Admittedly, after about four weeks of usage, I’m happier with these than with any other Skullcandy product I’ve tried – mostly because they usually break by now. The around-the-neck collar make the Ink’d a perfect option for wearing while exercising. Not only can volume and song controls be accessed with the large buttons on the collar, but the collar reduces the likelihood the buds will fall out of your ears while running and sweating, a problem I’ve encountered with $100+ Beats in the past. The battery life lasts roughly 8 hours, though this figure is a liberal estimate, and depends strongly on volume and if the headset is being used for calls at all (I can only speak well of the microphone, it performed very well while both exercising and driving)

The largest grievance I have with these is the claimed “30 feet of chord-free Bluetooth” which blatantly isn’t true – three feet is a more accurate promise. I found that if my device was in my pocket, then there weren’t any issues. But as soon as distance exceeded my roughly four feet, playback would become choppy and anxiety inducing. Not so brilliant for working out, as you can’t really hop on the bench press and put your phone next on you.

I chose this product primarily for use on my motorcycle, as the large, collar mounted buttons allow for quick song and volume access, and for exercising in. In both these categories, the product performs well, and few others offer the same value in relation to the cost. The Skullcandy Ink’d Wireless are a budget option and perform well in the circumstances, but you can do far better for your dollar in this competitive field.

The post Skullcandy Ink’d Earbuds are Terrible appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

“The Rex can reach approximately 90 decibels at max volume, which is equivalent to standing next to a kitchen blender churning away at some frozen fruit.”

If you’re looking for a speaker with more style than a black cylinder or a water-proof plastic mass, the Boombotix Rex is a great low-cost option. It stands out with its hexagonal design and various outer shells, my personal favorite being the wood grain design.

The Rex can reach approximately 90 decibels at max volume, which is equivalent to standing next to a kitchen blender churning away at some frozen fruit. Coming from a speaker that I can clip to my pocket, I am thoroughly impressed with its range and volume.

The AT&T Authorized Retailer I work for, Car-tel Communications, has been selling these speakers for three months now and they have mostly sat on our shelves with little to no sales traffic. After I tested one of our demo models, I was surprised by the lack of sales, but now I think I know why.

The Boombotix Rex looks unassuming, because it was designed to blend in with the aesthetic of a modern home. In a store like AT&T, where technology products are shouting for your attention, the Boombotix Rex fades to the background and sales consequently dip.

There seems to be an inverse relation between lack of success in the store and product satisfaction in the home, meaning this is the Bluetooth speaker to buy right now.

Lack of in-store sales have driven the price of this speaker to beyond bargain levels. The going price for the Woodgrain speaker is (currently) $15.99 on Amazon, but I am going to purchase the Boombotix Pro+ with the accompanying sub woofer dock for $29.99.

The Pro+ includes a few extra features like 2Gb flash drive, water-proof up to 3ft, and voice control with Siri or Google Voice.

Clip it to your backpack while hiking or sit it on your desk at home, the Boombotix brand is your ultraportable speaker for any occasion.

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But wait I hear you pleading, what happens when one of my earbuds falls out? The best use case for many of these first wireless buds (I just trademarked that name for a buddy action flick starring Keanu and the hologram of Tupac) is in action sports, exercising, or running. Basically, the best times to use these limited battery earbuds is when you are moving around a lot, possibly at high speeds. It’s only natural to think that you’re going to lose one of your earbuds and be stuck with terrible terrible mono sound.

Well that’s exactly the usecase ELWN decided to solve once and for all with their Fit earbuds. Their kickstarter just funded in the first day, and it’s easy to see why. Not only do you get two sexy little buds (I’m not trademarking that movie name, it’s all yours…), plus an additional battery strap called an Infinity Band, but you also get a whole variety of ear tips, hooks, and loops with 180 different combinations to ensure, in their words, “the most customizable truly wireless ear buds.”

If you’re still here and reading, I’m sure your question now is, “but do they work?” Sir, they do indeed. In fact, I’m listening to them now as I write this. Pairing is simple and straightforward (just read the package!), sound quality is good, my custom fit was excellent, and battery life is very respectable 3 hours. When you’ve exhausted that, just plug in the Infinity Band external battery/cord for up to 6.5 hours of running and jumping around.

I doubt I would use these around the office or house, but exercising, rolling around on my bike, or even ignoring other humans on the bus are all great uses for the ELWN earbuds. There have been plenty of wireless earbuds companies to come out this year, but ELWN has really impressed us with their design, fit and finish, and customizability. If you buy wireless earbuds this year, it should be the ELWN Fit. Welcome to the new hotness and real freedom.

The post The Problem with Wireless Earbuds is Finally Solved appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.