Tag Archive for: apple

yurbudsRead: 2 mins

Yurbuds: Performance Enhancement Earphones

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

I’ve always marveled at how small retired NBA basketball and now actor John Salley’s ears are. Truth is I have small ears too – not as disproportionate as Mr. Salley’s who at 6’11” has ears the size of nickels, but small nonetheless.

Having small ears was never a big deal back when headphones were worn over the ear, but most headphones today (and Bluetooth headesets) are of the earbud variety and for people like me and JS, keeping earbuds in your ears, particularly when sweaty from working out, is damn near impossible.

Yurbuds™ have an earbud system that caters to people of all ear types and is specifically designed to keep the earbuds in your ear even through intense physical activity. Yurbuds are two soft rubber ‘boots’ that fit over the provided ‘Apple-style’ earbuds, but can be used with other earbuds or headsets as well. The Yurbud has a small funnel of sorts that fits into your ear canal and the outer-ridge of the Yurbud is grooved, helping them stay in place – even when sweating heavily.

When you order your Yurbuds you submit a picture of quarter placed just below your earlobe. This helps them determine the size of your ear and fit you correctly to Yurbud for your ears. In all my tests of the Yurbuds – running in near 80F+ degree heat for an hour, the Yurbuds never moved and never bothered me. I also got caught in a thundershower on a run (never fun) and again, the Yurbuds hung in there and Mishka kept signing me up the hills and back to my home.

Because Yurbuds are comfortable over long periods of time and stay in place even while sweating, they’re perfect for runners, bikers, and amateur athletes who are looking for a headphone solution you barely even notice.

Priced a very reasonable $29.99, Yurbuds are the perfect solution for anyone looking for headphones that stay in your ears regardless of how much you sweat or for anyone just looking for a more comfortable earbud from prolonged use.

Posted by: Lawrence

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Motorola BarrageRead: 2 mins

Durable and feature rich, the Motorola Barrage is ready to go to work

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Not everyone needs an iPhone or even a smartphone for that matter. For many, the only functionality needed is good voice quality and the only feature required is reliability. Enter the Motorola Barrage, both uniquely feature-rich as well as durable and providing what I perceived to be above-average voice quality.

Ideally suited for those who work or play outdoors, the Barrage meets or exceeds military specifications for dust, shock and weather. In fact, the Barrage is waterproof in up to one meter of water and submerged for up to 30 minutes. I threw it in the snow, plopped it in a glass of water, took it to the beach and – the test of all tests – let my 6-year-old play with it. Beyond the tested toughness, the Barrage feels like a solid piece of tech, weighing 4.2 ounces and handsomely constructed using black textured rubber and plastic.

Offered by Verizon Wireless for $129.99 (with $50 online discount), the push-to-talk capable Barrage’s 383 minutes of talk-time competes for battery life with a host of features including a 2 megapixel camera (non-camera version also available), music player, bright external 120 x 160 display and TFT internal display (176 x 220).

VCAST and VZ Navigator service are available for additional monthly fees and the streaming in my area was admirable. In my opinion however, the screen size on flip phones in general renders services such as these to be more of a gimmick than useful.

If watching video on the go or you’re frequently going to use the navigation service, you’re better off with smartphone. If you’re the outdoorsy type, or even clumsy, the Motorola Barrage is your ideal phone. With quality construction, a host of features, Verizon’s unparalleled coverage and above-average voice quality, the Motorola Barrage is ready to go to work for you.

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fitness-patent-appleRead: < 1 min

iPhone & iPod Touch: Thank You Sir May I Have Another?

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

For a company as secretive as Apple, it has to be frustrating for Apple that the Cindy Brady of the Web, the US Patent Office, makes it fairly simple to find and view patent filings online.

AppleInsider did a little digging and revealed Apple’s patent filings to develop a digital lifestyle fitness companion. Plans include four distinct components that comprise the system, ‘including an iTunes-like software application, hardware-based heart rate and physiological sensors, a rewards tracker, and a component to facilitate synchronous group activities.’

The system asks a series of lifestyle questions; what your fitness goals are, personal and family health history (HIPAA are you listening?). Once the data is collected a fitness regimen specific to the user is created. There are plans for one or more integrated physiological sensors. These could be built-into headphones or in a ‘sling’ which may not only read heart rate, but hold the iPod/iPhone during a workout.

There are a number of interesting screen shots on the AppleInsider Web site; a fitness model demonstrating proper technique, a tick list of exercises for a particular workout and others.

Source: Apple Insider

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