Jim Jamieson
Province
What is it?
Motorola Bluetooth Active Headphones S9
Price:$149.99; $189.99 with iPod adapter
Why you need it: You’ve strangled yourself too many times with your iPod’s or phone’s cord. And there’s a certain techno-cachet that comes with this cool gizmo.
Why you don’t: Paying that much for cutting the cord seems a little high. You’ll wait till you can have a chip implanted.
Our rating: 4 mice
Bluetooth technology seemed to take forever to get here, and when it did, only the early adopter could afford it.
But the cost of Bluetooth-enabled devices — which wirelessly stream data up to 10 metres — has come down as the market grew, and Motorola’s new headphones are an example of just how far the technology and the design have progressed.
The S9, first of all, is thin and light as a feather (28 grams), and its behind-the-head style is very comfortable.
It also provides excellent sound quality when hooked up to an iPod or other music source and is fully functional as a mobile-phone headset with Bluetooth-compatible devices.
We found the S9 to be straightforward to “pair” to an iPod or an enabled phone — a process that allows the two devices to synchronize with each other.
Once that process is completed, the earphones — which have rechargeable batteries — provide about six hours of listening.
The headphones are designed to be used for both music and phone purposes simultaneously and they will automatically
mute music when a call comes in.
The unit is also meant to be used at the gym — it is sweat- and water-resistant.
Controls for calls, volume and track are right on the headphones.
The S9 also features detachable ear buds, with several sizes in the box so a good fit can be obtained for all ear-canal sizes.
The Motorola Bluetooth S9 is available at electronics stores.