ableplanet
Latest
AblePlanet's haptic headset adopts Linx Fusion moniker, we go hands-on
In case you hadn't noticed, "next-gen" is sort of the theme of E3 2013, and the term applies to far more than just video game consoles. Take headphones, for instance -- Able Planet tells us that it's developed what it believes to be the next generation in personal audio: a haptic headset outfitted with ViViTouch technology. Put simply, these things subtly vibrate with an audio source, but in a non-distracting way. The company first showed us this device back at CES 2013, but that prototype was unnamed, rough around the edges and had limited control options. Today, AblePlanet introduced us to the final prototype for what it now calls its Linx Fusion headset. We gave the cans a listen to see what had changed.
AblePlanet preps a gaming headset with smart haptics, we preview the tech inside (hands-on)
Headsets with vibrating haptics aren't exactly novel -- we've already seen such offerings from Skullcandy as well as Sony. Now AblePlanet is coming out with something similar, but the underlying technology makes it considerably smarter than anything currently on the market. The company recently announced it's pairing up with haptics firm ViviTouch to make a gaming headset that offers different-feeling vibrations depending on what kind of music you're listening to, or what's happening in the game. The as-yet-unnamed headset will go on sale within the next six to nine months, according to AblePlanet, with pricing to be announced at a later date. Additionally, the companies plan to team up on other projects, including ear canal devices for field workers (firefighters, etc.) and even products for the hearing impaired. Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, we want to give you a quick preview of the headset, which we tested for a few minutes here at CES. Unfortunately, the set we tested today was merely a retrofitted NC1000CH plugged into a control box. Still, it gave us a good sense of what we can expect when the final product drops later this year. Meet us after the break to learn more.
Able Planet Clear Harmony headphones deliver top quality sound at a premium price (Updated)
One of the more widely-used accessories for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac is a set of headphones. Whether you're using that little headset that came with your iPhone or iPod touch, or you have moved up to another type of headphone, you know how important it is to be able to listen to your music or movies clearly. I recently had an opportunity to test a pair of Clear Harmony NC1100B noise canceling headphones (US$299.99), but be sure to look for the NC1100BA option that includes an 8 GB iPod touch at no extra cost) from Able Planet and found that they're outstanding for enjoying sound from any of your Apple devices. Updated: the Able Planet website no longer shows the free 8 GB iPod touch option. Updated: the free 8 GB iPod touch is back! Design As you might expect from the name, Able Planet builds audio products for people with all levels of hearing. According to the Able Planet website, their patented Linx Audio technology "creates high frequency harmonics that enhance sound quality and speech clarity of difficult to hear words or notes, and increase the perception of loudness without increasing volume." In layman's terms, you don't necessarily have to "turn the knob to 11" to be able to hear music or speech the way you want to. The company has won a bunch of awards at CES over the past five years for this technology, and it should be interesting to see if they continue that string of wins this week. When you open the box that these headphones come in, the first thing you see is a nice cloth-covered and zippered carrying case. Opening that case, you see the headphones, the cable, and adapters. The NC1100B comes with both 1/4" and 1/8" plugs for use with a variety of devices, and the plugs are all gold-plated. There's also a dual 1/4" adapter that works with most airline sound systems. The NC1100B headphones use an over-the-ear design that totally covers your ears. I'm partial to this type of headphone design, since earbuds have a tendency to fall out with movement and I can't stand the feel of in-the-ear designs. The padded headphones are quite comfortable, perfect for those long flights where you might want to watch a few movies and listen to some tunes. Noise canceling headphones require power, so the cap on the right ear "cup" slides off easily to accept two AAA batteries. The headphones weigh about 8.2 ounces with the batteries inserted, which is surprisingly less than the pair of custom V-Moda Crossfade headphones I usually use (9.6 ounces). Functionality I'll be the first to admit that I am usually a skeptic when it comes to claims of sound quality with high-end headphones. That's why I'm totally surprised with just how good these headphones sound. I listened to a wide cross-section of music in my iTunes library, from classic rock to classical, and for each selection I listened not only on the NC1100B 'phones, but also the V-Moda Crossfades. The NC1100B headphones also did a surprising job in getting rid of hiss and background noise in a number of older recordings that are in my collection (a lot of my tunes are older recordings -- hey, I'm an older person!). When I listened to music with the V-Moda Crossfades after listening to the same tune with the Able Planet headphones, the music just sounded muddy with a surprising amount of hiss. The NC1100B headphones made everything sound much cleaner, crisper and more "real" than any other headphones I've ever used. The noise cancellation capabilities are also impressive. In my office, I have a DroboPro that is constantly adding a level of white noise to the ambient sound. Turning the headphones on and off while sitting at my desk really showed me just how loud that noise is. As with other noise canceling headphones, the NC1100Bs don't totally eliminate background noise, but they do temper it to a tolerable level. My test here was to listen to music from my iPhone while standing next to a running washing machine and dryer, turning noise cancellation on and off. Again, I could still hear the background noise a bit with noise cancellation turned on, but the noise was largely filtered out. Since many TUAW readers may use headphones to listen to movies, I also watched several movies on my iPad while listening to the soundtrack with the NC1100B headphones. Once again, the sound quality was outstanding, especially in situations where there was a mixture of dialogue with background noises or music. One final note: years of listening to music has caused me to have a moderate level of tinnitus in my left ear which seems to be getting worse as I get older. With most headphones, I have to turn down the volume in order to listen without discomfort. The NC1100Bs are so distortion-free that I can listen to tunes at a lower volume while still picking up all the nuances of the music. Conclusion Considering the number of headphones I've tested over the years, I was totally surprised -- in a good way -- with the Able Planet Clear Harmony NC1100B headphones. As with all of the items that we review here at TUAW, these headphones will be given away to a reader at one of our meetups, but this is one situation where I'm going to personally spend my own money to pick up a pair. The sound quality is that good. While Able Planet certainly doesn't have the name recognition of Bose, V-Moda, Beats by Dr. Dre, or Skull Candy, the company should. The Able Planet Clear Harmony NC1100B headphones are my new gold standard for comparison to any other headphones on the market.
TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET: The 2nd anniversary show
Time flies when you're having fun. Yes, believe it or not, TUAW TV Live has been polluting the blogosphere every Wednesday afternoon since December 22, 2009, making today the second anniversary of this live video stream. Viewers have been treated to hundreds of product and app demos, interviews with fascinating guests, and most of my hat collection. Today I'll have more of the same on tap, including demonstrations of the Doxie Go scanner ($199), the Verbatim Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard ($84), Newer Technologies' NuTouch Gloves ($19.99) and NuScribe ($19.99) stylus/pen, the Autriv High-Sensitive Magnetic Stylus ($19.99), the very cool Deckster Re:Class iPod nano watchband (CAD$165), AblePlanet Clear Harmony active noise canceling headphones ($299 with an 8 GB iPod touch), and the most important of all -- the Opena iPhone 4 case (AUD$39.95). Please note that the last demo involves beer... As usual, I'll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp, and we'll take a few minutes to chat before the demos start. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you're unable to join us for the show, remember that you can always subscribe to the video podcast and watch the show at your leisure in iTunes or any other favorite podcatching app. The past shows are also available on the TUAW YouTube channel. The chat is now available as well on IRC: join us on server chat1.ustream.tv, chat room #tuaw-tv.
Able Planet headphones cancel out bothersome noise of life so you can get into your game
If you love gaming at loud volumes (who doesn't) but don't love the idea of going deaf by the time you're 35 years old, Able Planet might have something to help you out. Their new PS500MM gaming headphones -- developed with technology that was originally used for the moderately hearing-impaired -- are supposedly ultra-noise-canceling, which should free you from the need to crank up the volume just to compete with background noise. They're $99 and available for order now, so you'll probably want to get over there asap, unless, like us, you destroyed your hearing years ago listening to Use Your Illusion II.[Thanks, Christian]
Able Planet's Able Talker Assistive Listening System
It's always good to see companies looking to improve the quality of life for the disabled, and now Able Planet, known for it's audio and communication products, has announced a new wireless audio amplifier for those suffering from hearing loss. The Able Talker Assistive Listening System is a noise filtering microphone that links to the joining Clear Harmony Wireless headphone through proprietary means as far as 35-feet away. Sound is enhanced through its Linx Audio technology that "increases the perceived loudness without boosting volume" and can be transmitted in mono specifically for speech or stereo mode for entertainment. The device runs on just one AAA battery and gets a good 15 hours to the charge.
