If Cult of Mac ever created an award for “Most Prolific i-Gadget Maker,” there’s little doubt it would eventually end up in a cabinet at iHome’s headquarters (or possibly more accurately in a cabinet at their parent company, SDI technologies, which also owns New Balance and Timex).
Of the four new gadgets iHome has just revealed, the two we’re highlighting are a set of Bluetooth headphones endowed with the unimaginative moniker of iB85 Bluetooth Wireless Foldable Headphones and the somewhat more interestingly named iB12 Sport Earbuds with LED Safety Flasher — though the latter’s name is perhaps only more interesting simply because it combines the words “Safety Flasher” and “Earbuds.”
The interesting feature of the otherwise, at least on paper, unremarkable iB85 is its pricetag. There are other Bluetooth headphones out there equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and enough power for a claimed 30-foot range; but $150 for such a pair seems like a comparatively good deal — provided they pass muster, of course.
Then there’s the iB12. In what seems like an effort to grab hold of the exploding fitness technology trend, iHome has created its FIT line, to which the iB12 — a $25 set of canalphones packaged with an LED blinker that doubles as a cable organizer — belongs. It’s laudable that iHome has expanded its offerings to try and reach out to the fitness crowd. But in an era of sweatproof Bluetooth earphones and bike-ready Bluetooth speakers, we’re not entirely convinced a set of earphones wrapped around a blinker is going to cut it.
Source: iHome
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of Wired.com and BIKE Magazine, among others. Hang with him on Twitter.
4 responses to “iHome Unveils Bluetooth Headphones And A Blinker-Earphone Combo For After-Hour Fitness Buffs”
CultOfMac or AdvertisementsOfMac?
WTF does this have to do with anything Apple?
Hi SupaMac,
Thanks for your comment. As you may have noticed by clicking through a few pages before submitting your comment, we tend to write about consumer electronics quite a bit. While it’s true, the above gadgets are not, in fact, Apple-branded gadgets, one *can* actually use them with many Apple devices. The canalphones, for instance, can be plugged into an iPod or iPhone — or even a Mac! And the larger headphones will, as you’ve probably guessed, work with the Bluetooth radios included in many Apple devices (like, again, the iPod, iPhone or Mac). It’s also worth noting that iHome, the manufacturer of the above gadgets, owes its very existence to Apple and was formed in response to the introduction of Apple’s iPod.
Hope that helps, happy to illuminate!
– Eli
Fair enough :)
Monoprice have an even better pair of Bluetooth headphones at half the price. Bluetooth technology is not that expensive so I don’t know why the price is always so much higher for the wireless version of headphones.