earbuds
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Audio-Technica's titanium earbuds
We thought crafting your devices from aircraft-grade titanium was, like, so 2001, but Audio-Technica went and proved us wrong with the release of their deep metallic toned titanium ATH-CM700Ti (left), and ATH-CM700, fashioned from aluminum in coppery brown or silver (right). We're not sure what kind of abuse you're putting your earbuds through that would require such exotic materials (and we might remind you to better mind the abuse you're subjecting your eardrums to on the daily), but if you're over Japan way they can be had for ¥17,325 and ¥12,600, respectively (about $155 and $113 US)
Plantronics' MX203S for musicphones and two other low-end headsets
Nothing much to see here, but Plantronics just announced their MX203S, MX200 and MX250 wired headsets, priced at $30, $20 and $25 respectively. The MX203S (pictured) supports musicphones, with stereo earbuds, and a button to switch from music to a phone call. There is also a WindSmart tech to cancel wind noises, but that's about all that's going on here. The MX200 is a single earpiece design, and the MX250 sports a boom, but that's about it. All three headsets should be available this month.
Pod Jams iDiddy fashion covers with iLanyard for iPod nano
The Pod Jams iDiddy fashion covers for the iPod nano come in two styles: Clear and Bling. Clear, as you might imagine, allows the true beauty of the nano to shine through while still protecting it in plastic. Bling (pictured) steps up the flashy style by encasing your nano in a diamond-like sparkling plastic case. Both of these iDiddy's come with an iLanyard, similar to Apple's lanyard, boasting superior earbuds that "pound out the base and highs." Fortunately these cases can be used with or without the lanyard.At a competitive $29.95, it's nice to see more lanyard style cases cropping up. They're expected to ship the first week of January '06.[via Playlist]
Apple Wireless Earbuds?
We're not really quite sure what this means, but it could be a clue as to what Jobs and Co. have up their sleeves for MacWorld Expo in two weeks. A TUAW reader visited the Apple Store in Japan recently and found the employees all wearing maroon T-shirts with the slogan, "Luck is in the Air". On the computers in the store was a screensaver displaying the same theme with a picture of an iPod as the middle of a flower and earbuds floating away from the center, as a flower releases pollen.There are six more screens, some with Japanse on them that I am unable to read (if any Japanese-reading readers would like to translate for us; send me an email and I'll share the screensaver images with you).So, what does this mean? It might be an early indicator of an Apple-created iPod-compatible wireless earbud system, or it might mean Apple has figured out a way to include Bluetooth or wireless sharing of music between iPods. It's something "different" that Apple might introduce to keep the iPod and iTunes ahead of their competitors.Of course, it might also just be an advertising campaign unique to Japan.Update: Reader Steve Forrest has translated the text for us and it seems perhaps that this is just an advertising campaign for Apple Japan. No idea why the images are what they are, or what they mean. The Japanese text on the other images tranlates to:1. Luck is in the air2. Enjoy the Apple Store your way3. Advice just right for you Enjoy your Mac even more The best place to enjoy music4. In the New Year free workshops for kids Accessories to make your iPod rejoiceHowever, wireless functionality in our iPods is still a pretty interesting idea and possibly something we may see soon, particularly with earbuds.
Koss lip gloss earbuds
Awwww, ain't it so cute you just wanna puke? Koss is putting out a set of earbuds that is also a lip gloss compact. The Pop Gloss headphones will come in pink (of course), purple, blue and orange, with four "luxurious" lip gloss shades to choose from. According to Koss, these phones are perfect for "when sound is as important as appearance" because, you know (as Koss clearly does), appearance is usually what women are concerned with above all - functionality be damned! Then again, at $9.99 a pop, are we really gonna get a lot of sound quality out of these things, or are we just gonna have a really inconveniently messy carrying case for some cheap earbuds?
