I still find it difficult to read or discuss the passing of Steve Jobs. I have not brought myself to the point that I can read any of the multitude of stories online, publications dedicated to him nor have I read a single page of his bio...yet.

Over the weekend, Walt Mossberg pointed out this New York Time piece by Jobs' sister Mona Simpson which was original her eulogy read during his memorial on October 16th.

The piece includes Steve Job's final words if you are curious.

Everyone says the bio is a good read. I am hoping to check it out soon.

A video shot on the iPhone 4S from Benjamin Dowie on Vimeo.
Some people may be under the false belief that the new iPhone 4s is just an "update". But when you spend some time with the new SIRI voice-command features, noticeably snapper speed flipping between apps and the new 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video...you start the get the full picture. This is not a new strategy for Apple. If you look at the Macbook Pro line of Apple laptops you will note that the overall look has not changed for many years but the product offering inside has. Most likely this is the road Apple is interested in pursuing with their iPhones as well.

That is not to say that they won't come out with a new configuration but from an operational efficiency standpoint, Apple will try to leverage the form-factor as long as it competitively can.

To demonstrate some of the video prowess of the iPhone 4S, Benjamin Dowie has shot some incredible footage to really highlight the smart-device's 1080p video capabilities. Benjamin is a professional videographer and was really impressed with the depth of field found in a smartphone's camera. He did tweak the colors while editing the footage in Final Cut (Apple's professional video editing) software.

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Bang & Olufsen A8 Earphone...love them!

I have been on the lookout for a wireless/Bluetooth set of stereo headphones for quite some time. I love my Bang and Olufsen corded headphones but I would also love to cut the cord between my iPhone and my ears. Now the B&O headphones (est. $160) are not cheap either...but they deliver a sound quality and fit that I have found unmatched in the industry. And they look incredible...if a set of earphones can look incredible? Definitely worth checking out if your willing to spend the same money for your headphones as you did on your audio device!

But back to my quest for a great set of wireless headphones...

The industry hasn't really delivered on the promise with the past waves of Bluetooth headsets. Most are heavier than you'd want, awkward to wear, have uncomfortable cord things dangling down, something you have to clip on or just don't sound good. Another thing to consider is that a fair amount of people will want these for their workouts...so durability, solid fit, stay-in-place and sweat resistance will be key.

While I am on the topic of working out, if you didn't check out my write-up last week on fitness tech...be sure to check it out here.

Motorola S10-HD

Motorola S10-HD (est. $55) is the replacement for the somewhat popular S9 series. The headphones appear to have a quality construction and produce a rigid backplane that arches over and around the back of the neck. Some people would point out they are actually feel heavier than the previous version. For those of you into sports, the way these headphones wraparound your head, you can trust that they will probably stay in place. The design of the acoustic mesh, silicone seals and encased speakers help provide excellent sweat protection. I will say that the wrapping over the ears and thickness of the material over the ear, that wearing glasses is not too comfortable. The overall audio quality was just average throughout the range. Another challenge with this style of headset is when you are sitting in a tall-backed chair or car seat you may feel them pushing up against the back of your neck. These headphones include a microphone for taking calls as well. You can expect up to 8 hours of audio and 10 days of standby with the built-in batteries. They come with a wall charger and have a MicroUSB port in the headset for convenient charging.

LG Tone HBS-700

Another lessor known set of headphones of similar construction is produced by LG. The LG Tone (HBS-700 est. $55) has a main component that wraps around your neck but instead of the backplane fitted with the earbuds on the end, as you can see from the picture, the earbuds hang off the spine with a more traditional wires and buds configuration. The earbuds themselves store with the main unit via a very innovative magnets coupling on both ends. In a way this is more comfortable than the Motorola S10 and is very lightweight. Your experience my vary based on your level of working out but in general they should stay in place pretty well. I do think if you are jogging they could bounce around a bit but the good news is that the whole setup is designed to be water resistant which is key for those of you into a hearty workout. The LG unit is compatible with the Android BT Reader app that reads your incoming text messages in real-time. A nice feature is the multipoint support that allows you to pair with your computer or audio device and seamlessly switch to your phone to take a call. You should expect 8-10 hours of talk time and up to 15 days of standby.

Plantronics BackBeat 903+

Still sticking with the back of the head wrap motif, the Plantronics has a very solid reputation for delivering higher-end Bluetooth cell phone earpieces and the BackBeat 903+ (est. $45) stereo headphones deliver similar levels of performance. Built on Altec Lansings sound technology is definitely evident based on the audio fidelity which is on the higher end level of performance in this group. But there were two areas that the BackBeat fell backwards. One is on the microphone/voice quality, people I was talking to could tell I was not using the main iPhone microphone and the other was that this is not a multipoint device. Meaning that you couldn't pair this with separate audio, computer and cell phone.

Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800

Delivering a quality audio experience is the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 (est. $70). These earbuds delivered a rich audio sound with a decent bass response. They are incredibly small and lightweight. Though the control on the cord is small, you do notice that is dangles down on the left side where the module is which can be annoying. The noise-canceling feature worked well but callers could tell when you are on this headset as well. You can expect a relatively short talk time in the 3 to 4 hour range and standby for over 10 days. Small but not feature rich with good audio sums it up.

Jaybird Freedom

The Jaybird Freedom (est. $99) headphones represent the current state of technology and tries to address all the needs of a consumer of lightweight, wireless stereo headsets. They have developed a wide range of earbuds and accessories to address any type of fit. The Jaybird has condensed all the electronics into both earbud cases and still maintain a very small shape overall. These were designed to be worn while working out. I get mixed reports on the "staying in the ear" but they have an amazing life-time sweat proof warrant...which should bring some peace of mind. The product has a quality but plastic feel about it and a thoughtful execution throughout. You can adjust the cable between your ears to better fit your head. Battery life stands at 6 hours of talk time and . The audio quality is quite good with some decent bass response...only lagging behind the Plantronics and slight Sony.

Novero Rockaway

What re-triggered my look into this whole area of wireless headphones again was that some friends mentioned a forthcoming set from Novero (est. $79) called the Rockaway. Now traditionally Novero tries to develop fashion electronics, things that are suppose to be worn unnoticed. They make jewelry with the electronics hidden inside but typically they just looks like bejeweled electronics. But this new Bluetooth headset seems to just be pursuing the minimalist angle. Something I can strongly endorse. They look nice but we'll have to wait and see how they turn out in the coming weeks when they are released. I'll update you when I get a good sense on these.

Sennheiser MM-450

My Conclusion
I guess there is a reason that I don't have a Bluetooth headset currently. This really seems to not be an overly active area of development. There must be a lot of limitations (interference, components weight, cost, ergonomics, etc.) that are preventing people from really delivering a quality experience here. There are larger headphone solutions from Sennheiser and the like but I really was hoping for something smaller...more "Bluetooth" and "lightweight"...something in-line with the size of the B&O set I currently love dearly.

As it stands today I will probably stick with my current corded headphones. If I was needing to pick up a new set, I personally lean toward the Jaybird earbuds. The Plantronics are just too bulky and I don't know if I can deal with the necklace of a solution from LG. If you can live with the LG wrap around the neck...they were probably the nicest set here overall.

If you'd like a more in-depth review of the Jaybird...check out Matthew Miller's write-up on ZDnet.
If you'd like a more in-depth review of the LG Tone (HBS-700)...Nicole Lee's review on CNET.

Please follow me on Twitter or Facebook and if you like any of the products, please consider purchasing them through my links (most @ Amazon). If nothing else, the funds I generate off the site go to buying and testing other great products.

If you have any comments or feedback, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com

Thx,
Larry

Who would have thought I would be talking about fitness? But there has been some amazing bits of technology and very innovative products coming to market to really incent good health. I wanted to cover two very cool, high-tech products to help do just that.

Fitbit Ultra is a new wireless clip-on device that you wear and it tracks your activity throughout the day and even can monitor your sleeping habits as well! This is not just some fancy pedometer, this device has a sophisticated 3D accelerometer similar to the technology found in a Wii controller. It also includes an altimeter to track movement up and down stairs and trails. Combined these technologies really help the system measure your overall activity.

The Fitbit's built-in display helps you keep track of your basic activities like number of steps, total distance, floors climbed, how long and well you slept and counts calories burned. It also includes a clock and stopwatch function for your exercise activities. The display will even give you some fun messages on occasion to motivate you to keep moving!

The Fitbit is a wireless device with a charging wireless base station that plugs into your Mac or PC. This makes keeping your data logged onto Fitbit's free online system very easy to use. You can track your activity and sleep stats on fitbit.com. You can create a visual map of your progress and use custom dashboards to analyze your day and track your progress over time. It even scores your efforts and compares you to other people in your age group and fitness range. And if that isn't awkward enough...you can even share your efforts with friends and private groups you setup on the fitbit.com site as well!

Other useful data can be input into the system from your computer or mobile device like the foods you eat or workout routines (even Wii games) you are doing. You can even input your blood pressure, glucose and heart rate information. Should you already be leveraging other online nutrition or fitness programs like LoseIt!, RunKeeper or Microsoft's HealthVault...you can seamlessly sink your data with these other tools.

And if all that isn't enough, Fitbit offers a $49.99/year premium subscription service where Fitbit Trainers review your activity level and create a personalized 12 week program that gradually pushes you to increase your daily movement activity. You are also provided some additional personalized reports that give you analysis of your week's data and recommends target levels of activity the following week.

The Fitbit Ultra is probably the savviest product in this category today and definitely worth checking out if you'd like to monitor your activity and looking for something to help motivate yourself. We've found these to work well with our family.


What about tracking your weight?
While I am on this fitness topic, I should mention another healthy lifestyle tech device that has made it into our household. The Withings Wifi Body Scale is a wireless weight scale that transmits its data to Withings online system just like Fitbit. You setup your whole families profiles online (up to 8 users) and the system can automatically detect who is on the scale and tracks the users Weight, Lean and Fat body mass and translate that into your BMI (body mass index) to help follow your progress and target goals.

You can access your information on your computer or mobile device via an Android, iPhone or iPad app.

The Withings Wifi Body Scale has worked flawlessly for us and is a great tool to track your weight and target goals. And if your really want to keep yourself motivated...the scale can post your progress to Facebook, Twitter or dozens of online weight coaching programs.