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Klipsch Image S5i Rugged in-ear headphones earn our respect (video)
"Rugged" is one of those terms thrown around pretty loosely by the consumer electronics industry. So when Klipsch, a name that's not exactly synonymous with husky men in the saddle, rolled out a rugged version of its S4i in-ear speakers under the Image S5i Rugged moniker, well, we just had to put them to the test. But first we had to give these $129.99 'buds a listen... from the very noisy floor of the Messe Berlin convention center. Fortunately, the oval ear tips did an excellent of job of isolating most external sounds, thus allowing us to hear a rich reproduction of lows and mids with a noticeable emphasis on bass. Not a surprise since the Image S5i headphones feature the same acoustic characteristics as the Image S4i and Image S4 headphones that came before them. But what we really wanted to know was how that "moisture-resistant" (not waterproof) Apple-compatible three-button remote / mic would hold-up to a torture test. Fortunately, the Image S5i Rugged managed to keep the music playing and under control even after a generous bath of bottled water. Rugged and classy? Looks like iPod, iPhone, and iPad owners just made a new friend.
Pantech's oddball concept lineup
Pantech is taking the "no form factor left unexplored" approach with its latest batch of concept phones, ranging from the practical to the downright bizarre. Let's run through 'em, shall we? The "Oval" isn't really -- it's more of a teardrop shape, which apparently offers a firm, comfortable grip while maintaining the general candybar theme. The "Simple Stick" is pen-shaped -- reminiscent of the Haier P7 -- with music controls on one side and an LCD display on the other. The "My Music" has a strong Chocolate smell to it, but uses a simple one-line LCD below the keypad to keep the phone's appearance simple when the slide is closed. The "A-Swing" has a game console appearance to it, but the main draw is its DMB support, allowing users to watch programming with the phone on a surface and the display flipped up. We kinda liked "DownSlide," pictured, which offers a side-sliding keypad and a 2.6-inch display that remains partially exposed in the closed position. The "AS-wing" (as opposed to A-Swing, we guess) steals some elements of Samsung's X830 with a spring-loaded swivel and a rather narrow design. In the same vein, the "Swing & Turn" rocks a swivel display but adds DMB and a slightly wider form for comfortable viewing. Next up, the "IP-DMB" rocks, as its name suggests, IPTV -- and a very large screen to go with it. Finally, the "Note" comes wrapped in a leather binder to give it an old-skool notebook look and feel, and supports writing with a stylus to continue the theme. While they're all concepts at the moment, Pantech's taking feedback to determine which (if any) of these they should look into cookin' up as production devices -- so get in that feedback.
