Audio on the Go
Zune, schmune. The Apple iPod may be as mainstream as computer-related hardware gets, but give me an 80GB music player for $350 and you can have my geek cred.
This isn't the often-predicted video iPod, and the hardware improvements over the previous generation aren't dramatic, but they are worth noting. A brighter LCD (Apple says it is 60 percent brighter) makes videos really pop off the screen. And battery life has improved: Apple rates the 80GB unit at 20 hours of music playback between charges, which is ample for even the longest cross-country flights.
Plus, there's the tight integration with Apple's iTunes software and store. I'll admit I was pretty frustrated with the buggy early version of iTunes 7, but Apple seems to have worked out those kinks with subsequent updates. I don't buy much music from Apple, but I do download audio books through an Audible.com subscription, and I'm a bona fide podcast junkie. And iTunes makes those two (good) habits very easy to keep. The only downside to the 80GB iPod: Nobody has yet figured out how to port the innovative open-source Rockbox audio software for it.
If there's one thing that's consistently irritated me about iPods, it's the product's propensity to pick up scratches. I think Apple actually sends its designers back to the drawing board each time to make the screens even more delicate. A few scratches were no big deal on earlier versions; but if you're going to watch videos on these new ones, even minor nicks can become major distractions, which is why you need a top-notch case. I've been testing the $25 PodsPlus Aluminum V2 case, and it's the real deal.
The V2 fits the 80GB unit like a glove, with a smooth neoprene liner on the interior and cutout for easy access to the headphone jack and the dock connector. But what really sets the V2 apart from the crowd is its ultraclear screen protector and its slick click-wheel cover. This case feels solid, but it never feels like it's getting in the way. The company recently announced a similar case for the latest Nano, too.
Finally, a Good Bluetooth Headset
I've always liked the idea of no-cables Bluetooth headsets, even if I do make fun of those folks who walk around with them glued to their ears 24/7 (come on, you're not that important). Unfortunately, my early experience with the technology wasn't great. Or more specifically, the person I was talking to didn't have a great experience--as in, they couldn't understand a word I was saying. It seems background noise, poor audio quality from my cell phone (a BlackBerry 8700C), and my tendency to move my lips when I talk combined to overwhelm my Plantronics Explorer 320 headset. The result: my incessant jabbering was even less understandable than usual. I'd heard good things bout Gennum's headsets, so I tried out the company's soon-to-launch nXZen VoIP product, which works with typical cell phones as well as Skype VoIP calls on your computer (using the included USB dongle). The $170 headset uses digital signal processing to cancel out the noise around you so that the person on the other end only hears your voice.
It's not inexpensive, but in my tests the nXZen worked incredibly well. It proved particularly adept at blocking out road noise in the car. My wife also noted that in quieter environments my voice actually sounded better through the headset than on the phone itself.
It's not a perfect product. Despite the numerous interchangeable earpieces Gennum includes with the unit, I've never found a combination that makes it terribly comfortable to wear. And its controls are nearly impossible to use when the unit is on your ear (when you really need them). But at the end of the day, it sounds good to the people on the other end of the line, and that's what counts.
Tom Mainelli can't believe 2006 is almost over. If you'd like to share any tech predictions for 2007, drop him a line.
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