By Andrew Liszewski

It’s not quite as novel a design as the YI Zipper earphone concept we brought you last year, but Sony’s own zipper cord innovation, which is available with their MDR-EX59Z earphones, could go a long way to reducing cord tangles. One side of the cable above where the earphones split features a hollow tube design which the other side can slip into when you slide the small plastic ‘zipper’. The headphones themselves feature a 9mm driver and a 5-23,000Hz frequency response and will be available in white, red, blue, pink and black. Unfortunately they appear to be exclusive to Sony Japan, but Audiocubes currently has them available for $49.99 each.

[ Audiocubes - Sony MDR-EX59Z Earphones ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I can’t attest to the sound quality of these Panasonic RP-HJE 130 earbuds, but even I’ll admit that this brilliant packaging, designed by Berlin-based Scholz & Friends, would make them hard to pass up. It’s another case where a simple visual idea can outdo even the most elaborately designed graphics, and the fact that they’ve incorporated and displayed the actual product is worth a couple of bonus points as well.

[ COLORIBUS - Panasonic Earphones: The Earphones Note ] VIA [ Scary Ideas ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Remember when we gave away a pair of Marvel headphones from Coloud a little while ago? Well we’ve got another pair from them to give out, only this time you get to select from one of four NHL teams. Your choices are: Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Redwings, or the New York Rangers. If you’re in the US, just drop a comment and I’ll select a winner at random next Friday. Good luck!

[ Coloud ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I like the idea of noise canceling earphones, I just don’t like the bulky in-line unit that handles the actual noise canceling bit. But as Blackbox shows, it doesn’t have to be so bulky if you can just eliminate the battery, which is what they’ve done with their i10 earphones. Instead of a standard headphone jack on the end, they’ve got an Apple 30 pin dock connector which allows the earphones to draw power from an iPhone or an iPod, so they don’t need their own battery. Of course on the flipside it also means the i10s will only work with Apple’s hardware, but I suspect that’s not a huge issue for a lot of people. The inline unit also allows you to control volume and turn off the noise canceling if you want to speak to someone and the earphones are available from Blackbox’s website for ~$125.

[ Blackbox i10 Active Noise Cancelling Earphones ] VIA [ Stuff.tv ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Looking for a pair of wireless headphones to complement your super tight jeans? JayBird’s SB2 Sportsband headphones should serve as the perfect tech-cessory for your 80′s inspired hipster wardrobe thanks to their wide headband and small collection of colors ranging from subtle to almost neon.

But what’s that you say? You embrace the 80′s except when it comes to technology? Well you’ll be happy to know that in addition to Bluetooth A2DP support, the headphones also support the newer apt-X Bluetooth audio codec, which is apparently included in Apple’s new Mac Mini. However, if you wanted to take advantage of its CD-quality wireless sound with other gear like the iPhone, you’ll have to pony up an extra $50 for a small adapter. The iSport (pictured above) which is compatible with the iPhone and other iDevices, or the uSport which connects to the headphone jack of pretty much any other audio source.

The JayBird SB2s themselves will set you back $99 for any of the colors, and like with most Bluetooth headphones they include buttons on the side for controlling your music, as well as an integrated mic for making calls.

[ JayBird SB2 Sportsband Bluetooth Headphones ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Tired of either having to untangle a wad of headphones or carefully wrap them in a holder before and after you’ve used them? Someone certainly was, and it led to the creation of the HoodieBuddie (I’m not your HoodieBuddie, HoodieGuy! I’m not your HoodieGuy, HoodieFriend! etc.) which incorporates a pair of earbuds into the hood’s drawstrings. They’re not removable but are completely machine washable (the first question on everyone’s mind) which means you don’t have to thread your own pair in, but on the downside it also means you can’t use your own earbuds with it. And the headphone’s jack is hidden in a small front pocket where you can also store your MP3 player.

It’s not the perfect solution, where I live the humidity’s been around 180% for the past week, and wearing a hoodie just so you can avoid headphone tangles would result in a heat stroke about 25 feet from your front door. But weather permitting, it’s a clever enough solution. And according to CrunchGear they’ll be available in a variety of colors for just $44 starting on July 1.

[ HoodieBuddie ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While earbuds are a slightly more inconspicuous way to enjoy your music over a pair of headphones, particularly when you’re out and about, a lot of people have problems actually keeping them in their ears. So instead of burrowing a rubber cushion deep into the ear canal to act as an anchor, these Medis earbuds from UrbanEars use something called the ‘earclick’ solution which secures itself using two separate pressure points in the ear. (The cartilaginous antitragus just above the earlobe and the inferior crux located near the upper part of the ear. Thanks to Charlie over at Wired for looking that up.) And since no two ears are alike, I’m assuming, the Medis come with four variable sized swappable pads to ensure a snug fit for anyone.

As for tech specs, the earbuds boast a fairly large 15.4mm driver which should provide robust sound even though they sit just outside the ear canal and don’t channel the sound to your eardrums, a fabric cord which is less prone to tangles, an inline remote/microphone and various 3.5mm stereo plug adapters allowing them to be used with pretty much any smartphone or media player on the market. Most surprisingly though is that they retail for just $50, and if black isn’t your favorite absence of color, there are 11 other particularly bright hues to choose from.

[ UrbanEars Medis ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By Andrew Liszewski

With every new iPhone announcement comes a tsunami of new iPhone accessories, and while we try to avoid boring you with news of every single case, dock and screen protector that crosses our inboxes, there are the occasional items worth noting. Like these. Jays, the Swedish headphone maker, has added a fourth version to their a-JAYS product line appropriately called the a-JAYS Four iPhone since they’re specifically designed to complement the new iPhone 4.

The inline 3-button remote, which can be used for making calls and controlling your music, has a design that’s slightly reminiscent of the new iPhone’s updated form, and I can’t recommend the flat cord design enough if you’re tired of your headphones getting tangled. The version Fours will of course work with older iPhones, and really anything with a headphone jack if you don’t care about the remote, and are targeted to be available sometime in the third quarter of this year.

[ PR - Jays launches music headset for iPhone 4 ] VIA [ Acquire ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While it’s no excuse for poor spelling, Sony’s new Qlasp headphones look to have solved the problem of your earbuds falling out during extremely physical activities. A clever clip or ‘qlasp’ attaches to your earlobes while worn, essentially allowing the earbuds to hang on while you’re backflipping, cube-gleaming or double McTwist 1260-ing. The 9mm driver has a frequency response of 6 – 23,000 Hz, though with a price tag of just $24.99 they’re probably not the most amazing sounding earbuds on the market. But you do get to choose from 5 rad color schemes.

[ Sony Qlasp Earbuds ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]