Joby -- the people behind the clever Gorillapod line of flexible tripods (see previous post) have come up with another inventive design.
The Joby Zivio Boom Wireless Headset features a telescoping boom that extends the microphone much closer to your mouth.
The boom also can be bent to fit better to your face. The result is less background noise, and less need for you to talk loudly to be heard -- plus a visible signal to others that you're talking on the phone.
In my testing at CES when walking near traffic along Las Vegas Boulevard, the conversation came through clearly, except when a very loud bus went by, and I was able to talk quietly and privately along the street, in the casinos, and on the exhibit floor. There was some background static audible in quiet environments.
The Zivio also is designed to help you customize the fit. The ear bud pivots on a ball-and-socket joint so it can nestle at a better angle into your ear, and you can choose between multiple sizes of both mushroom earpieces (to fit snug in your ear canal), or scoop gels (that hook into the ear). The Zivo is light enough to stay in your ear with just the earpiece, but the Zivio also includes optional ear loops which attach magnetically to the back of the unit.
I found the Zivo worked well with just the mushroom earpieces, although you do need to wedge them in to hold securely, and they can loosen up and need to be adjusted as you move around and sweat. The ear loops may work better and be more comfortable for extended wear.
The headset recharges with a standard (micro) USB connector, and is speced to run for 10 hours talk time, and 200 hours on standby. The product ships with a handy dual USB adapter (so you can charge two devices at a time from a wall outlet), and helpfully includes both a short (5 1/2 inch) and longer (5 foot) USB cable.
The Zivio Boom is available for $129, in black and now in a light blue.
See my Portable Audio Accessories Gallery for information on headphones and earphones.
Find the Joby Zivio Boom on Amazon.com