A New Ear
By Jonathan Takiff


The warmth of spring brings the urge to move outside, toting along our entertaining electronics products. Today, let's look at new accessories to enhance your outdoor living experience.

THE GIZMOS: Shure E Series In-Ear Earphones and theBoom mobile communications headset from UmeVoice Inc.

SSSHH: Hands-free headset earphone/microphone combinations for use with mobile phones have become very popular - especially with safety-conscious drivers. But theBoom from UmeVoice Inc. looks and acts differently from other headset mikes we've tried.

Boasting technology first developed for use on noisy stock trading floors - and now winning favor in military applications - theBoom does an incredible job reducing background noise normally picked up by a mobile phone's built-in microphone. So a wearer of theBoom can speak quietly and still be heard, even if all hell is breaking loose around him.

Designer Adithya Padala came up with a two-port microphone housing that cancels out background noise as it hits both the front and back ports. A user's voice is concentrated to hit just the front port, which enables the microphone to transmit a strong speech signal in an environment with 100 decibels of noise.

Which means that even in a raucous bar, a user doesn't have to speak above a whisper to be heard - and the listener at the other end of the line might easily be fooled into believing you're calling from the, ahem, office.

LOOKING GOOD: theBoom looks different, too. Styled by the famous Frog Design group in snazzy blue and silver tones, theBoom has an adjustable over-the-ear piece that holds the earphone in place pretty well - though I wish its budlike speaker was either larger to cover the ear, or a tad smaller to actually fit into the ear.

The boom's microphone also is on a flexible, rubbery staff that can be bent to the shape of your face. Held in place with a magnet, the microphone portion can be easily removed from the earpiece with a simple twist and pull.

theBoom sells for $149.99 (volume pricing available) from www.theboom.com or by phone at 888-230-3300.

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