Better sound through wood – Gadling reviews the iFrogz Timbre headphones

by Scott Carmichael on

Are you tired of the boring and bland white headphones that came with your (smart)phone? How about investing in a pair of headphones that not only look cool, but also sound fantastic? The iFrogz Timbre headphones on review here today may be just what you are looking for. Combining a wooden sound chamber with a high-definition microphone makes for a surprisingly impressive pair of buds.

Wood has long been known for its good acoustical qualities, and even though I’m by no means an audiophile, I did find the sound from the Timbres to be on par with a $250 pair of professional headphones I happened to have lying around.

Bass is rich, and thanks to the three different earpieces, you should be able to find a fit that makes them as comfortable as possible. Once inserted, they also provide a very decent amount of noise isolation.

The “high definition microphone” may sound like a marketing gimmick, but I really did find it to perform better than most products in this price range. The microphone also features the control button needed for picking up (and hanging up) on calls, but it is hidden behind a rubber sleeve so it took me a bit to even realize it was there. When on phone calls, most people could not tell the difference between a call directly on my phone, or on the headset.

The iFrogz Timbre feature a regular 3.5mm headphone jack, which will work on the iPhone, iPod Touch, most recent Blackberry devices and the Palm Pre.

The Timbres are available in two “flavors” – with or without a microphone. The microphone version costs $49.99, and the non-mic version is $39.99.

PROS: Great sound, nice looks, fantastic microphone quality
CONS: Price, rubber mic cover and earpieces pick up dust quite easily

I’m a big fan of headphones – especially those that are not the same bright white ones you find attached to someone walking down the street talking far too loud into his or her phone. The iFrogz Timbres feel well made, and produce good quality audio. Of course, the looks won’t satisfy everyone, but chances are, you’ll be the only person on your street that has wooden headphones.

Stand out in a crowd — design your own headphones with iFrogz

by Scott Carmichael on

Tired of the same old bland headphones? iFrogz may have just what you need – especially if you have a bit of creativity. Their EarPollution earbuds and headphones can be configured exactly the way you want them. The process is both simple and fun, and once done, you’ll actually have a pair of headphones that you won’t find anywhere else.

To design the $34.99 NervePipe headphones, you pick a headband, sidepieces, hinges, speakers, ear cushions and artwork. When designing the headphones, you may want things color coordinated, or you may just want to go insane with gold hinges and fuzzy earpieces.

A similar design process is available for the Flow earphones (in-ear). These $19.95 earphones let you pick the base color, rim and artwork.

My very own custom designed NervePipes! As you can tell, I went the “obnoxious” route with red, blue, gold and yellow. The headphones fold up nicely and the entire design feels very sturdy.

What goes well with gold, red, blue and yellow? That’s right – purple! Of course, as with any pair of headphones, audio is important, and the NervePipes don’t disappoint. They feature large drivers, with plenty of bass.

I had a ton of fun designing my own headphones – the final product may not win me any prizes from the art community, but they are mine – and that just feels pretty damn cool.

The price of the headphones is very reasonable, audio is great, and best of all – you end up with something you can really call your own.

Daily deal – iFrogz iPod kid friendly case + headphones for $12

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for a product that can help keep your kids entertained on your next trip. The iFrogz Tadpole kit consists of a kid friendly iPod case and a pair of kids headphones. The products come in nice bright colors (green or purple) and the case is made of a sturdy yet soft non-stick silicone.

Once your iPod is inside the case, your little one will be able to hold onto it using the 2 large handles on the side. The case even comes with a screen protector, to keep your iPod screen free from scratches.

The kit normally retails for $34.99, but it is currently on sale for $14.99, plus an additional 20% off (this weekend only), bringing the final price down to just $12. Shipping is an additional $4.49. Even if you don’t always need the iPod and its case, you’ll be able to use the headphones anywhere you run into a regular headphone jack, including the one on your next flight!

The case is available for the 80/120/160GB iPod Classic and the previous generation 30/60/80 Generation 5 iPod. The headphones on their own cost just $7.99 (plus an additional 20% off), but they are currently out of stock.

Product page: iFrogz Tadpole Kit

Product review – iFrogz Audiowrapz for the iPod Nano

by Scott Carmichael on

If you have been keeping up with my reviews, you’ll have realized that I love taking my music with me on the road. Previous reviews have looked at a portable speaker, an iPod battery pack and a pair of noise canceling iPhone headphones. Clearly, you will have seen the trend by now; I love gadgets like this.

My review today is no different. The iFrogz Audiowrapz are the first iPod case with built in passive speakers.

The Audiowrapz are made for the newest generation iPod Nano, and provide a dual function; they protect the iPod, and they turn your little Nano into what we used to call “a ghetto blaster”. The audiowrapz case is made of silicone rubber, but it has been treated with a non-stick coating to prevent dust and other debris sticking to it.

To use the case, you simply fold the back down, and slide your iPod Nano into it. The case connects to the headphone jack on the bottom of your iPod. If you want to listen to your headphones, you can use the “pass through” jack on the bottom of the case, when you insert your headphones, the speakers turn off. When your iPod is in the Audiowrapz case, you will not have access to the dock connector on the bottom, so you will need to remove it for charging or syncing.

The speakers in the audiowrapz case are “passive”, which means they don’t require batteries. Of course, with passive speakers, you won’t get the same volume as a set of powered speakers (yeah, I was just joking by comparing it to a ghetto blaster), but the sound is more than enough to provide some nice background music, or even to wake you up in the morning if you use the alarm setting on your iPod.

Included in the package is of course the case, but you also get an iPod screen protector. The iFrogz Audiowrapz are currently on sale for just $14.99, and you can select one of 8 colors, varying from boring gray, to bright pink. The Audiowrapz were the only case to be voted “best of show” at the 2008 Macworld and CES trade shows by iLounge and iProng magazine, so don’t just take my word for it; this case rocks!

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