PopSugar

Totally Geeky or Geek Chic? Colorful Headphones

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:00:54 -0700

The popularity of the iPod and its matching white earbud headphones has contributed to one of the worst fashion trends in history: masses of people walking the streets with dorky headphones. The alternatives, namely large DJ headsets or Swarovski-laden earbuds, end up looking equally, if not more dorky. But what of these Aural New York colorful headphones? If you can ignore their tacky wanna-be sexy marketing campaign, the company offers an array of cute brightly-colored headphones that would help the world break out of the white earbud slump. They cost $20 and come in pink, orange, green, blue, black and white (mixed) and black. Is accessorizing your headphones ridiculously geeky (in a bad way) or geek chic?

Love It Or Leave It? Colorful M&M-Inspired Headphones

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:00:06 -0700

The folks over at Elecom (it's a Japanese site, just a warning) are selling these colorful ear drops that I have been lusting after even though I know I don't need them. They come in fruity M&M colors like blue, green, yellow, orange, brown and pink (plus white but that's not very exciting!) and look like candies in your ear. Unlike the loud and very bright Aural New York headphones, which nearly 80 percent of geeksugar readers deemed "geek chic," the Elecom headphones offer more subtle drops of color. I suspect you'd feel less like a Hello-Kitty-loving teenager and more like a serious, respectable person who just happens to love bright hues - and chocolate.

Source: Techie Diva

5 Things For Safe Outdoor Workouts

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:00:31 -0700

Even though cold temps are moving in, some of you may still love sweating it out in the outdoors. Exercising outside is a great way to lift your spirits, is usually free, and prevents boredom, but you need to be especially aware of your safety. So here are some things you'll need for outdoor workouts.

Road ID ($20): This colorful fabric bracelet ID can be personalized with up to seven lines of text. Wear it on your wrist or attach it to your sneaker or jacket, and in case of an emergency, someone will know your name, where you live, and who to call.
Cell phone case: Whether I'm biking far away from home, or just running in my neighborhood, I always carry my cell phone in case I get hurt and need to call for help.

What else should you have on your outdoor workouts? To find out read more.

Airdrive Earphones ($60): I'm a big fan of listening to music while I work out, but it's not exactly safe to blast Fergie so loud you can't hear anything around you. These headphones sit just outside the opening of your ear, so you can hear your tunes, and also be aware of outside noises.
Reflective gear ($60) or lights ($15): Since the days are shorter, you may be exercising before the sun rises or after it has set, so you need gear that makes you more visible to drivers. They make all sorts of wearable reflective gear now, but when it's really dark, you may also want to sport a headlamp so not only can others see you, but you'll be able to see where you're going too.
Pepper spray ($10.50): If you work out in an unsafe neighborhood, or are in the woods and worried about animals attacking you, then pepper spray could save your life. This one has a handle so you can carry it easily, and it's ready to use instantly.

Super-Simple (and Cheap!) Earbud-Cord Storage

GeekSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:22:12 -0700

Sometimes even the most high-tech gadgets can be improved with the simplest of projects. Case in point: these earbud clips ($10 for a package of four) by PKOH. The colorful plastic clips slide secure your earbuds after wrapping them around your iPod.

I love this simple solution! No matter how carefully I try to store my iPod headphones, they're usually a tangled mess by the time I take them out of my bag - so I'm a huge supporter of cord management.

Gear Review: 2XL Colorful Earbuds

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:30:51 -0700

Running with an iPod is as essential to me as a sports bra, but the earbuds that come with it won't stay in my ears unless I'm sitting still. If you have that issue too, then check out 2XL headphones. They have a few different models depending on your ear needs, but the best part is that they're really cheap - $10 to $15 a pair. They come in tons of color combinations so you can get a few pairs to match your fitness outfits and not break the bank.

To hear why I love these earbuds read more.

The earbuds on the right are called Groove ($15), and they're my fave for running since they wrap around the back of your ear and stay put even when doing sprinting intervals. I like that the speaker part just sits outside of the opening to your ear canal, because then I can hear my music, but can also hear what's going on around me - you know, in case a bear sneaks up behind me on the trail.

I also like the Spoke ($15) in-ear buds shown in the middle. Not only because they're metallic pink, but because they fit snugly inside my ears, and are perfect for strength training when I need to hear nothing but Christina Aguilera while doing squats thrusts. These buds come with three sets of changeable gels so you can get a comfortable fit no matter what size ears you have.

The earbuds on the left are called Ratio ($10), and they're just like the earbuds that come with your iPod. So if you prefer this model but are bored with the plain white ones you have, these come in seven different colors to suit your personality.

Check out all the color patterns below.

View 10 Photos ›

Square Headphones That Are Bound to Turn Heads

GeekSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:44:27 -0700

For those of you who are hipsters, trendsetters, or you just need a new pair of decent chic headphones, take a look at these rare audio accessories. Brought to you by Skullcandy (the same makers behind the popular hesh headphones), their new 2XL collection includes these 4 Corners headphones ($20) that are not only inexpensive, retro and hip, but they actually have good audio-output quality.

Currently out of stock (hmm, I wonder why?!), you can find these headphones in seven different color patterns.

View 5 Photos ›

Motorola Joins the Android Party With the Cliq

GeekSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:15:56 -0700

A new Android handset has been born, and her name is Cliq. Announced yesterday here in San Francisco, Motorola unveiled their first Google Android device from T-Mobile - the Motorola Cliq. I got a hands-on demo of the shiny new phone and was pretty impressed with its fancy new features. With the looks of a MyTouch 3G and an interface that resembles the Palm Pre, at first glance, the Cliq may look like just another smartphone.

But what makes it stand out is MotoBlur, Motorola's social genius interface. With MotoBlur, you can do things like update your Facebook profile, Twitter, and MySpace pages with one status update; check your email from various different accounts at once; and see your contacts status updates, photo uploads, profile changes, in the happenings section (all from your home screen using three widgets). And yes, you can keep everything running at once, without having to close applications to view updates or email . . . although I must admit, your screen could appear to be a hot mess for those who aren't that tech savvy.

Other notable features include a 5-megapixel camera and a video camera, both a touchscreen and a qwerty keyboard, it's 3G-capable, has a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, it boasts GPS functionality and it is WiFi friendly. I couldn't seem to get the guy doing the demo to spill the beans on a price, but he said it will soon be announced, since the phone's release date will be in the next couple of months . . . just in time for Christmas. Color availability right now includes titanium or winter white, although he did say they'd add more colors, depending on the phone's popularity.

View 5 Photos ›

How-To: Avoid Getting Stuck With the Worst Seat on the Plane

SavvySugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:30:14 -0700

There's nothing worse than being crammed in the middle seat of the last row in coach right next to the bathroom. Just thinking about that makes me tense. The Wall Street Journal delivered bad news about those already smushed seats - they're being pushed even closer together! The WSJ doesn't usually mess around with details like these, or ever, so I'm accepting its word that American Airlines has recently added 12 additional seats to its new 737-800 jets from Boeing.

The increase in passenger capacity means it's more important than ever to remember your headphones and set arm-rest boundaries by take-off. You may not be able to squirm your way into first class, but there are ways to hedge against getting stuck with the worst seat in the plane.

To find out how to avoid an even more uncomfortable flight experience than usual, read more.

Ideally, you'll be able to find seats on one of the lower-cost carriers that also offer more legroom (or as they say, seat pitch). But if you're cornered into buying tickets from airlines with less room like American, United, Delta, or Continental, try using SeatExpert to scope out the row situation. The site provides a color-coded seat map for your particular flight showing which seats are rated as good, bad, or awful. SeatGuru is a competitor site that provides similar functions but has a slightly more complicated user experience.

Source

Womanhandling the New iPod Shuffle

GeekSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:43:10 -0700

Yesterday Apple announced its tiniest media player to date - the 4GB iPod Shuffle. Well today I cruised on over to the Apple store for some hands-on action with the new device and to test out these easy-access controls we've been hearing so much about - and the ones that most of you aren't very happy about. The actual headphone controls are pretty nifty and useful especially if you want to switch playlists, which you couldn't do with the second generation shuffle. But the whole idea of having to own multiple pairs in case one breaks kinda sucks.

The Apple guru's explained to me that there's numerous companies like Monster which will offer their own version of the headphones and thankfully they will range in price. The only other way you'd be able to listen to your shuffle (if your headphones break) is through external speakers or with a car adapter with the shuffle's autoplay. . . but you wouldn't be able to adjust the volume, or switch from playlist to playlist. I didn't get a confirmation on more colors and sizes to come, but that's basically a guarantee. So if you aren't digging the black or silver, I say wait a few months and you'll probably have a rainbow of colors to choose from. The new shuffle can now be purchased online and will be in stores within the next couple of days.

Roxy's New Lineup of Stylish Earphones and Headphones

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:43:59 -0700

The fun, female surfwear company Roxy has just debuted its hot new audio collection, which includes chic little earbuds and brightly colored headphones. By teaming up with the home audio experts JBL, you can expect these new peripherals to offer killer sound quality and crisp audio. Roxy has already tapped into the electronics world with its fashionable speaker systems, so I won't be surprised if these take off with a big bang as well! Source

View Slideshow ›