GadgetReview

Still can’t decide on the right pair of Bluetoth headphones?  Stop pondering, because Sony is about to introduce the DRC-BT30P, a Bluetooth dongle that let’s you use any pair of headphones with your Bluetooth compatible devices.  It includes volume and track controls and even a call answer button and mic.

There’s no word on a launch date or price, but this thing stinks of ‘Japan only’.

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Dr. Dre, who probably has all the money in the world, has once again teamed up with Monster to offer a cheaper, lighter version of his Beats headphones called the Beats Solo.   They included the same tangle free cord found in previous iterations of the heaphones, but this time around are lighter, smaller and include an inline remote with mic  – called Control Talk – for controlling your iPhone or iPod without having to reach into your pocket.

The Beats Solo will come in black or white and will be available this November for about $200 (SRP is $219.95 while the MAP (minimum advertised price) is $179.95).

Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Monster And Dr. Dre Lighten The Load, And The Damage, With The ‘Beats Solo’

Remember that Bose press event we told you about earlier this week?  Well, it went down in NYC today and they announced their newest noise canceling headphones, the QuietComfort 15.  Form factor wise they pretty much mimic the Quiet Comfort 2s, but offer improved noise cancellation.  Those who attended the press event were invited to listen to a 90db airplane recording with the noise cancellation activated and deactivated.  So far the reports seem to be unanimous, stating that they have vastly improved upon the noise cancellation; “noticeable more so than with the previous version of Bose headphones, the QC2″.  The QuiteComfort 15s will go on sale tomorrow and cost $300.

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iHome has long been known for their alarm clocks with built-in iPod docks, so it comes as a surprise to see them entering into the headphone market.  But the iHMP5 aren’t just any ordinary headphones.  iHome has added an inline amplifier that with the flip of a switch converts them into a small pair of speakers.  Specs wise were looking at 50mm drivers, 3.5mm headphone jack and available in red, blue or silver for $70.

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Today, Samsung introduced the WEP870 Bluetooth headset.  Aside from the usual features, such a multipoint connection technology and noise cancellation, it includes a modular, stereo earbud lanyard.  Just attach the WEP870 to the lanyard and you can enjoy wireless stereo music (or calls) from any A2DP Bluetooth enabled device.  Expect to get 6 hours of talk/music time and up to 150 hours of standby time.  Samsung is currently selling it direct for $89.99.

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Having previously reviewed a few underwater MP3 solutions it was clear to me what I expected from the Finis SwiMP3.  While other incarnations of submersible MP3 players had issues with water always getting in your ears disrupting the flow of sound, the SwiMP3 player had to eliminate that in order to be a plausible contender.

Immediately upon “unboxing”, it was apparent that the SwiMP3 player was exactly that.  Tailored to swimmers, the only way to adorn the product was to attach them to a pair of goggles.  The clips on each earpiece are designed to loosely fit around any pair of goggles and were a bit weird to try and situate them correctly without a mirror. …Continue reading: Finis SwiMP3 “Bone Conduction” Underwater EarPhones Review

On sale now at the Scosche website are the new IDR350M Noise Isolating Earphones.  Especially tailored for the iPhone 3GS and the 3rd Gen Shuffle, these earphones host a bevy of features, which include: play/pause controls, adjust volume, skip tracks, navigate playlists, record voice memos, activate the voice control feature and answer/end calls, all without the iPhone or iPod having to leave your pocket.  Very cool indeed.  They also come with six color cap inserts to match your mood, personality, or outfit.  The Scosche IDR350M’s will be available at your favorite retailer for $50 in the coming weeks.

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It was just yesterday that we saw iLuv’s 3rd party headphone adapter for the latest iPod Shuffle.  Today, Belkin officially kicked out their version, but costs $5 more than the competition; $20.  Surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to be compatible with the iPhone, which uses the same control scheme in their latest set of headphones.  Perhaps a copy mistake?

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Even though there are many options now days when it comes to buying earphones that utilize all the iPod’s functions, there are still many of us who are particular to a certain brand or style of earphone.  Helping to alleviate any hesitations you may have, iLuv has a remote adapter that lets you use any set of earphones with your iPod Shuffle 3rd Gen or iPod Touch while still being able to use the volume, voice, and track controls.  No word yet on price or availability but this should be a product to keep your eye on.

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Earphones.  Now that the MP3 fully dominates we are seeing more and more products associated with them.  As a result earphones are being manufactured by a countless number of companies in an attempt to capture even a fraction of the MP3 accessory market.  Although I’ve never heard of Maximo, they reached out and asked us to review their iM-590 earbuds.  I happily obliged.

The first thing I noticed about the 590’s was they were very feature intensive.  They sport a cord clip, several rubberized inserts, a 2 foot extension cable, an airline dual plug adapter, a 2.5mm adapter, and a circular carrying case that holds the inserts and lets you wrap the cable around the inside.  Out of the box the 590’s should have most any scenario covered, minus the 6.3mm adapter.

The clip while functional was a bit ‘chintz’ and a bit too small and slippery for my liking.  Either way a clip is a dire necessity and it does work to provide adequate slack.  The cord is comprised of a braided fabric that is slightly malleable and lends itself to crimping, especially at the base of the input jack.  I would have preferred the cord to have been a little thicker as it still falls into some of the rubber/plastic trappings.  It does have a nice feel, though and is lightweight.

The box states that the 590’s are Enhanced Definition Isolation Earphones.  Listening to them as I write this review, I can still hear incoming messages in iChat on my computer, but I cannot hear my dog’s toenails scraping against the hardwood floors upstairs.  I use earphones for about 30 hours a week when riding my bike or working out at the gym, so active travel and exercise scenarios are my main testing grounds.  The 590’s dealt with wind noise well due to its tiny design and the farther you jam them in your ears the more sound they blocked out.  That leads me to my main problem with the 590’s.  None of the inserts fit me very well and they needed constant adjustment. They seemed to fit better for a moment if I rotated them, but eventually they would slide out.  Sitting still they stay in fine, as they are right now.  So to reiterate, they’re not great for exercise and moving around, but good for fixed postures and sitting still.

On to the good stuff.  The sound of the 590’s is a well rounded spectrum that did well with the majority of my MP3’s.  I listen to mostly high production value metal and the 590’s didn’t leave me hanging.  They did not distort when cranked and presented better bass than expected.  Never shrill, the 590’s had buttery smooth mids and highs.  So if you don’t buy (i.e steal) your music you’re probably going to end up with a collection of MP3’s of varying bit rate and as a rate varying sound quality.  The 590’s feel like they are tailored to this type of digital soundscape and really shine in the audio reproduction department.

So, even though they don’t really work for my type of lifestyle (e.g bike riding, running), I can wholly recommend the Maximo iM-590’s to anyone looking for high quality sounding earphones for under $50.  I see so many suckers with crap earphones (I’m not going to mention any one company name) out and about, and I just chalk it up to them not caring about sound quality.  What would I do if I didn’t care about sound?

Pros:

• Exemplary sound
• Lightweight and Small
• Lot’s o’ features

Cons:

• Not good in active scenarios
• Clip could be better
• Cord crimps too easy

Buy it here for $44!