Aliph “New” Jawbone

When the original Jawbone hit the market at the end of 2006, it was the best sounding Bluetooth headset in the world, with noise-cancellation that made all our calls clearer and easier to understand. Unfortunately, many folks (uh, like me) couldn’t get the bulky unit to fit quite right, even with the myriad ear pieces and loops included.

The new version of the Jawbone eliminates those fit issues — for me at least. Within two minutes, I had the right size ear piece, and the correct over-ear loop to keep it locked to my cheek – a requirement for the proper function of the noise-cancellation. One big help is that the Jawbone has shed a ton of weight and size, now tipping the scales at just 10 grams heavy and 50% smaller than the first version.

Call quality is still as good as it gets with a Bluetooth headset, which is to say good but not great. The noise cancellation is supposedly upgraded, but people on the other end of our calls couldn’t tell a difference between the two models. The industrial design is once again handled by Yves Behar, but we were split on our opinions – some of us thought that it was sleeker and a little more elegant, but others found it a little cheesy looking.

Overall, though, this is truly an upgrade. Aliph has taken the best-performing headset on the market, and made it smaller and easier to wear. Which is pretty much all you can ask for.  —Mark McClusky

WIRED Great sound. Serious upgrade in wearability, even with fewer options. Doesn’t weight you down like the older model. Easiest syncing headset ever; starts up in pairing mode the first time you turn it on.


TIRED Still relies on a proprietary power connector that isn’t the same as the first model, either. Design cues are a little bit Gucci for some wearers (especially Wired geeks). A quick spin through the manual a must to understand how to operate invisible buttons.

$130, jawbone.com

(Photo by Jon Snyder for Wired.com)

The massive 7-inch touch-screen on Archos’ 705 WiFi makes it far less portable than the other media players we’ve seen, unless cargo pants or overalls are still an integral part of your wardrobe. But if you’re down to lug this monster around, you’ll reap both its big-screen benefits and deftly implemented wireless functionality. Download new movies from CinemaNow from a Wi-Fi hotspot, or connect to any network to stream or download files directly to the player. The optional web plug-in ($30) gives access to an optimized Opera browser, complete with integrated YouTube support for flawless full-screen web flicks. —Carlos Bergfeld

WIRED Has kickstand and front-mounted stereo speakers. Up to 160 gigs of storage will hold everything you own. Supports DivX and XviD codecs natively, with optional plug-ins for podcast H.264 ($20) and DVD-native MPEG-2 ($20) support. Optional DVR docking station ($100) combined with media streaming functionality turns the device into a portable AppleTV/TiVo.

TIRED 3.5 hours of video playback is rather weak. Only 260,000-color screen yields noticeably lower contrast than other players.  Plug-ins and accessories quickly add up to big $$$. Speakers don't get very loud.

$500, archos.com

Meraki’s goal is to make multi-node Wi-Fi networking so simple that anyone can do it. Know what? It succeeds admirably with the Mini. Jack one router into your Internet connection; plug in a few more around your pad, and BAM! You’re up and running with a wireless mesh network. The few settings that you do need to tweak are all easily managed via Meraki’s online “dashboard”— we got a two-router mesh going in half the time it took to configure one Apple Airport Extreme. Even better, Meraki lets you set up variable billing plans: create a cheap or free service for low bandwidth users or yourself, and force Net-hogs to pay up for fast access to pirated movies and porn.  —Mathew Honan

WIRED Infinitely expandable plug and play mesh networking; best range extender since the Louisiana Purchase. Perfect solution for mom-and-pop shops that want to set up paid Internet services. Detailed usage data shows who connects, how and where they connect, and how much bandwidth they eat. Dashboard interface for setting up Wi-Fi router with paid, protected, or open access is incredibly easy — even a Baby Boomer could manage.

TIRED Complicated setup for static IP addresses. Web-only interface means when Innurweb goes down, so does your network control. One of two router samples sent frequently dropped connection.

$50, meraki.com

You bought a MacBook to be different from everyone else, right? Too bad millions of other people had the same idea. Time to get personal. Speck's SeeThru laptop cover instantly customizes your notebook, transforming the stock façade from silver to apple green or hot pink. The polycarbonate plastic two-piece casing snaps onto the top and bottom of your computer, complete with perfectly aligned cutouts for your power cable, USB ports, disc drive, and Ethernet port. 74 ventilation slots on the bottom layer prevent overheating, while the four rubber footpads prevent slippage. And all you 13 and 17-inch MacBook owners shouldn’t fret; Speck offers Hard Shells that fit your computers too.   — Lisa Katayama

WIRED So hot looking, it turns heads in any geek-filled location (read: the Wired office, most of San Francisco). Protects your laptop from minor nicks and hits. Once attached, there’s no need to ever take it off — unless you fancy a different color.

TIRED Removal is slightly tricky and scary. (Careful not to bend the screen!) Dust, grime, and cookie crumbs constantly collect in cracks between cover and laptop.

$50, speckproducts.com

Some people might think that a man with a 27-inch monitor on his desk is trying to compensate for something. I swear, I just want as much real estate as I can get to juggle the dozens of windows that tend to build up during the day. With 333 square-inches of screen, I can line up all the Word documents, browser windows, and mail messages you could imagine, while still having enough resolution to actually see what each of them says. Come to think of it, maybe I am compensating—for my ever decroding eyesight.  —Mark McClusky

WIRED Big, bright screen fills your entire field of vision at normal working distances. Handsome industrial design is a step above most cheaper-looking models. Color accuracy very good, once adjusted using a calibration tool. Makes you feel like you’re inside what you’re doing, from web surfing to gaming.

TIRED Same 1,920 x 1,200-pixel resolution as some smaller models. Blots out view of the rest of your office. When forced to switch to another display, they feel somehow lacking.

$1,199, dell.com