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Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • Mezzanine

    • 6 out of 10
    • Massive Attack
    • "Black Milk" knocks me off my feet in this collection of moody and eclectic songs. Massive Attack uses samples and keyboards in a very unique way, but not all the songs pack the same punch.

  • The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast)

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jason Robert Brown
    • The soundtrack to this moving off-broadway musical is heart moving. The lyrics follow a couple in a relationship for five years, one point of view going forward in time, and the other tracing time fr
  • Machine Gun Etiquette

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Damned
    • Punk rock is mostly associated with three chords and a bad attitude, but the Damned were one of the few bands of the era bent on bringing musicianship and a good sense of humor to the scene. And while
  • Another Day on Earth

    • 10 out of 10
    • Brian Eno
    • In his first proper solo release since 1996's relatively cold "The Drop," Brian Eno has constructed a whimsical and ecclectic masterpiece which is arguably one of the year's strongest records thus fa
  • Spanks for the Memories

    • 8 out of 10
    • Asylum Street Spankers
    • The Asylum Street Spankers are...well...The Spankers. Hailing from Austin, where I saw them live dozens of times, the band played entirely acousti

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In-Depth Review

Apple iPhone Stereo Headset

I consider very few Apple products mediocre but I can't think of anything nicer to call Apple's earphones and headsets. The Apple iPhone Stereo Headset, which features the same crappy earphones included with every iPod, is mediocre at best. Among the least comfortable earphones I've ever used, they provide so-so frequency response, and little or no noise rejection. Furthermore, unlike some other earphones that come with foam or silicone tips in several sizes, the Apple iPhone Stereo Headset (and iPod earphones) come in one size and one size only. If your ears aren't exactly that size you're out of luck.

I have to admit, the one thing I do like about this headset is the design of its microphone capsule -- you squeeze it to play/pause music and/or answer/end phone calls. That's nice. And speaking of the microphone, if there's a high point to this headset, the mic is it. It includes a built-in windscreen, something I don't believe any other headsets I've tested has. I felt the sound it produced was clearer and had less noise than even the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth headset I favor, and incorporates AudioIQ, Plantronics' proprietary noise reducing/audio enhancing technology (see review here).

P.S. To test microphone quality I created a set of short audio recordings using five different headsets including the aforementioned Plantronics Discovery 665 and the iPhone alone without a headset. If you'd like to hear them, you'll find them here.

The Bottom Line

If you lost or broke your original iPhone headset, almost any other iPhone headset will be more comfortable and provide a better listening experience. About the only reason I can see to choose this headset is if the quality of your voice on phone calls is your only criteria.

Just The Facts

Pros:Very good microphone.

Cons:Mediocre earphones, uncomfortable for many users.

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