Support Our Site
Get Better Gear!
- Kensington Windshield/Vent Car Mount with Sound Amplified Cradle for iPhone from Kensington, $39.99
- SigFx Energy iPhone Case Contains Smart Battery from SigFx Energy, US$69.95
- NAVIGON AG - True GPS Software for the iPhone from NAVIGON Inc., 89.99
- Tweetie 2 from atebits, $2.99
- Snood: Flawed Casual Play from Electronic Arts, US$3.99
Premier Sponsors
Top 5 Free Apps
iTunes New Music Releases
Top 5 Paid Apps
Discover New Music
- 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
- Goldfrapp
On their latest CD, Supernature, Goldfrapp has put together a successful mix of 1980-era New Romanticism, German cabaret, and T. Rex glam that leaves you riveted even through the album's lulls. It's a great amalgam that sounds current without sounding at all dated.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Once More, with Feeling
- Various Artists
Most musical episodes of TV shows frankly stink. They are usually little more than ill-conceived vehicles intended to let the stars show off what musical talent they have. Once More, With Feeling,
- Nine Inch Nails
In the sprawling post-A&R rock and roll world, there are two camps: the Beatles and the Stones. The Beatles are the artists that like to explore, evolve, and change styles. The Stones are the artis
- The Who
Quadrophenia is everything that Tommy wanted to be, a rock opera that told a story, but one where every song could still stand alone. It was also Pete Townshend's farewell tribute to the Mod
Reader Specials
Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!
In-Depth Review
Hands-Free Mic & Earbuds for iPhone
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 5:15 AM - by Bob LeVitus
The Hands-Free Mic & Earbuds for iPhone by Newer Technology is a decent replacement for the stock iPhone headset included with every iPhone. With a list price 33% lower than the Apple iPhone Stereo Headset (the stock headset's "real" name), it's almost a no-brainer if you need to replace your iPhone headset, or even if you just prefer black over white.
The Hands-Free Mic & Earbuds offers pretty much the same feature set as the Apple iPhone Stereo Headset -- both offer hands free talking and listening and a button to play/pause music and answer/end calls. The Hands-Free Mic & Earbuds include a little clamp so you can attach the cable to your shirt, which is a feature I happen to like.
The earphones are more comfortable than the Apple headset, with slightly brighter midrange and high-frequency response and noticeably better bass response. They're not super fabulous but they are at least a notch above the Apple headset for both music and voice. Furthermore, since they sit more snugly in your ear, they do a better job of rejecting external noise than the Apple headset.
The one area where the Apple headset has this one beat is the quality of its microphone. The Apple microphone was noticeably clearer, although not by a huge margin.
P.S. To test microphone quality I created a set of short audio recordings using five different headsets (and the iPhone alone without a headset). If you'd like to hear them, you'll find them here.
The Bottom Line
There's nothing exceptional about the Hands-Free Mic & Earbuds, but they are in almost every way an improvement over the stock Apple iPhone headset. If you need a replacement or desire an inexpensive upgrade, they can't be beat for the price.
Just The Facts
Pros:Better than the Apple iPhone Stereo Headset in almost every way.
Cons:Earphone quality, while better than Apple's, still isn't great.
Recent Headlines
- Apple TV 3.0.1 Update Fixes Missing Content Bug
- Taiwan Leak Shows Verizon UTMS/CDMA iPhone for Q3 2010
- iPhone Moves Into RadioShack
- Dictionary, Dictionary, Dictionary, And More
- The Latest App Store Games: Gravity Sling, RocketBird, Ground Effect, Checkers!
- iPhone Game Developer Sued for Collecting User’s Cell Numbers
- Apple May Be Bringing RFID to the iPhone
Post Your Comments