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By leo.flor, September 5, 2011 15:00

I needed a new vehicle to deliver audio from various music players to my brain after I lost my Skullcandy earbuds; decided to take it to the next level since I wasn’t fully happy with them anyway.  Like most headphones, the wire eventually weakens on the connection so over time you lose hearing in one and then both ears.  These were already replaced once through their great warranty but I was reluctant to go through the process again; it was a sign.   Plus I had a gift card that was collecting dust so I decided to check out these Dr. Dre headphones that seem to be increasing in popularity.   I would gladly rock the bigger, badder over-ear models but  I was going for small, light and easy to put away.

These are definitely next-level headphones.  Whether you’re listening to classical or rock or hip-hop you can hear everything on the track very crisply.  The bass is nice and deep; it will move you.  The microphone is quite good, I used it with Dragon Dictation to record this blog post.

The on-cord remote for controlling volume and playback is pretty solid albeit biased to Apple products; it easily controls my iPod nano, my iPad and even my MacBook.  It works splendidly answering calls and controlling music play on iPhone (4).  I say biased because it doesn’t control my BlackBerry Torch very well (known issue).  In fact I can’t even use it as just a normal headset for talking on the phone, there seems to be some incompatibility (works with my wife’s Blackberry Curve 8900 though).  Monster and Research In Motion better work this out because it’s ridiculous for this not to work.  On Android (Motorola Xoom) the remote is only good for starting and stopping playback, all three buttons do the same thing.

It comes with all of these accessories that you see in the picture.   There are earbud attachments of different sizes as well as this adjustable over-ear wire which is handy if you want to be active while using them.  The case is very durable although bigger than I want it to be; I suppose they need to be big enough to house the entire unit.

All in all it is a solid product.  My research indicates the squarish, rubber-like wire (patent pending) is more durable than regular headphone wires.  They are expensive headphones, hopefully the cost is mitigated by them lasting a long time.

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By leo.flor, June 27, 2011 16:56

Often I’ll consult my cousin John on matters related to technology and I credit him with getting me to use the Dragon-Dictation/Evernote-Apps-Super-Ultra-Combo-Special (for iPad). That is: the practice of using the Dragon Dictation App, dictating my ideas and lists into it and uploading them into my Evernote.

I was already a big fan of using voice recording and making lists (before these Apps) because essentially you’re taking a snapshot of your brain at that moment.  In this day and age of information bombardment it is increasingly difficult remembering every important little detail of our chaotic lives.   Taking a recording of your thoughts, saving them and making them searchable (equally as important) seems like a good idea to me.  You will forget things; computers will not (unless they crash hard of course).

I had heard of Dragon Dictation before (I’ve used it for PC) but it wasn’t as good at voice recognition as it is now.   I find for best results to talk into it slower than your normal conversation speed.  My other cousin Issa commented when we were testing it: “it could as side effect teach you to be more articulate in conversation.”

It’s really a very good app if you don’t want to use your hands for typing.   I already use a computer likely much more than the average person but I also make microscopic art and play sports.  My hands need every break they can get.

I imagine it would be a very useful app for people who have vision or motor skill handicaps.

Anyway give it a try and share your feedback.  I wrote this post using Dragon Dictation.  John responds to emails without typing.