As I write this, I'm listening to 311's "Large in the Margin" using iSkin's Cerulean F1 Bluetooth earphones. The Cerulean F1 uses Bluetooth to wirelessly connect between the (whoa, track change - now I'm listening to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's "Bellbottoms." Yup, shuffle's on) earphones and your audio device, which in this case, is an iPod. Since the iPod doesn't have Bluetooth, you need to connect a Bluetooth transmitter. I'm using iSkin's Cerulean TX, part of the Cerulean TX+RX package.
(Track change: Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." Hey Apple, how 'bout getting Led Zeppelin in iTunes?)
Insert your own Lt. Uhura reference here.
If you think that people who wear single-ear Bluetooth headsets look silly, wait until you put on the Cerulean F1. You'll have a protuberance for each ear. The right earphone has a mini USB port and all the controls: power, volume, track forward and back, and a multifunction button. (track change: a mashup by Aggro1 called "Roxanned to Death." Yeah, I'm a slow typist.) The left earphone has the battery, which recharges via USB. There's a cord that connects the two earphones.
In case you haven't figured it out: the cord goes behind your head.
The Cerulean F1 easily paired with the Cerulean TX. The sound is clear, but lacks warmth and richness. And as the track changes (Elliott Smith's "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free"), one things for certain: my ears are starting to hurt. Not really painful, but enough to make my ears feel warm. Perhaps some adjustments need to be made. I'm already using the larger pair of the two earclips that iSkin includes with the Cerulean F1.
The Cerulean F1 have been out for a few weeks, but there's a reason why we've held off on doing a full review. The earphones also have headset functionality, so they could work with the iPhone. We'll have an in-depth review of the Cerulean F1 including testing with the iPhone, in the October issue of Mac|Life, and on maclife.com in the coming weeks.
(Final track change: "Danse Med Meg" from Hurra Torpedo.)
Mymac4ever
June 27, 2007 at 12:00pm
I saw on iSkin's website that the cord between the earpieces is just for security - antidrop sort of. Does this mean that it is detach-able or maybee cut-able?
I only have hearing on one ear so wearing two earpieces is kind of unnessesary and unconfortable.
rloyola
June 27, 2007 at 1:50pm
The cord looks like it can be removed with some prying, but since I'm not done testing the earphones, I didn't try removing the cord. I'd like to finish the audio portion before I start taking things apart, even if the cord won't affect performance. Now, If I could remember where I put the manual, I could look it up...
