It’s been a while since we played with Jabra’s HALO Bluetooth stereo headset – all the way back at CTIA in April, in fact – but it’s only now that the HALO is ready to hit North American shelves. Jabra tell us that the 3oz, foldable headset should be in US Best Buy stores this week, with an MRSP of $129.
Video demo after the cut
I don’t fly that often, but when I do, there are typically quite a few passengers that are wearing those Bose headphones to reduce the amount of noise in the cabin during the flight. I have never taken a flight that lasted more than a few hours, but I bet an international flight would make those headphones a near necessity to get any rest.
Do you remember a time when the only headphones anyone could get, were the big ones that covered our ears? We know, we know, that seems like ancient history, but apparently there must be some kind of market for those things somewhere, because iHome has just released another pair of bright red, over-the-ears kind. Take a gander, if you want to feel like you’re part of history or something.
Dolby have officially announced the Dolby Headphone “personal surround sound” system which we saw demonstrated on a VIA netbook back in July, and confirmed that the technology will be included on Lenovo’s IdeaPad S12 and S10-2 netbooks. The system creates the illusion of 5.1 surround sound through stereo headphones by modeling the effect audio reflections off the walls and furnishings of a typical room would have on the listener’s ears.
Klipsch revealed a new set earbuds today that’s meant entirely for use with smartphones called the Image S2m. These earbuds are a bit lower on the food chain than the S4i, but they still offer up a few more features than the S2.
These earbuds have a remote and microphone built-in, which is a necessity for any smartphone user these days. Intended to work with Apple devices, the earbuds can work with many other phones as well.
Included with the earbuds are oval eartips, which supposedly fit better in the ear than the standard round ones. Pricing is expected to be around $59.99 when the Image S2m earbuds are released next month.
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Headphones-a-plenty from JVC today, as the company announces two new sets of over-the-ear cans and two sets of multicolored in-ear headphones. The former, the HA-M750 and HA-S650, are each foldable for easy transport and storage, and have carbon compound diaphragms, rigid carbon housings and memory-foam ear cushions. The M750 uses 1.57-inch drivers while the S650 uses slightly smaller 1.42-inch drivers; they'll be available in August for $79.95 and $69.95 respectively.
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iLuv have officially announced the iEA15 iPod Remote Adapter, intended for owners of Apple's PMPs who want both to use their own headphones and control their music without whipping out the iPod itself. Contrary to some premature reports, the iEA15 does not work with the iPhone; however it will support VoiceOver on the third-gen iPod shuffle.
VIA and DTS have joined forces to integrate the latter’s Surround Sensation Ultra PC plus Head Tracker headphone technology into the former’s Vinyl VT1610 Audio Codec chip. Together, they offer mobile 3D surround sound, with motion-sensitive DTS headphones used to dynamically adjust surround sound EQ depending on where the listener is facing.
Video demo after the cut
While we deemed the HTC Touch Pro2’s hardware keyboard perhaps the best to be had on a Windows Mobile smartphone right now, we saved the usual ire for the handset’s lack of a 3.5mm headphones socket. That’s all changed, however, for the Canadian Telus version; going by MobileSyrup’s video, HTC have shuffled over the ExtUSB port and squeezed in a 3.5mm jack.
Video after the cut
SlashGear Japan
