AndroidGuys

J&L Real 100 wireless sport headphones: $25 headphones that could easily cost $100 (review)

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July 12, 2016

Without question, wireless headphones are gaining in popularity and are quickly replacing its 3.5mm wired counterparts. There’s even rumors that Apple will do away with its dated 3.5mm audio out port, to be replaced by the thinner Lightning port or switch to wireless altogether.

The writers here at AndroidGuys have gone through many heated discussions about wireless vs. wired, and we think it is a smart move to go away from the standard wired option. There are audiophile snobs like Josh Noriega, who cannot be convinced that wireless is the way to go. Then you have your young and progressive teen in Jason Botha who knows it’s time to make the switch and do away with the 3.5mm audio out port.

I’m on the fence. I understand the need to stick with the century old 3.5mm audio jack since 90% of headphones on the market use that standard. But I’m quickly starting to realize that need is more fear based than anything else. Wireless Bluetooth technology has improved immensely over the past two years with the stiff competition amongst manufacturers for high quality audio output. Also wireless technology battery life has increased tremendously over the past few years, making Bluetooth headphones even more relevant to everyday users.

I’ve recently been using the J&L Real 100 Bluetooth wireless sport headphones which cost just $24.99 at Amazon, and can tell you that they are so good I wouldn’t have a problem paying $100 for them.

Let’s check them out.

J&L 100 Real Bluetooth headphones design

The J&L 100 Real sport headphones have built in Bluetooth connectivity with the brains and battery built directly into the earpieces. This type of design results in large earbuds, but does away with an inline remote or neckband like other wireless headphones.

The two earbuds are connected by a wire which loops behind your neck to stay out of your way when you’re working out. The wire is of the flat variety that is coated in a rubber material that prevents it from tangling in on itself. There are ear stabilizers that slide over the earpiece which hold the hefty earbuds in your ear, with three sets of different sized silicone ear pieces (S, M, L).

The microphone, volume control, and power button are all integrated into the right side earbud, leaving the microUSB charging port for the left side. The headphones weigh in at 16.5g and can last up to four hours away from a charger.

All standard stuff for wireless earbuds.

Usage

When it comes to sport earbuds, the J&L Real 100 earbuds sound pretty darned good. They aren’t audiophile quality that you will find in multi-driver in ear monitor setups, but these cost just $24.99 and are designed for sport use.

Once the right silicone ear tip is selected, with the proper ear stabilizer, the fit and feel of the headphones are very comfortable. I usually prefer to avoid this style as the earbuds tend to get uncomfortable past an hour, as the weight drags on my ears. Yet these fit so snug that they remain comfortable even when I go out on runs. Only people with small to very small ear canals might have issue with the fit. If you have an average sized ear canal, these should be perfect for you.

With sound tuned for sport use, these earbuds get really loud. So loud, even with 15 years of daily wearing of headphones, they even hurt my ears when I turned them up to full volume. That is actually a rarity when it comes to most wireless headphones, as the loudness can drain on the battery pretty hard. Most other wireless headphones I have tried out are about 80% loudness of their wired counterparts. But the J&L Real 100 earbuds are easily the loudest headphones I have put on in years.

As stated before, you won’t be getting audiophile quality sound reproduction, but you will get a sound that is extremely fun to listen to. The sound signature is also perfect for those who love their music when they work out. These are tuned with a decent amount of bass, mids, and highs which result in an ultra fun listening experience. I’ve easily heard worse headphones that cost five times as much.

If you’re looking to listen to classical music or smooth jazz, these aren’t for you. However, if you are the type who wants upbeat and fast paced music for your workout, these are perfect for you. They are even resist sweat – when I work out I sweat a lot, and never dealt with any issues with these headphones as a result of that sweat.

J&L advertises four hours of music playback, but I frequently picked up four to six hours of usage depending on how loud I cranked on the volume.

As for calls, I prefer to use these in a quiet environment. Whenever I dealt with street noise, the user on the other end of the phone call could hear too much of it. With a quiet environment, the call quality was great.

My only complaint with these earbuds would be the control buttons are small and a little hard to manage when I am wearing them. Other than that, the battery life is better than advertised, sound quality is perfect for workouts, and the comfort exceeded my expectations.

Conclusion

Simply put, you will not find a better sport wireless headphone for less than the $24.99 I paid for the J&L Real 100 Bluetooth wireless sport headphones. Battery life, build quality, comfort and sound reproduction are all incredible for wireless headphones in this price category.

With my experience with wireless headphones, I would easily pay $100 for these fantastic sport headphones.

I highly recommend the J&L Real 100 wireless headphones at $24.99 which you can get at Amazon now in black, red, and green.

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OnePlus 3 Video Review

Jack McNenny

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July 11, 2016

4

OnePlus is back this year and stronger than ever with the release of the OnePlus 3, it’s high-end flagship quality phone that ships with all the hardware you need including 64GB of storage for almost half the price of similar ranged phones. After watching, check out our full review from Daniel Treccagnoli here.

Pokemon Go: Gotta catch em all (Review)

AndroidGuys

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July 11, 2016

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Overview:

Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game based on the hugely popular Pokemon franchise. You have to catch and train your Pokemon while battling gyms in a globe-spanning adventure of your own creation, just like in the classic games.

Developer: Niantic/Pokemon Company

Cost: Free (with microtransactions)

Impressions:

The hype surrounding Pokemon Go has been massive ever since it was announced a few years ago. An AR game where you catch Pokemon in real-world locations, and can battle and evolve them just like in the classic games for Nintendo systems? Fans of the franchise the world over were salivating at the chance to catch em all. The game itself lives up to a lot of the hype, offering players accurate location maps littered with Pokemon for you to capture and collect, varying from the common Pidgey to more rare ones like the classic starter Pokemon Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander among others.

The game was not developed directly by Nintendo and the Pokemon Company, instead handing it off to the developer of AR mobile game Ingress, Niantic.
The basic concept of the game is to move around from place to place, searching for Pokemon and items to collect and gyms to battle. You catch Pokemon by tapping them, which brings you into a minigame-style battle screen where you have to accurately hit the ‘Mon with a pokeball in order to capture it. The aiming and firing mechanic can be frustrating at times, with some balls flopping uselessly in front of you or going wide left or right of the target. Getting the aim and power of the flick correctly takes some practice, but once you get it down you will be fine.

Training the Pokemon you catch and evolving them into more powerful forms takes a fair bit of grinding. You have to collect “Candies” associated with each Pokemon and stardust, which helps raise the CP, or Combat Points, of your Pokemon. That stat directly influences their battle performance. What type of Pokemon that appear in your area is directly influenced by your player level, the higher it is the rarer the pokemon available. Candies are collected by catching multiples of the same pokemon, and transferring them to the Professor. Higher level evolutions can take a while to get done, but it can all thankfully be done for free.

Click here for all the tips and tricks you’ll need to get started on your quest to be a master in Pokemon Go.

To help keep your eyes off your phone while walking, and save your battery, Niantic has developed a bluetooth dongle, the $34.99 Pokemon Go Plus, as a companion to Pokemon Go. It is simple device that lights up and vibrates when near a pokemon, and you push the button to catch it. For a one-note dongle it’s a bit too pricey for most people, but it does make the game less involved for those who may be too busy to be glued to their phones all day.

Like in the original games, you have a limited number of pokeballs and items, and that’s where the microtransaction system comes in. You can buy coins to purchase in-game items like Pokeballs, Lucky Eggs for XP increase and Incense, for luring Pokemon to your location. The pricing is a bit off for Pokeballs, in my opinion, when $.99 gives you 20 pokeballs, but every level up grants you 15 for free. Other items have a more understandable price point, and all items can be found for free in games at item stops littered all over the map.

Visually Pokemon Go looks great, with fantastic fully animated models of all the Pokemon, and game-accurate sounds and music as well. You couldn’t ask for anything more from a Pokemon mobile game in terms of graphics and sound at all. You even have a small amount of character creation for your avatar, but sadly not as much as I’d like compared to what other games have done.

Overall, what Pokemon Go brings exactly what was expected of it to players. It is the most popular and talked about app on any platform right now, and has been a massive success for Nintendo and Niantic. However, there are some odd omissions like the lack of player to player battles or trading, as well as a lack of newer generation Pokemon along with the classic 151. Legendaries are also missing from the game, as far as everyone playing can tell, but those may be reserved for special in-game events if the ad campaign for the game is to be believed. Also, the game has experienced performance issues due to the massive popularity of the game, causing server problems and severe battery drain on some devices. Thankfully I didn’t experience any abnormal battery drain, but it is a game that uses the GPS and camera on your phone, so it is expected to consume more than the average app. Also, game launches have been delayed in some countries until the developers iron out the issues and are confident it will work.

Conclusion:

Pokemon Go has addicting gameplay, and unexpected benefits for health and social interactions from all the walking you’ll do and people you’ll bump into. it’s not uncommon to see groups of people walking in formation on the hunt for rare and elusive Pokemon. The game has garnered mass appeal among gamers and casual players, and even bumped up Nintendo’s stock price due to it’s popularity.

I’d say Pokemon Go is definitely worth checking out, especially if you are a Pokemon fan or are looking for a game to get you up and moving. It offers a lot of content, unobtrusive microtransactions, simple gameplay and a lot of nostalgia for classic Pokemon fans. A home run for Nintendo for sure, and definitely a must-play.

Tips and tricks to make you the very best Pokemon Go trainer

Matt Adams

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July 11, 2016

2

Pokemon Go is the newest craze sweeping the world. If you’ve been under a rock and don’t know what Pokemon Go is, well, it’s an augmented reality based Pokemon game where trainers must travel around in the real world to catch and train their Pocket Monsters. The real world is littered not just with wild Pokemon but Pokestops, gyms, and surprises around every corner.

Here at AndroidGuys, we’re obsessed just like everyone else. I spent my entire weekend playing and have personally watched the masses walking around looking at their phones in town. Here are some tips to make you the best, like no-one ever was.

General

Pokemon types (electric, ground, grass) don’t seem to matter in combat like they do in other Pokemon games
You can level up your Pokemon using Stardust, which is acquired by catching more Pokemon
You can level up and evolve your Pokemon using candies which are acquired by catching Pokemon and transferring Pokemon to Professor Willow
To heal your Pokemon you must use a potion, power it up or evolve it
To revive your Pokemon you must use a revive (yellow potion) or evolve them
The higher the level of the player, the stronger the Pokemon that will spawn in the wild
The higher the level of the player, the rewards from Pokestops become better and more varied

Capturing Wild Pokemon

If see you an animation of grass moving, it’s more likely that a wild Pokemon will appear in this area
To catch a wild Pokemon tap on their picture to bring up a screen where you throw Pokeballs at it
When throwing a Pokeball, try to hit the Pokemon with it. If it bounces or misses you may have to try again
A green circle means the Pokemon will be easy to capture, a red circle means it will be harder
Pokemon may break out of a Pokeball, if they stick around just throw another
You can turn off the augmented reality portion of catching a Pokemon by tapping the “AR” button in the capture screen
The Nearby Pokemon tab will let you know how close wild Pokemon are
0 footsteps means that there is a Pokemon inside your circle, 1 footstep means a Pokemon is within one circle of you, 2 footsteps means the Pokemon is within 2-3 circles of you, 3 footsteps means the Pokemon is 3-3+ circles away
Berries will make it easier to catch a Pokemon for one throw
As you level up you get stronger Pokeballs
For every wild Pokemon you capture you get 3 candy of its type and Stardust

Gyms and Pokestops

You must be level 5 in order to go into a gym or choose a faction
Your faction decides what color your gyms are. All of your gyms will be this color
Rival gyms will be another color
Unclaimed gyms are gray
If a rival faction wins enough at your gym you run out of Prestige points and will be evicted
Only one Pokemon per person can be placed at a gym
Pokemon you leave at a gym are unavailable to help you challenge other gyms
You can choose your 6 best Pokemon at an enemy gym
If you are evicted from your gym, your Pokemon returns to you
When you click on a gym, swiping left or right will show you the Pokemon stationed there and their combat power
The Pokemon with the highest combat power is the leader
Pokestops recharge every five minutes
You can gain rewards of 10 Pokecoins and 500 Stardust per Pokemon at a gym
To get your rewards click Shop then click on the number in a circle on the top right
You can only cash out once every 21 hours
You can cash in on 10 total gyms at once for a max of 100 Pokecoins and 5000 Stardust
When you’re at a Pokestop, swipe the picture in the cirlce to reveal your rewards

Battle

In battle you can do four things
- Attack by rapidly tapping
- Use your super by tap and holding
- Dodge by swiping to the left or right
- Change Pokemon
Fighting at a friendly gym is just training your Pokemon. They cannot faint and will reward you with XP if you win
Training will result in damage that needs to be healed with potions
Losing at a rival gym will cause your Pokemon to faint and they can only be revived by items
You must be within range of the gym to fight at it
Battle is not turn based, it’s real time so tapping as quickly as you can gives you the best chance to win
Every time you tap the screen in battle you build your blue bar, once the bar reaches 100% you can use your special attack
You cast your special by tapping and holding the screen for a second

Evolving

Evolving a Pokemon requires between 6 and 400 candy
Evolving a Pokemon typically takes around 50 candy to evolve to their final form
Combat Power will raise after a Pokemon evolves
Pokemon’s skills can change when they evolve, but don’t always

Eggs

You can access the egg menu by swiping from your Pokemon menu
You have one permanent egg incubator slot, but you can obtain more temporary slots to hatch more than one egg at a time
You must walk to hatch eggs, driving will not work
Hatching an egg will reward you with not only the Pokemon but also trainer XP and candies
The further you walk with an egg in an incubator, the higher the chance of a good Pokemon
You must keep the Pokemon Go app open to get credit for your footsteps
There is a battery saver function in the app that will black your screen but keep the app running
You can still capture wild Pokemon while walking to incubate an egg
You can hold 9 eggs at one time, but no more eggs will drop from Pokestops until one hatches

Pokeballs and other items

To throw a curveball shake the ball in a circular motion until it sparkles
You can get Pokeballs, potions, eggs, and other goodies at Pokestops
You must be above level 5 to get potions from Pokestops
If you no longer want a Pokemon, transfer them to the Professor for a candy of that type
Stardust is used to power up your Pokemon
Using a Lure on a Pokestop will cause Pokemon to spawn there
The Pokemon that spawn because of a Lure may be Pokemon that don’t normally inhabit the area
Lure’s last for 30 minutes and work for all players in the area

Do you have any Pokemon Go tips? We’re addicted so please leave what you know down in the comments so we can add it to the list!

EC Technology’s 3-Port Wall Charger: Great backup wall charger (Review)

AndroidGuys

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July 10, 2016

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I’m not sure about you, but ever since the smartphone era began, I’ve had trouble with chargers. That trouble is keeping up with half of them. I literally mean half. Since many feature removable microUSB cables, I can’t count the times I’ve taken just the cable into my car to charge my phone and forgot where I put the other half.

Another conundrum at my house is the fight for the outlet. There are many solutions to that problem with towers, but today, I’m gonna give you another alternative that will also help if you misplace your wall adapter: EC Technology’s 3-Port Wall Charger.

Review

This small 3-port charger is not much larger than most wall chargers, so you don’t have to worry how much room it will take. It features the ever so popular foldable plug which is nice if you have the need to slip it in your pocket and don’t want to be poked.

EC Wall charger 2

Like many chargers, it adapts to your device’s input current to give you the best charging speed with a top amperage of 2.4A per port. I had no trouble charging a Note Edge, a Kindle HD6, and an iPod simultaneously at reasonable speeds.

The only complaint I have is the current layout. Once you plug in the charger into the wall, the charging ports are located on top or bottom depending on which way you plug it in. It should be on the opposite side of the plug itself. This is more of a personal preference than a deal breaker, but should be mentioned nonetheless.

Summary

This is a handy device to have especially if you are prone to losing your factory charger. It sort of gives you a mulligan on your charger…actually three mulligans. All joking aside, there are times when it’s more convenient to carry one large charging block and three microUSB cables as opposed to three individual chargers. For only $10, this 3-port charger from EC Technology is a pretty good deal.

Buy EC Technology’s 3-Port Wall Charger

Editor’s Picks: 14 apps we think you should try

AndroidGuys

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July 9, 2016

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We’re back with another installment of Editor’s Picks! We have moved to a bi-weekly posting schedule to space out the posting, but we will still bring you quality apps that we all enjoy using ourselves!

Microsoft Outlook

You might not expect Microsoft to come up with one of the best and most practical email clients for Android but that’s exactly what they’ve done. Not only is it sharp and clean and very in line with what Google wants for its mobile apps, but it’s rich in features, too. You’ll find a whole host of options including sorting, labeling, multiple account support, and deep calendar integration. As good as what you will find in the Gmail app, the per-account notification settings and dual swiping keep users humming along. If you only know of Outlook from the old, outdated desktop experience, you owe it to yourself revisit the app.

Download Microsoft Outlook from the Google Play Store

MyTherapy Med Reminder Pillbox

From birth control pills to multiple prescription drugs with complicated schedules, this award-winning app generates reminders to take your meds when you need to take them so you don’t ever miss a dose.

Download MyTherapy from the Google Play Store

Infinite Slice

An addictive & minimalist game for all ages. Features endless, free-to-play gameplay with global leaderboards. It’s a simple faun game in they style of the classic Fruit Ninja, and certainly fun for everyone.

Download Infinite Slice from the Google Play Store

Nonstop Knight

You must guide your knight through the never-ending dungeon to defeat enemies and bosses. The deeper you get the stronger your enemies must become. Upgrade your equipment to become stronger to defeat those enemies. It’s a simple game you can play with on thumb.

Download Nonstop Knight from the Google Play Store

Swipe Pro

Swipe Pro is an excellent Facebook replacement app. You get almost full functionality including messenger support. The dev often updates the app and communicates with the community.

Download Swipe Pro from the Google Play Store

Inputting+

Inputting+ gives Undo, redo, copy, And paste functions to all of the typing you do on your Android. If you ever lose your work or your text, Inputting+ collects all the text you type in a convenient timeline

Download Inputting+ from the Google Play Store

Texpand

Texpand is an app that lets you make shortcuts to things you type often, for example your email address, your phone number, or things you say in texts on a normal basis.

Download Texpand from the Google Play Store

Cloud VPN

Cloud VPN is a free VPN that provides instant and fast connections. It’s simple to use, has minimal ads and is not obstrusive. It’s my personal favorite and provides a no-nonsense solution when I need to utilize it.

Download Cloud VPN from the Google Play Store

Ultrapop- Art Color Filters

Give your photos a complete makeover that calls to mind the excess and over-saturation of the 1980’s. Using a variety of filters, effects, and other settings, this one turns boring landscape images into something much cooler. Like to post quotes to social media? Run your pics through Ultrapop and come up with a rad design that’s perfect for text on top. The paid version ($2 US) throws in additional packs of effects, but there’s plenty in the free model to get you started.

Download UltraPop from the Google Play Store

PodBean

PodBean lets me find and store all my favorite podcasts in one place. I have a lot of friends who host their own podcast and with so many different content hosting sites out there, it gets hard to keep up with new episodes. With PodBean’s “search” and “add URL” functions I can find and follow all my favorite shows and recieve notifications when a new episode becomes available. It also recommends new and popular podcasts based on interests I identified in my (totally optional) user profile. Because let’s face it, as much as I love trying new things, I’m never going to do all that legwork myself. Then, instead of searching across multiple host apps or bookmarked browser pages when I’m ready to listen, all of my favorite shows appear in one list without having to leave the app. It’s easy, convenient, and has probably saved a few friendships.

Download PodBean from the Google Play Store

Her Story

Her Story is the critically acclaimed mystery game from Sam Barlow. Playing like an interactive true crime documentary, the game lets you go hands on with a police database full of live action video footage. It stars Viva Seifert, actress and one half of the band Joe Gideon and the Shark.

Her Story sits you in front of a mothballed desktop computer and logs you into a police database. Search through hundreds of video clips that cover seven interviews from 1994 in which a British woman is interviewed about her missing husband. Explore the database by typing search terms, watch the clips where she speaks those words and piece together her story.

Unlike anything you’ve played before, Her Story is an involving and moving experience. One that asks you to listen.

Download Her Story from the Google Play Store

CloudMagic

With support for the most popular email accounts, such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Exchange, as well as letting you configure regular IMAP accounts, CloudMagic is ideal for those of us who manage multiple email addresses. A nice interface, coupled with regular updates and powerful per-account options, makes it my go-to solution for handling email on Android. The best of all, it’s free. There’s a $24.99/year subscription if you think it’s worth it, but it adds functionality that’s not essential in order to enjoy the app to its fullest.

Download CloudMagic from the Google Play Store

AutoMate

Automate is by far the best Auto(Car) interface i have seen on android. This app can do anything you want it to do. I have mine set to Come on automatically when it connects to my cars bluetooth. It will open an app or your choice such as google play or you favorite podcast app automatically so you can start your audio and then is goes back to the AutoMate car interface.

AutoMate has maps,phone,main screen,audio and favorite apps screens. Swipe left and right in the app to see them. All the buttons are big and in the right places so you can keep your eyes on the road. I highly recommend this add if you have your phone mounted in your car.

Download AutoMate from the Google Play Store

Bundle News

Bundle is your personal news app gathering thousands of sources from the globe. You can easily find news out about technology, business, magazines, sports or breaking news around the World or on your country by using Bundle’s neat, grid based, typographic interface and have an exceptional experience in every moment.

Download Bundle News from the Google Play Store

That’s all for this week’s installment of Editor’s Picks. We hope you’ll enjoy these apps as much as we have, and be sure to check out all of these great apps in the Play Store! Thanks for reading!

The Hottest Android apps and games around (July 9)

AndroidGuys

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July 9, 2016

1

Welcome to Week 7 of The Hottest Android apps and games around!. On top of pulling the top 10 downloaded apps and games from Google Play and the Amazon Appstore I have also included the top 5 New apps and games from Google Play and Amazon’s Underground project.

On this week’s list are a few apps that have blown up since last week. Pokemon GO went from not even in the App store last week to number 1 this week! I would expect to see reviews of a few of the apps on this list coming very soon to the site!

Top 10 Free Apps and Games (Google Play)

Top Free Apps and Games (Amazon Appstore)

Top Paid Apps and Games (Google Play)

Top Paid Apps and Games (Amazon AppStore)

Minecraft – Pocket Edition $6.99
Teeny Titans – Teen Titans Go! $3.99
Geometry Dash $1.99
Galaga TV $1.99
Minecraft: Story Mode $4.99
Five Nights at Freddy’s $2.99
The Agency of Anomalies: Mind Invasion Collector’s Edition $2.99
Terraria $4.99
Guns Mod PE $4.99
BlockLauncher Pro $3.30

Jabra Halo Smart wireless headphones are intelligent and sound great

Derrick Miyao

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July 8, 2016

0

Here at AndroidGuys we review a lot of accessories. Lately we have been reviewing quite a few wireless headphones, as just about every manufacturer has a set of their own to offer. The wireless headphone market is extensive, where you can get a set for less than $20, with some working their way up into the $500 range.

The advantage to Bluetooth headphones is its obvious lack of a cable that connects to your audio output device. Sacrificing the audio cable means your headphones can no longer be powered without a battery, and the data transmission will be over Bluetooth which can degrade the quality.

2016 has been a big year for wireless headset makers as they have not only dramatically improved the sound quality on wireless headphones, but they’ve also increased durability, battery life, and features.

The latest wireless headphones I have been using is the Jabra Halo Smart Bluetooth headset. If you like accessories with lots of intelligent features, you won’t find a smarter set than what’s offered by Jabra.

Behind the neck design

jabra halo

When it comes to wireless earbud style headphones, they mainly come in two design styles. The first is like you see with the Jabra Halo Smart headphones, in the image above, where the hardware internals that power the device are contained within the neckband. The other style is where the battery and other internals are contained within the earbud themselves. The latter design tends to lead to bulky earbuds that can be uncomfortable to wear. The neckband design allows for small earbuds, but adds weight around your neck.

The Jabra Halo Smart neckband is where its battery is located with the technology that make the headphones so “smart”. The back is where most of the weight resides, and the sides are where you will find the three button controller, in addition to the microphone and microphone button.

DSC03078 (1)

On each side of the neckband, there are internal magnets that stick to the metal inside of each earbud. This is for keeping the earbuds from dangling around your neck and chest when you aren’t using them. Included in the box are three sizes of ear pieces as well as a charging cable (microUSB).

Other features:

IP54 water resistant rating
10mm drivers
17 hour talk time, 14 hour music playback time
Siri and Google Now integration
Flexible neck band for comfort