Sony W-series Walkman: Wearable and wireless

There’s more than one way to do a wireless MP3 player, and building it directly into a set of headphones may seem like the easy way out, but it gets the job done.

Plus, there are none of those audio-fidelity issues you might run into with technologies such as RF and Bluetooth, which is probably why Sony elected to take this route with its new W-series Walkman. This 2GB MP3 player is built into a set of impressively small ear bud-style headphones and sports a palatable price tag of just US$69.

As you might expect, the W-series Walkman has no screen and is pretty light on extras. Music plays in shuffle mode by default, though Sony offers an innovative feature called Zappin that lets you browse through tracks by ear by playing a snippet of the chorus of each song. You can choose between long and short settings for this mode, and if you come across a song you want to hear, a press of the jog button will start it from the beginning.

The W-series Walkman, more formally termed the NWZ-W202, has a rather paltry rated battery life by Sony’s standards – a mere 12 hours – but given the ultracompact form factor, we can overlook this detail. Besides, 12 hours is more than enough for any workout we can think of. Plus, there’s quick charge, which gives you 90 minutes of battery life from a three-minute charge, and the entire 12 hours in just 30 minutes. The W-series is expected to be available by the end of March.

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Tri-Specs Inc. Unveils Stereo Wireless Headphone Sunglasses

Tri-Specs Inc. Unveils High-Tech, High-Performance, High-Fidelity Sunglasses at CES

Blending fashionable designer sunglasses, wireless stereo headphones, and Bluetooth headset functionality, TriSpecs Eyewear is the hottest way to connect to mobile phones and music players.

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) January 7, 2009 — Tri-Specs® Inc., the company that combines high-tech and high-fashion in user-friendly consumer electronics, is now offering Bluetooth-enabled eyewear that combines the best acoustic technology for noise cancellation and voice quality in mobile communications with acoustically enhanced, premium stereo sound for a great MP3 music experience using buttons on the arms of the glasses.

TriSpecs™ are highly styled glasses with a simple user experience and STEP Labs’ unsurpassed noise elimination acoustic technology. They combine dual microphones, dual speakers, and Bluetooth connectivity in a mobile accessory which produces the best voice quality and intelligibility on the market.

“Beyond the form and function of these glasses, their performance is without equal,” said Isaac Levy, CEO of Tri-Specs, Inc. “Once you try them, you’ll know why TriSpecs are a must-have accessory in every wireless and fashion accessory manufacturer’s product line.”

TriSpecs integrate the patented STEPvoice™ software from STEP Labs. STEPvoice uses the physics of sound propagation to define the shape and arrival time of sound waves to isolate voice signals from undesired noises. STEP Labs’ software is able to tell the difference between the wearer’s voice and other voices, sounds, and noises, preserving the natural fidelity of the voice and producing near-perfect voice recognition performance, and impeccable noise cancellation.

“The form factor of TriSpecs glasses allowed our acoustic engineers to design a dual-microphone solution that produces an unbelievable Bluetooth headset experience,” said Michael Hickerson, President of STEP Labs. “Stop by our booth at CES to hear TriSpecs’ exceptional voice quality for yourself – even when surrounded by 95 decibels of noise from the show floor.”

TriSpecs sunglasses are now available with a variety of features, styles, and colors.

• Power turns on by extending the in-ear speakers
• Voice prompts and voice dialing for easy, hands-free use
• Instant, dynamic volume to compensate for noise changes in the environment
• Retractable standard earbud speakers or upgrade with in-ear barrel speakers
• One-touch activation of phone calls
• MP3 and call control buttons on the arms of the glasses
• Available in black, white, and metallic with optional designs and style elements

Wireless OEMs, retailers, wireless carriers, and fashion accessory companies who would like to add TriSpecs to their product line are encouraged to get full details and try them in person. Tri-Specs will available throughout CES in North Hall Booth 931.

About Tri-Specs, Inc.:
Tri-Specs is a consumer electronics manufacturer that blends high-tech and high-fashion into attractive, consumer-friendly devices using worldwide patents, top designers, and quality manufacturing. New styles and features in the TriSpecs platform are released regularly and are available to be manufactured and branded for Tri-Specs customers worldwide. TriSpecs is a trademark of Tri-Specs, Inc, a New York based company. For more, please visit http://www.TRIspecs.com.

About STEP Labs
STEP Labs is a venture-backed, Silicon Valley-based acoustic software and acoustic design services company whose technology produces natural sounding voice communications even in extreme noise environments. STEP’s patented technology enables near-perfect voice recognition and hands-free communication across a wide range of wireless telecommunications and consumer electronic devices. STEP Labs, STEPware, and Step OnBoard are trademarks of STEP Labs Inc. http://www.step-labs.com

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2009 Update for Jaybird Bluetooth Stereo Claws Earphones

Jaybird announced that their Bluetooth Stereo Claws will be updated in 2009. They have added APT-X audio compression, which they claim puts the sound quality in the same league as that offered by high-end wired headsets. Read more on these stereo wireless headphones.

Additional improvements include newly designed tips which offers enhanced sound isolation and a better, more comfortable fit, new speaker hardware and drivers creating extra bass. This new Jaybird Stereo Claws headset should begin shipping in April and will appear as this years CES.

Santok STK BTHS600 Bluetooth Stereo Headset

The new Santok STK BTHS600 stereo wireless headphones are very impressive right out of the box.  Read about it on trusted reviews.

Samsung SBH-700 Stereo Bluetooth Headset Review

Written by Jeremy Kriegel for Crunch Gear

Short Version: I love wirelessness. I was using Bluetooth to connect handhelds, phones, and headsets since ~2004. While smart phones have mostly killed the PDA, their media capabilities scream for a good set of wireless headphones. Sadly the Samsung SBH-700’s are not those headphones. While the specs sound impressive, talk time up to 9 hours, play time up to 7 hours, standby time up to 140 hours and weight of only 38.3 grams, the reality was disappointing.

To be fair, my disappointment was only partially Samsung’s fault. First of all, the iPhone does not support A2DP, the Bluetooth protocol necessary to transmit stereo music. WTF, Steve? You create the uber-music phone and then don’t support transmitting that music wirelessly? The only explanation I can think of is that Apple likes to control the entire experience, most bluetooth headsets suck, and they don’t want that experience to be associated with the Jesus-phone. To test out the audio, I tried pairing it with my MacBook Pro. That didn’t work either. So while I never did get to test it with music, its performance as a phone headset was sufficient for me to pass on this product.

As a headset, it paired just as easily with my iPhone as any other headset. Hearing your conversation in both ears is great. Going back to my Samsung Uproar (the first mp3 player phone), I’ve loved having stereo headsets for my phones. It makes the person much easier to hear, especially in loud environments. However, despite Samsung’s claims of ambient noise reduction, when walking outside on a mildly windy day, people I was talking to asked me if I was using a headset and to please stop. The sound transmission and wind noise was pretty bad. The problem is that the mic is located above your ear near the play/pause button and I don’t thing this unit uses the kind of advanced noise reduction that the Jawbone does. In a quiet room, it functioned acceptably.

The unit is well designed. It is an over-the-ear, behind-the-neck form factor that is reasonably comfortable, althought will take a bit of adjusting to get it to fit snugly in your ears. The part that rests on your neck is light enough not to bother you and heavy enough that it won’t bounce if you jog. I don’t know if I would wear it for extended sessions. It’s not that comfortable. The main contol buttons are located near each ear. The phone answer/end button is on one side, play/pause on the other. On the back of your neck are two additional pairs of buttons, volume up/down and track forward/back. Since you can’t see any of the controls , it will take a few screw-ups to learn which buttons are on which side. There is an attempt at consistency by placing the track control on the same side as the play button.

The SBH700 lists for $100 but can be had for as low as $60. If it will work with your phone, you do get both a music headset and phone headset in one small package, but I would suggest that the compromise is not worth the savings with this model.

Overall, it’s a good attempt, but not quite ready for consumption.

Bottom Line: Getting better, but pass on this one.

Product via Amazon

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Wireless Stereo Headphones – XM-I X-mini Blu

By Mike Lee, a freelance IT writer for The Straits Times.

Price: $138

WIRELESS simplicity, audio ecstasy – that’s the tag-line of the X-mini Blu bluetooth stereo headphones created by home-grown company XM-I. Indeed, I found the X-mini Blu easy to use and the sound quality excellent.

To tell the truth, at first I was fooled by the X-mini Blu’s somewhat plain looks.

However, once I had it paired with the test music mobile phone, a Sony Ericsson W595 Walkman phone and piped in some rock music, I was sold.

The bass was solid and thumping and the vocals and guitars sounded rich and full-bodied.

I also enjoyed the sounds from other tracks in my collection – from pop to trance to classical. Five buttons on the right earphone allow you to skip tracks, adjust volume control and stop or pause the player.

The X-mini Blu further surprised me during voice-call testing with Skype and the W595. Reception was clear for both caller and receiver.

Even when I was sitting at my notebook and playing rock tracks, the other party could still make out my voice from the music.

X-mini Blu can be simultaneously paired to two Bluetooth devices as a hands-free headset. Answering a call from the mobile phone in the middle of Skyping was fuss-free and when the call ended, I was able to seamlessly resume the Skype conversation.

The headphones – just 72g – are so light, I was able to wear them comfortably for one to two hours at a stretch. The X-mini Blu is rated for 12 hours of playtime on a fully-charged battery and I did not need to recharge the batteries till the fourth or fifth day of testing.

When not in use, just bundle them in the protective case and pop it in your pocket. That’s not all – the package also includes a limited edition of the X-mini capsule speakers, which won the world-renown Red Dot Award for product design.

Final say

Easy-to-use Bluetooth headphones that pump out great stereo sounds.

Wi-Gear’s iMuffs Stereo Wireless Headphones for the iPhone and iPod

Cut the cord with Wi-Gear’s new wireless stereo headphones for Apple iPhone and iPod

Wi-Gear’s iMuffs, wireless headphones are now optimized for iPhone use. They use Bluetooth 2.0 with Stereo (A2DP), AVRCP, Handsfree (HFP), and Headset (HSP) protocol. iMuffs’ built-in rechargeable battery is lithium polymer based with a rated life of up to 20 hours of continuous music. iMuffs adapter for iPhone/iPod requires no battery, but is dependant on iPod’s battery capacity.

Read more on these wireless stereo headphones for iPhone and iPod.

Buy your MB220 Wi-Gear iMuffs Bluetooth Wireless Headphones for iPhone at Amazon.com

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