Plantronics gives you more reason to ditch the cord

Bluetooth earpieces generally aren’t given a good look by consumers because they’re not good for playing back music, but a new pair of earphones from Plantronics aims to change that and give you a good reason to never go back to the corded earphone again.

Weighing only 13 grams, the Plantronics BackBeat Go is the first pair of wireless headphones designed for music to come from a company known for making headset devices for NASA and the US airforce.

“The new BackBeat Go earbuds allow users to enjoy their music, listen to movies, chat with friends and even play games via their phone or tablet, without the hassle of wires,” said Peter Petrides, Plantronics Australia’s National Retail Sales Manager.

There isn’t much to the BackBeat Go, with two light-gauge in-ear buds similar to canal phones, but not as deep. These are connected with a flat cable that not only makes it hard to tangle, but also acts as the antenna for the headphones, offering greater Bluetooth connection support than other headphones.

Past testing of Bluetooth headphones often results in the sound being cut out if a head is turned or the phone and tablet aren’t positioned on the same side of the body as the headphones. Here in the BackBeat Go, we should see better Bluetooth connectivity thanks to a longer antenna.

It’s dust-proof, sweat-proof, and featured inline controls to let you change volume, accept phone calls, and jump between music tracks. The battery should last for up to hour and a half hours of talk or listening time, with roughly ten hours of standby time, and it’s charged through the now international standard port of microUSB. Compatibility is with all Apple iProducts supporting Bluetooth, as well as Android devices and most devices supporting Bluetooth.

And what’s more, it looks like a regular set of headphones, the sort that you or I would wear and not look like the strange guy with a shining blue light pulsating by his ear.

“This is for everybody: this is for the commuter, the guy or girl on the train walking down the street who just doesn’t want to be connected by holding on to the device in their hand,” said Mr. Petrides. “There’s nothing quite like this: you’d actually wear this.”

The BackBeat Go is heading to stores this week with three ear-tip sizes and a special earbud stabilisation tip for people that just can’t find the right fit. The price comes in at $119.99 with availability at Vodafone retailers and AllPhones stores, although Plantronics did say they should be coming to other electronics retailers shortly.