Audio Visual Gear

Review: BlueAnt EMBRACE Wired On-Ear Headphones

photos by Kevin In recent years we have seen a proliferation of on-ear and over-the-ear headphones priced in the $200-$300 range. There are, of course, the Beats by Dr Dre. They are joined by the likes of the Denon AH-D 1100 headphones (reviewed here), the Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones (reviewed here), the V-Moda Crossfades (reviewed here) and many more. Is there room for yet another pair of headphones in the mix, let alone from a company that is known for its Bluetooth devices rather than wired-audio? That’s the question faced by BlueAnt with the release of…

Reviews

Sonos PLAY:3 Review

We have had a fair bit of coverage of the Sonos Wireless Hi-Fi System over the past few weeks. As I noted in my initial review of the system, I only had the review units in my home for 23 hours before I went and ordered my own. I was impressed by the ease of use, the overall sound quality, and the vast amount of music that was available to me through the Sonos eco-system. It was by no means an inexpensive purchase but I have not had a single moment of buyer’s remorse. At this point I am a…

News

Summer Tech: Qi-wear by iharmonix Bluetooth Enabled Sunglasses

I’m someone who ALWAYS wears sunglasses when I am outside. I also always have my iPhone and am often either making calls or listening to music when I am out and about. As such the idea of sunglasses that can double as a Bluetooth headset for making calls or listening to music really appeals to me. There was something like that on the market a few years ago but by the time I went in search of them the line had been discontinued. That’s why I took note of the announcement of iharmonix’s Qi-wear Bluetooth Enabled Sunglasses. As the company…

Gear Bits

BlueAnt Embrace Stereo Headphones First Look

We first saw BlueAnt’s upcoming stereo headphones back at CES. (Our CES roundup of BlueAnt’s products can be found here.) Here’s what the company has to say about them- Music The Way It Was Meant To Be Heard True-To-Life Sound: Due to the flat frequency response of our highly optimised drivers, the BlueAnt EMBRACE enhances your mobile entertainment experience by offering the absolute best sound that is not artificially manipulated. The headphones provide a listening experience that is true-to-life and enables users to adjust EQ settings to match their personal preferences. Absolute Best Sound: The EMBRACE offers the absolute best…

Gear Bits, News

Sonos + Spotify = Even More Music Throughout the House

Despite using MOG quite a bit recently (It replaced RDIO for me.) I’m still a huge Slacker Radio fan. I like the interface, the customization and the catalogue. And now that you can cache music AND selectively grab tracks or albums it is just awesome. Unfortunately it still doesn’t integrate with my Sonos audio system so, at home at least, it is either MOG or Pandora. Hopefully I’ll have yet another choice before the day is out. Spotify went live in the US this morning and I’m waiting for my invite to arrive so I can try out the long-awaited…

Reviews

Review: MusicSkins Music, Style, Protection

Phones, mp3 players, laptops, cameras, hard drives, headphones. We all have so many gadgets that may have a splash of color or chrome, but basically are simply black, white or silver products that may not be exactly custom or a representation of the owner. For many, these plain, boring gadgets need something colorful and stylish to make them their own. It could be even better if these customizations could also provide some protection. MusicSkins allows users to decorate their products with musicians, cartoons, artwork or even their own photos while also protecting the devices. MusicSkins sent me a few of…

Reviews

Review: Stem TimeCommand Clock-Dock

I’ve become a big fan of not having to physically dock my iPhone, iPod or iPad in order to get audio from it. That’s why I love using the Sonos system I reviewed a few weeks ago. At the same time, there is a lot to be said for a bedside dock/alarm clock. Sure, the Sonos system lets you set alarms, but it doesn’t have a clock nor does it charge your power-hungry iOS device. That needs to be covered by something else — something like a clock-dock (yeah, I wrote “clock-dock”!). The problem is, too often the available clock-dock…

Reviews

Review: Monster Turbine Pearl High Performance In-Ear Speakers

Whether watching a movie, playing games or listening to music, many of us spend a lot of time with some sort of headphones in our ears. A while back I believed that the ubiquitous original iPod offerings were good enough. Later, I realized they were awful and bought some in ears buds. At the time, however, I still bought budget products. I didn’t think I needed more. I mean, I just needed them for music while I run or mow or ride on a bus, how can spending more on headphones make it that much better. I gradually worked up…

Reviews

Blue Microphone Yeti Pro Review

Blue Microphone has consistently impressed me with their line up of microphones. From consumer USB microphones to professional units that plug into existing sound systems, the company puts out quality devices. This time, Blue Microphone took my favorite USB offering, the Yeti, and added a professional twist thanks to an option that now lets you plug it into professional audio equipment. Yeti Pro on Left, Yeti on Right As you can see, the new Yeti Pro looks almost the same as the original with two exceptions. The first is a very obvious color and texture change that yields a textured…

Reviews

Monster iSport High Performance Waterproof Headphones Review

The other day I was given the opportunity to review a headphone/MP3 player combination that are intended for use in damp and rugged conditions. For under $100 they certainly get the job done but, as I concluded, they didn’t sound particularly great and they certainly felt rather cheap. At the same time I was looking at that MP3 player I started checking out a new pair of headphones that are coming from Monster Headphones next month. The iSport headphones are advertised as “the athletes headphone” and they have the tagline “Tough. Waterproof. Stays fit.” They are unlike any pair of…

Reviews

The Sonos Wireless Home Audio System Review

If Apple were to release a wireless speaker system, it would probably look and function the way the Sonos Zone system does. Fortunately Cupertino doesn’t need to go to the trouble, since Sonos beat Apple to it — and there isn’t a whole lot of room for improvement. Sure, I understand that those opening sentences sound more than a bit fanboyish toward both Apple and Sonos, but hey, I love my Apple products; in the last month or so, I have also become a Sonos evangelist. How much do I like the Sonos system? Let me put it this way:…

Reviews

HEX Vision Metal Watch Band for iPod nano Gen 6 Review

We’ve looked at a number of different offerings that help turn your iPod nano into a wrist watch. Some of those “nano-bands” include the iWatchz, the Speck TimeToRock and the TikToc, a product that emerged from the KickStarter product incubator. All of them serve the same function- they turn the diminutive MP3 player into a watch. All work well enough but none can match the style and class of HEX’s Vision Metal Watch Band for iPod nano Gen 6. With all metal construction and a strong clasp, the Vision stands out as a quality way to wear your nano. Here’s…

Reviews

Sports Gadget Review: Finis XtreaMP3 Wayerproof MP3 Player

Active lives and MP3 players don’t always mix. After all, the iPod touch wasn’t exactly designed to be a ruggedized device was it? That’s where the Finis XtreaMP3 comes in. The XtreaMP3 is a waterproof digital music player that is specifically designed to be worn and used during physical activity. It is waterproof, holds up to 250 songs and comes with an arm band. Let’s take a look. From Finis: Whether you?re surfing, kayaking, or even snowboarding, the XtreaMP3 waterproof MP3 player keeps up with your lifestyle. With a neoprene band that securely straps to the arm, the XtreaMP3 supplies music during…

News

Big News from Monster and Earth Wind & Fire

Last night the folks at Monster Cable were kind enough to invite Gear Diary to a special event held in San Antonio at the amazing Bjorn’s store. Monster brought in the legendary members of Earth Wind & Fire for a meet and greet with a special announcement: Verdine, Phillip and Ralph are celebrating 40 years of making music together as the band, and they have teamed up with Monster for a special product coming out soon. The band members were interviewed by Bjorn about their history and the formation of the band. It was a great experience to listen to…

Editorials

Apple iOS 5.0: Some Thoughts on Why It Won’t Kill Zinio

I spent a good bit of time this week thinking about Apple’s announcements this past Monday. Much of what will be coming in version 5.0 of iOS is impressive. There are a number of areas where Apple clearly took plays from Android’s playbook (Notifications anyone?) as well as from numerous independent developers. I’m not surprised and, as an end-user, I’m quite pleased. I’m running iOS 5.0 Beta on a few devices, but am going to respect the beta-user agreement and NOT go into any detail. I will say, however, that the new notification system is fantastic and does a great…

News

How Does Blue Improve a Yeti? You make him a Pro!

A year and a half ago I was able to review the Blue Yeti with Larry. I love the Blue Yeti and use it every Wednesday when I record the Linux Link Tech Show as well as the occasional episode of Hacker Public Radio. It’s almost a perfect product. However, there’s one thing missing that makes the Yeti less of a perfect device for a professional. That is an XLR output. Blue has changed that Yeti of a Microphone and made him a pro by adding a XLR output on the bottom allowing you to plug the Yeti Pro into…

Editorials, Gear Bits

“The iPod touch Effect”, or Why RIM Could Have Been a Contender… but Isn’t: Part 2

Last week I wrote a post entitled “The iPod touch Effect”, or Why RIM Could Have Been a Contender… but Isn’t. In it I argued that even it Apple does not currently own the market they are positioned well for the long-term thanks to a little device known as the iPod touch. The Touch, I said, is now used by a huge number of kids who do not yet have a cell phone. Their love of the Touch, not to mention their having invested in apps and ringing up game scores, makes it more likely that they will go for…

Editorials

“The iPod touch Effect”, or Why RIM Could Have Been a Contender… but Isn’t

Yesterday a post on Cult of Mac related some bad news for the Canadian-based RIM. They noted, “Realizing its failure, the handset maker is ready to surrender to Apple in the consumer ring, and focus on its business roots… an arena which iPhone is also increasingly dominating.” Their comment was, in part, based on a report from Wunderlich Securities analyst Matthew Robison who reported, “We no longer anticipate Research in Motion recovering to participate in the mainstream of smartphone industry growth,” As a result Robison cut RIM’s target price from $76 to $46. I expect they are correct in their…

Reviews

Home Audio Review: Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin Air

As I have noted elsewhere on the site, I find myself listening to more music than ever these days. Much of the reason for this has to do with the fact that I’m always carrying at least one, if not two or three, devices that are able to stream a whole host of different types of music from a variety of different sources. A fair bit of the time is spent listening through headphones, but I much prefer listening to music coming from a set of speakers. The sound is richer, the music more all-encompassing — and I’m able to…

Reviews

Photography Gear Review: USBfever HDMI Adapters and Retractable Audio 3.5mm Jack AUX Auxiliary Cable

My pile of field production equipment is ever-growing. I am a “one-man-band” of sorts so I am constantly looking for gear and “doo-dads” to make production work easier. Recently I picked up a great set of headphones (which I will feature in a separate post), and I learned the Swann RC helicopter won’t lift my HDHero POV camera — so no aerial shots for right now. When I first began updating all of my camera gear, I remember receiving a note from USBFever.com announcing some HDMI to mini HDMI adapters and cables. I also remember saying to myself “What the…

News

Skooba Design Adds Tenba Photo Bags to Portfolio

In response to many customer requests, Laptop bag manufacturer Skooba Design has partnered with the well-known Tenba brand to add photo/video carrying cases to Skooba’s product offering. Skooba will act as a reseller for the 35 year-old photo brand, which is a division of a separate company. The Skooba website is set up with quick links to match your lifestyle needs. One of four tabs – photographer, fashionista, road warrior and tech lover – will take you to a page with bags suited to fit your exact needs. I love this new offering of the Tenba bag lineup. I still…

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