By now most of you have probably already forgotten about the Philips Tapster Bluetooth headphones we first wrote about way back in February. But that’s a good thing, because according to CNET’s Crave blog, the device will never be hitting store shelves.

While Philips apparently didn’t have any official comments as to why, Jasmine France chocks it up to the device… well… sucking. “The major draw of the Tapster is the playback and volume controls, which are manipulated via light tapping and swiping on the ear modules. In theory, this is a sweet idea, because pressing tactile buttons on an in-ear headset has a tendency to dislodge the earbuds. Unfortunately, although we tested the Tapster with four different devices, it never worked completely as advertised.” Oh well…

[ Crave - Philips Tapster shies away from retail ]

There, was that so difficult? I can’t tell you how long I’ve been hunting for a simple Bluetooth headphone adapter that will let me use my OWN headphones, not some crappy bundled pair. Well the Sony DRC-BT30P appears to do just that, complete with buttons for answering calls as well as volume and playback controls given the device you’re paired with supports those features. And if for some reason you don’t choose the black model, white, pink and blue color options are also provided.

[ Akihabara News - New Bluetooth Headphones from Sony ]

Thanks to an ultra thin headband (or ’seamless headband’ as the company has dubbed it) Audio-Technica’s new line of ONTO ear goggles won’t mess up your hair and can even be worn over a hat if so desired. The ATH-ON300 line pictured above feature 30mm drivers, a gold-plated 3.5mm stereo mini-plug and come in 6 different colors including red, blue, pink green and of course black and white. $49.99 from AudioCubes.com.

[ Audio-Technica ATH-ON300 ONTO Headphones ]

By Shane McGlaun

JBL has been making headphones and speakers for a long time. The company makes some of the most popular car and home theater speakers around. JBL and Roxy have teamed up to offer more audio products on the cheap.

The line includes the Reference 230, Reference 250, and Reference 430. The 230 and 250 are both in-ear designs that offer different features. The 230 are closed back earphones that block out noise. The 250 are semi-open in the back and includes mic for placing phone calls.

The Reference 430 are larger over-the-ear headphones that minimize noise. The 430 headphones have 50mV of power and a sensitivity range of 98dB to 104dB SPL. The 230 earphones are $19.95, the 250 sell for $39.95, and the 430 sell for $69.95. The line comes in blue/green or orange/pink colors.

[ Roxy ]

Because there’s nothing more embarrassing than heading out on the slopes with a pair of headphones that don’t match your goggles, Dragon Alliance and Skullcandy have teamed up for the DX Skullcandy/Ionized snow goggles. They’re helmet compatible, feature an anti-fog lens, micro fleece lining and 100% UV protection, and from what I can tell may or may not come in 3 different designs. And even though it may not be snowing where you live, you can still order a pair from Zappos for $132 and be prepared for when the white stuff eventually starts to fall again.

[ DX Skullcandy/Ionized Snow Goggles ] VIA [ Chip Chick ]

By Shane McGlaun

Turtle Beach has been making nice gaming headphones for the PC and the Xbox for a while. The line has been a bit scant on headphones for the PS3 though. I have used several of Turtle Beach’s PC surround sound headphones and they work pretty well.

The company has now announced a new set of gaming headphones called the P21 for the Sony PS3 console. The P21’s feature a USB powered inline amp to provide deep bass. A mic boom allows players to take advantage of in game chat functions.

The amp features independent control for volume levels of the chat and game audio. Bass boost allows for deeper explosions and better music in movies. The P21 will also work with a PC when used with the optional RCA to 3.5mm adapter. Turtle Beach will sell the P21 headphones for $79.95 online and in major retail outlets.

[ Turtle Beach ]

And speaking of the newest iPod Shuffle, it looks like Scosche Industries will be one of the first accessory makers to sell a headphone adapter for Apple’s tiniest player to date. The IRM35 tapLINE Control Adapter lets you use any pair of headphones with the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle, while still being able to control playback, adjust volume and activate the VoiceOver feature. Unfortunately the adapter also means the inline controls are situated just a few inches from the Shuffle itself, limiting where you can stash it, and at $29.99 it makes the cheapest iPod on the market a bit less so.

[ Scosche Industries' tapLINE Control Adapter ] VIA [ Gear Diary ]

The last moment announcement that the iPhone 3.0 firmware update will finally add A2DP bluetooth support means I can start looking at wireless BT headphones again. At the moment there’s a few contenders on the market, but as of today there’s now one more thanks to Sony announcing their new DR-BT100CX in-ear headphones. While the wires aren’t completely gone, you at least won’t be tethered to your cellphone while listening to music, and the small dongle hanging off the earbuds lets you control playback, volume and even answer calls. It’s also recharged via USB instead of some proprietary cable, and you can expect to get about 8 hours of use between charges.

According to the Sony press release, the DR-BT100CX headphones are available for order on the Sony Style Europe site, but I can’t seem to find them at the moment.

[ PR - New Sony noise cancelling Bluetooth® headphones produce flawless wire free audio ] VIA [ Tech Digest ]

I know they’re just a concept design, which I usually try to avoid like the plague, but I’m really hoping that someone makes these a reality. Instead of mashing your earbuds into a ball of tangled cable when you’re done using them, the YI Zipper earphones (designed by Ji Woong) feature a… wait for it… zipper design that you can… yep you guessed it… zip up, keeping them considerably tidier when crammed in your pocket. And as an added bonus, the zipper pull also features volume and hold controls, though I’m not going to hold my breath for that to happen.

[ Yanko Design - Zip Up Tangles ] VIA [ Toxel ]

By Evan Ackerman

It’s been possible for a while now to set up your sound card to output fake 5.1 channel surround sound to your headphones. Theoretically, since you only use two ears, you should be able to do some fancy soundwave stuff and replicate 6 channel (or 5.1 or whatever) sound using only 2 channels of audio. I’ve tried a couple ways of doing this with software, and so far, it’s sucked.

These headphones from Zalman (the Zalman ZM-RS6F+M, to be specific) are also able to produce 6 channel sound. But, they do it using 6 separate drivers, which means that (I can only assume) it sounds a heck of a lot better than the fake stuff. You’ll need a sound card able to output discrete front, center, and rear channels, so it’s not like you can just jack these right into your iPod or something.

I can’t tell whether the drivers are that great, but you probably shouldn’t expect to be blown away by the sound quality. For movies or computer games, though, it might be a cool effect. The Zalman 6 channel ZM-RS6whateveritis headphones are $57 from Brando.

[ Brando ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]