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.

It’s not like you’re unaware of the problem. You see the same people we all do – couples ignoring each other, friends staring at their phones instead of talking, people walking into lampposts as they browse /shitredditsays. You see these same people, then you pick up your phone to Instagram them to the world while bitching about how they won’t put their phones down. Stop being one of them.

You know it’s rude. Make the conscious decision to keep it inside your pocket more than out. It will take practice, and time, and patience, but every second will help. Every second will help you make or improve a social connection, or notice something about the world, or invent a solution to some problem that is vexing you. It is worth putting away to get to know yourself again.

Your phone is designed to take advantage of you. Your lizard brain responds to the beeps and buzzes by sending pleasure signals out every time you have a new notification. Thats how gambling works. Your brain is releasing endorphins everytime you get a message to reward your nervous system for the action. That’s why you are physically addicted to checking your phone.

Now we no longer live in a world where you can go cold turkey phone-sober forever, but you are strong enough to fight the urge several times a day. Leave your device in your pocket at the grocery line. Don’t text and walk at the same time. Tell your friends or date that you have an important message coming and you need to keep your phone face up on the table. Realize that everyone is messaging you about their life, and you’re reading it instead of living yours.

Live your life outside your phone and realize that being bored is good for you. You solve problems. You chat with strangers and make new connections. You actually have a short term memory.

You see the head-down-phone-up addiction just as much as the rest of us. Be the person in your social circle to elevate above it. Engage with your friends, don’t ignore them and ask them not to ignore you. Just put your damn mobile device away.

So help you god if you are reading this on your phone right now…

The post Put Your Phone Away Dickhead appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Last week we tried out the Element Case Ducati line, so  I gave them a ring and did my best poor college student impression while begging to try out their motorcycle mount. Nailed it. Soon I had their Zip Mount in my hands and a desire to hit the open road – only without getting lost this time. I hunkered down in my garage and prepared for the dirty and painful task of installing this piece of kit onto my mount. And you know what? It couldn’t have been easier. Do you know how to effectively work a zip-tie? Then you know how to install the Zip Mount. My dreams of struggling away in my garage with wrenches and dirty gloves while listening to classic rock dashed, I decided to hit the road.

In theory, what a motorcycle mount needs to do is exceedingly simple. It needs to hold on to my phone. In practice though, at 100mph, this simple task has never been so important. You’ve got to be able to trust that the mount is going to hold on to your precious Facebook machine, and that gentle reader is why you have me. To test these things out on my phone first. You’re welcome.

A couple of notes: The Zip Mount only slides into the Element Case Fuse Dek, which itself only fits onto the Rogue case we tested last week (at least out of the two cases we tested. I’m sure it fits onto other cases of theirs as well). With that realization, I installed my phone into the chunky Rogue case, installed that into the Fuse Dek mounting system/belt clip, and slid the whole contraption onto my bike mount. It sounds clunky, and is clunky to hold, but once installed it looks pretty minimal.

Enough dillydallying, let’s get this mount on the road. My phone didn’t immediately fall when I set off, nor did it drop  when I picked up to 25mph. Still solid at 35 and 45mph. So far so good. 55 and 65 came and went with no issues as well. Now, 65mph is the legally-recognized top speed in the great state of California so I couldn’t possibly tell you how I ramped up to a heady 100mph on my local streets to test the Zip Mount. For science. Nope, couldn’t possibly tell you about that or at attacking intersection corners to test with some lateral G-forces. That would be irresponsible and downright dangerous of me. So I won’t tell you about any of that *alleged* activity. But you’ll be safe to assume that this mount will hold up to canyon carving and street fighting use.

If I’m honest, I’ve been trying to rely on turn-by-turn navigation less and less. I find I don’t remember how I got to places or how to get back if my little hand computer is telling me everything. But this motorcycle mount certainly made a case for itself and I have already found myself wishing it were there now that I’ve uninstalled the tester Element Case provided. If I continue being honest, it’s likely that I’m going to forget to send it back…

The post Mount Up! Let’s Test an iPhone at 100mph appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.