Tech Review

Since nobody in my household shares my taste in music, it was unsubtly suggested to me that I needed to invest in some headphones. "Fine," I said, but before I granted them peace, the headphones had to meet two criteria: they had to be wireless and they had to work with my primary music-maker, the Dell E1505 in front of me at this moment. With wireless, I could leave my computer in one room and walk around the house listening to music or talk radio. After searching a while I discovered that some wireless headphones could also be used portably; "Finally," I thought, I can run without the wires getting in the way.

One can choose between two wireless technologies. The first is RF, or radio frequency, which is probably what you're using with your mouse or keyboard right now. You don't want to use Radio Frequency, however, as RF has a short range and you have to carry the receiver (usually called a USB dongle) with you for whichever device you use. It's also rare to find a receiver with an internal battery which means forget about using it with your iPod. Bluetooth, on the other hand, can work with the built-in Bluetooth in your computer or, if you don't have it built in, you can still use a USB receiver dongle. Bluetooth wireless headphones can do a few things RF cannot as well. First, you can use the headphones with your Bluetooth telephone. Let's say you're dancing to a song from Cubanocast in the living room and your phone rings in the kitchen. With Bluetooth headphones, you can answer the call and, when you're finished, get back to dancing. Things look to get even more convenient as Bluetooth becomes available on mp3 players and stereo receivers.

Having settled on Bluetooth, I looked at three Bluetooth headphones, the Logitech Mp3, the IOGear Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headphone Kit, and the Plantronics Pulsar 590. All go for about $100.00 and all work with computers or portable devices. They each come with a Bluetooth emitter that plugs into a standard 3.5mm mini plug, the small plug to your headphones found on almost all computers and music devices. There's also an adapter for the bigger 1/4 inch adapter on your receiver. The emitter sends any audio signal to your headphones via Bluetooth, allowing you to make any device, even those without Bluetooth, wireless. And since the emitter can be charged, you can use it with iPods, portable DVD players, or the Creative Vison, my preference.

The Logitech has two drawbacks that earned it a trip back to the Fry's Electronics. First, you can't use it with your phone which wasn't a big deal for me, and second, the behind the back design makes it impossible to listen to it while lying in bed. I've also heard the quality of the Logitech neckband questioned.

The IOGear works with phones, but is a behind the back style like the Logitech and that broke the deal. It's also more uncomfortable.

The Plantronics 590 uses the standard headphone configuration so I can lie down with them. They also sound great, have a full 30 foot range, and last for hours without having to plug it into the handy charging station. I plug the emitter into my mp3 player and take my three-mile jog around the block. It also works with my Motorola Razr cell phone which I'm sure about 60% of you have.

However, as much as I like it, I can't give it five stars because the Plantronics cramps my style. It has a strongly pulsating blue glow which makes me look like a geek-and I'm not a geek, honest. OK, maybe a little, but do I have to advertise my geekiness everywhere I go? And does the whole plane have to know I the status of my Bluetooth connection? This geekastrophic embarrassment prevents me from taking it to the gym, for example (that and the blue light also clashes with my orange bike shorts). So, a good product made a little worse than necessary.

PULSAR 590A BT HDSET

Iogear WIRELESS BLUETOOTH STERO ( GBMH201 )

Logitech Wireless Headphones for MP3