Techie Reviews

Being a fan of Bose products - owning both the Lifestyle and 3-2-1 Home Theatre Systems, Wave Radio/CD, Outdoor Speakers and Car Stereo System - you might expect to read a rave review here of their in-ear headphones. While it is positive overall, you won’t find me gushing over these, earbud-styled headphones. Inside the box you will find: In-ear headphones (of course), 3 silicone tips (S, M and L), clip and lanyard (for additional in-ear stability) and a carrying case. Price tag: $99.

The inclusion of the clip and lanyard, along with the noted “additional in-ear stability” should have been a clue that they may not be the best headphones for activity - one of the main reasons for purchasing a new pair of earbuds. I have been searching for a pair of quality headphones that stay put when doing general, walking-around type tasks - nothing overly strenuous like running or aerobics.

It came with the medium silicone tips installed and they didn’t feel right, so I switched to the small size which seemed to fit better. The silicone tips take some getting used to - it often feels like they are going to fall out - and unfortunately for me, the left one does occasionally slip out. I tried the lanyard and clip, however I found it to be too awkward and cumbersome.

As for the sound, there are absolutely no complaints here! I will not go into too much detail because this is where opinions can vary greatly, as everyone “listens” differently. Much like wine tasting, there will always be conflicting viewpoints as to quality, etc. I will say that I was immediately impressed by the sound quality, and only had to make a minor adjustment to lower the bass (probably because it was overly adjusted for the old earbuds). Now, if you are looking for noise-canceling headphones, these are not the ones (nor do they claim to be) - that is another Bose product.

The carrying case leaves something to be desired - like a piece to keep the headphones from getting caught in the zipper. I probably won’t use the case much anyway, but it would have been nice.

Since I am happy with the sound quality and will probably use them a lot while sitting at the computer, I will hold on to these headphones - however I will continue to search for quality earphones that will stay inside my ears, no matter what I am doing!

Ok, so I had Devo on the brain! Anyway, for some Christmas gifts, I bought a laptop Skinit for a geeky friend of mine (meant that in a good way, of course), and another one for my kid’s hand-me-down iPod, to give it a fresh look. Both gift recipients were very happy with their skins, and neither had any problem applying their Skinit - I watched them do it in just a few minutes. The laptop skin was not the same team as the SkinIt New York Rangers Laptop Skin shown in the picture below, but it gives you an idea of what it should look like.

The material is a 3M product that provides a thin, but tough protective layer to your techie gear, preventing surface nicks and scratches. You can skin your computer, laptop, cell phone, mp3 player, printer, router, etc. - there are even skins for that Guitar Hero guitar you got for Christmas! There are an endless array of designs to choose from - Sports - NFL, Collegiate, MLB, Music, Art, Cartoons - or design your own.

They are custom fit to your laptop - and for you Mac users, the skin even has the Apple logo cut out to perfectly match that glowing piece of fruit on your screen’s lid! As with the laptops, the skins for the iPods are custom fit for each generation of the player - the one we bought was for the 3rd generation iPod with the 4 round buttons. It looks like the SkinIt Florida Panthers Ipod Skin pictured below, just with the 4 holes cut out.

There are easy-to-follow instructions that come with your Skinit - if you take the time to read them and follow their advice, you will have no problems. Just remember that when installing, you need to take it slow in order to avoid bubbles. If you do happen to get a few (as we did with the iPod) they work out easily by gently pushing the bubble towards the end of the skin.

Ah, the iPod touch! The folks at Apple must have been reading my mind, along with the minds of thousands of other people who did not want to sacrifice their current cell phone service (not to mention contract cancellation fees) just to get their hands on the iphone – when it wasn’t the “phone” they wanted most.

Not that there is anything wrong with the iphone, it’s just that many of us do not care to mix business with pleasure. All I wanted it for was its good looks and slick features anyway, and the iTouch (the name I prefer) has all that and more.

For one thing, the iTouch looks better, it is skinner than the phone, a little bit shorter and just a touch wider. The black touchscreen has the same resolution as the dazzling iPhone’s display, with just one button on the face (like the phone). The color also seems better on the iTouch. The back of the touch is the same shiny stainless as the regular iPods - if that matters to you.

I love the Cover Flow feature which has been available on iTunes and the iPhone. For those who have never used Cover Flow, it is basically like flipping through your music or video collection just as if you were flipping through your CDs and DVDs, cover art and all. Tapping on a cover will open a track list and from there you can tap again to start playing. You may also view the playlists by holding the player vertically and scrolling down, but its more fun (and cool) the other way.

The 3.5 inch crystal clear display is great for watching YouTube videos, movies, podcasts, or viewing thousands of your own pictures along with your customized soundtrack. Speaking of YouTube, the Wi-Fi abilities of this iPod have been outstanding everywhere I have used it to browse the internet. Surf the web using the touchscreen’s keyboard and tap the display to zoom in or out. You can also browse the iTunes Wi-Fi music store and buy/download music, no matter where you are.

One of the coolest features (in my opinion) is the “accelerometer” which automatically adjusts the picture when you rotate the iPod – hard to resist playing around with that one! Also, double clicking on the front button will bring up your music controls over any screen that you might be currently viewing, which gives you much better control of your music.

If you are looking for a camera, there’s not one on the iPod touch. That is a feature on the phone, but from my experience with camera phones, you are not missing much.

Battery life is a bit disappointing on the iTouch when you consider its price compared to the iPod Classic model – its closest rival. We’re talking 22 hours of audio, verses 30 to 40 hours with the Classic models.

For the most part though, the iPod has come a long way….now if they could only upgrade those darn ear buds!