roadster in-car speakerphone, Finiti and CommandOne BT headsets

Nah, this trio isn’t nearly as flashy as Motorola’s spate of new smartphones, but those still rockin’ the earpiece (or trying to avoid a ‘talking-while-driving’ ticket) may be interested in the outfit’s newest line of peripherals. Here at Fall CTIA 2010, Moto unveiled the Roadster in-car speakerphone alongside the Finiti and CommandOne Bluetooth headsets. From top to bottom, the Roadster is a clip-on device that goes on your visor, boasting dual-microphone noise cancellation technology and MotoSpeak — a technology that reads your texts allows and accepts voice replies. There’s an integrated battery that can withstand up to 20 hours of yapping (or three weeks of nothingness), and there’s even an FM transmitter thrown in for good measure. The Finiti BT headset was engineered with “extreme conditions” in mind, adding to the Elite series with a trifecta of microphones and the aforesaid MotoSpeak read-back technology. It can supposedly let you carry on a conversion with 40 mile per hour winds whirling around you, but we’re hoping you’d never actually be able to put it to the test. Finally, the CommandOne — for all intents and purposes — is simply a less rugged, differently styled version. The whole lot lands in Q4, but mum’s the word on pricing.

Motorola sneaks out Roadster in-car speakerphone, Finiti and CommandOne BT headsets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultrasone Offers First Open Back Headphone

UltrasoneEd10.jpg

Ultrasone is announcing the release of its first open back special edition headphone, and the deco styling makes this a really great-looking pair. Called the Edition 10, they offer Zebrano wood ear cup inlays, Ethiopian sheepskin leather ear cup pads, titanium-plated drivers, and Kevlar-coated cables.

The Edition 10 is the result of years of research at Ultrasone. The ear cups, for example, feature an original design inspired by natural forms. They offer a high level of air permeability through the grills and have a high torsion strength and extremely low resonance.

Each pair comes with a hand-crafted Zebrano wood stand and its own wooden box. Only 2010 pair will be produced. If you want one, it’ll cost you $2,749. Look for them in high-end audio shops.

Sharkoon X-Tatic SP Gaming Headset Hits Stores

XtaticSP.jpgGet a sound advantage, gamers, with the Sharkoon X-Tatic SP gaming headset, just announced by CompuExpert. This headset works with the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC gaming systems. You’ll get two 40mm speakers, an in-line amplifier, and a flexible, detachable microphone that can connect via a USB port or 2.5mm audio plug. You’ll also get a master volume control, a separate volume control just for voice communications, and a microphone mute so your buddies don’t hear you tell your mom that you’ll be down to dinner in five minutes.

If you’re wondering whether or not this headphone works with Xbox Live and the PS3’s chat function, the answer is yes. This set also includes a 12-foot long cable and well-cushioned headband and ear cups for a comfortable, lightweight fit. You can pick on up for a list price of $69.99 at Amazon, NewEgg, Fry’s, and more.

Jawbone Icon for Cisco is the for-business Bluetooth headset compatible with VoIP phones

Got a workplace fancy enough to warrant $500 video conferencing VoIP phones? Then Aliph’s got a Bluetooth headset you might like to own. From what we can tell from the press release, the Jawbone Icon for Cisco doesn’t have anything new in terms of audio quality or styling — the old adage of don’t fix what ain’t broke — but instead adds upgradable firmware and allegedly seamless switching between a Cisco Unified IP Phone (or that Cius tablet) and your personal cell. The idea is that you could walk around all day untethered, and never need to bend over to pick up calls from either phone. The headset’s already shipping in the US and Canada with top-tier Cisco phones. Hear that? That’s the sound of the last vestiges of humanity fading away as the Bluetooth cyborgs take over. PR after the break.

Continue reading Jawbone Icon for Cisco is the for-business Bluetooth headset compatible with VoIP phones

Jawbone Icon for Cisco is the for-business Bluetooth headset compatible with VoIP phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorolas S10-HD Bluetooth Headset Looks Sleek

Motorola S10-HD Bluetooth HeadsetIf you tend to travel with your phone or Bluetooth-enabled music player and spend much more time listening to music than you do placing or receiving calls, Motorola’s new S10-HD Bluetooth headset may be ideal for you.

The headset is lightweight, wraps around the back of your head, and has a pair of cushioned earbuds that fit into each ear. The S10-HD is designed to function more like a pair of headphones than a headset, but there is a microphone in the unit, and if you have it paired with your phone, incoming calls will automatically pause playback while you’re speaking and start playing the music again when the call is over.

The Bluetooth antenna, receiver, and controls are located in the back of the headset, which keeps the weight in the back and improves antenna performance outdoors. Even so, the S10-HD is still Bluetooth audio, which is notorious for suffering from compression issues. Headsets like the S10-HD are generally designed for people who have to have wireless audio or who want to take their music with them on the go without wires. It will be available late October at Best Buy retail stores and online retailers for $79.99 list. 

The Logitech Wireless Headset F540 Connects to Multiple Consoles

Logitech Wireless Headset F540Imagine if you could switch between your PlayStation 3, XBox 360, and your Wii or other game console seamlessly without having to remove your headphones to hear the audio, or in some cases even to talk smack with the friends you’re gaming with. That’s what the new Logitech Wireless Headset F540 was built for: superior audio, ease of use, and seamless switching between up to three consoles. The F540 headset, available for pre-order at $149.99 list, comes with a base station with three RCA audio inputs so you can connect three audio sources to the same headset.

The F540 has built-in support for voice chat through the PlayStation 3 and the XBox 360, so if you connect those consoles, you won’t have to do anything special to use voice chat with other gamers. The headset is completely wireless, recharges its 10-hour batteries over micro-USB, and features a noise-cancelling microphone so your teammates hear you and not your dog barking in the background. All of your audio controls are right on the earcup, so you can control the volume, mute the microphone, or switch audio inputs just by tapping the side of your head. 

Logitech’s F540 gaming headset connects to three consoles, wirelessly

Logitech's F540 gaming headset connects to three consoles, wirelessly

Look at you, you platform agnostic, making room for three current gaming consoles in your entertainment center, looking down with a rueful smile upon those who would waste time arguing about superiority. All three receive your equal love, and so shouldn’t all three get equal share of your ears? They could if you had the F540 Wireless Gaming Headset from Logitech, a new entrant that, at $150, costs about the same as the G930 we recently enjoyed, but does so with mere stereo instead of 7.1 surround. Here you’re paying for the inputs instead of the outputs, with a base containing 3.5mm and RCA plugs enough for three separate sources, plus the necessary outputs to pump voice chat to an Xbox 360 and a PS3. The headset itself has volume and mute controls built-in and charges over USB, offering up to 10 hours of disturbance-free playtime. You can pre-order yours now ahead of an October shipment domestically, or November for European followers of Thomas Huxley.

Continue reading Logitech’s F540 gaming headset connects to three consoles, wirelessly

Logitech’s F540 gaming headset connects to three consoles, wirelessly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola’s wraparound S10-HD Bluetooth headphones: for the Usain Bolt in all of us

Clearly, introducing one Bluetooth headset in a single day just isn’t enough for Motorola. In addition to the Oasis, the outfit has also let loose the new S10-HD, a wraparound set that is marketed as Bluetooth headphones rather than a BT headset (though it’s fully capable of acting as either / both). As expected, these guys are designed to withstand all sorts of sweat beads, enabling fitness junkies to keep on rockin’ in the free world regardless of how steamy the conditions may be. We’re also told that the speakers are recessed in their housing with a new ear cushion interface and hydrophobic acoustic mesh (fancy!), and silicon seals are in place around all of the electrical components. Should you receive a call while streaming tunes, it’ll gently pause the music until your call is done, and afterwards it’ll resume automatically. The S9-HD‘s proper successor will be landing in Best Buy locations starting October 24th for $79.99.

Continue reading Motorola’s wraparound S10-HD Bluetooth headphones: for the Usain Bolt in all of us

Motorola’s wraparound S10-HD Bluetooth headphones: for the Usain Bolt in all of us originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola’s ridiculously comfortable Oasis headset announced: October 3rd for $80

If you don’t actually want to be able to feel that you’ve got a Bluetooth earbud hanging off the side of your head, you might want to take a look at the Motorola Oasis, a new boom-style headset announced today. Though it lacks the HX1’s so-called “stealth mode” that uses bone conduction to practically eliminate every sound other than your voice, the Oasis is still rated for 12mph of wind resistance and uses dual mics to cancel spurious noise. It’ll be available starting October 3 (as an AT&T store exclusive initially) for $79.99, positioning it toward the upper end of the Bluetooth midrange.

We’ve had a chance to play with the Oasis over the last few days, so follow the break for our impressions!

Continue reading Motorola’s ridiculously comfortable Oasis headset announced: October 3rd for $80

Motorola’s ridiculously comfortable Oasis headset announced: October 3rd for $80 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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