Pocket PC Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

Product Category: Earphones Manufacturer: Shure

Where to Buy: Amazon [Affiliate]

Price: $97.78

System Requirements: Any MP3 player with a 3.5mm headphone jack

Specifications: Headphones have a frequency range of 25Hz - 18.5kHz with a 26 ohm impedance. They come in black or white and have an 18 inch cable with a 36 inch extension. The headphones pack up easily in a small travel case and come with a deluxe fit kit of 7 different tips to easily fit almost any ear size.

Pros:

• Amazing sound, it blew me away;
• Lots of fit options, ensuring a comfortable, tight seal;
• High quality construction that should stand up to long term use.

Cons:

• Somewhat expensive;
• In-ear design takes getting used to.

Summary: No matter what you use as an MP3 player there is a universal law that applies to your device of choice. The included ear buds suck. Sure, there’s different levels of suck, but in the end they’re all pretty horrible. There was a brief period of time when the Zune came with the premium sound isolating earphones and those were certainly a step up from the usual throwaways you get. Still, to really appreciate your Zune or "other" MP3 player you only have two avenues to really get the most out of your music. Read more...

The iZel is a small, portable digital device holder (stand) that allows you to easily watch video content in comfort while on a plane, train etc. All you need is a surface to put the iZel on. In the video I test it out with a variety of devices: Zunes, smartphones, an iPod Touch, etc. When I travel, I like to load up my Zune with a movie or two, but I end up holding it in my hand to watch it - not very ideal. The iZel offers a solution to that problem, although depending on the screen size of your device, and how good your eyesight is, watching a video at tray-table height might be difficult. The iZel is made of very durable materials, so it should last a very long time, making it worth the price tag in my opinion (though not everyone agrees). I'll likely be travelling by plane in September, so I'll get a chance to use it in a real-world situation. In the meantime, I'm going to use it as a holder for my cellphone-du-jour, the Samsung Jack. The iZel can be purchased for $24.95 from Amazon.com. [Affiliate]

"Tired of running out of juice when you're on the run? The Tekkeon TekCharge MP1800 is a rechargeable portable battery pack that supplies power to phones, MP3 players, Bluetooth headsets, and other mobile devices. The charger comes with seven adapter tips for use with most kinds of mobile phones, but you can also use the USB cable that came with your iPod, Zune, or other device. In other words, it's almost universally compatible, provided that your gizmo can be charged via USB."

I think I'm going to order one of these as is should cover my iPod, Zune, and phone. The normal price is $44.95, but right now Amazon has them for $28.99 $39.27 (they hiked the price!). [Affiliate] Unfortunately there is a couple of week backlog on their supply, so it will be a bit before I can share my thoughts. Anyone out there already have one of these?

Laptops, phones, MP3 players, cameras, gaming systems, etc. The dirty little secret of having a bunch of portable electronics is that even with some convergence, a lot of us still have too many items to just carry around in our pockets, necessitating even the manliest of us to carry some sort of bag. Since the ladies already carry purses for the most part, it is a challenge as a guy to find the right bag to carry all of our stuff. So I'm curious, how much stuff do you carry around on a daily basis and how do you carry it? I'll start off. Read more...

"Inspired by you, the consumer, iFlyz was born after spending tireless hours traveling and watching as passengers tired to master a way to watch their media. Either you hold it, share the holding responsibilities with someone or rig it up a cup of some sort. Every option leaves you annoyed and with a slight kink in your neck, just reassuring you that flying is sheer joy. iFlyz introduces hands-free viewing while traveling, allowing you to relax and enjoy your downloadable movie or TV show while flying."

It's hard to get a handle on how compact this is, but it's a brilliant idea for anyone that travels a great deal and wants a better way to hold their media playback device. I know I could have used this product many times in the past! It would work equally well on a Zune, a Windows Mobile smartphone, or any other number of devices. The product is available for pre-order ($29.95 USD within the USA, $34.95 to Canada, and $36.95 elsewhere in the world, shipping included) and they'll be shipping them out come February.

"I must say that this looks super sexy with its glossy black finish. You'll also notice the decent looking set of headphones in that photo above which, in my mind, implies that the dock/cradle will allow you to sync, charge and use headphones while the device Diamond is plugged in! Now that would be cool!"



There was a time when nearly every Pocket PC came with a cradle in the box. Sadly this is no longer true, and we're lucky if a cradle is available at all. The forthcoming HTC Diamond will fortunately feature one, though you'll still have to pay up to get it. I don't think you'll be getting the pictured headphones together with the cradle, that's more likely going to come with the device itself, and I'm a bit dubious about the material - can you say fingerprint magnet? Still, it looks great, and I'm happy HTC is making an effort in this case. Clove Technology have it on pre-order at £25, and confirm the presence of a 3.5mm audio jack - needless to say, price will be subject to change. Anyone want one?