GearFlogger

Bowers & Wilkins P3 headphones

Ooh, shiny-shiny! Bowers & Wilkins, makers of high-end studio equipment, also makes great headphones. Joining their in-ear C5 and over-the-ear P5 is the new on-ear P3. For those of us to whom in-ear can feel a little bit like an alien violation and over-the-ear are too big to be portable, the P3 hits the sweet spot for the mobile crowd.

The sleek aluminum and rubber construction is tres classy and matches the overall very high quality of these headphones. The fabric that touches your head and ears is very comfortable and doesn't get slick over extended wear on long flights. Underneath the fabric is memory foam, so as the phones get warm they get if anything more comfortable. Once on the ear they provide just a bit of outside noise reduction from a muffling effect, very pleasant.

The phones fold up into an included hard case that has room for small extras. B&W also includes a really nice touch with two sets of remote/microphone cables for iPhone and Android. Swapping them out is easy, just pop off the magnetic earpads, unplug the old and plug in the new. Sound quality is excellent for the form factor and price, fairly even without overloading one end or the other. If you're looking for a do-it-all while on-the-go set of on-ear headphones that will last as long as you do, the P3 is an excellent choice.

Available soon.

 

Pelican i1015 iPhone case

Pelican is all about bombproof cases. Let's put it this way: when the only things left after the apocalypse are Keith Richards and cockroaches, Keith will be playing whack-a-roach with his i1015 iPhone case. Assuming he isn't too medicated to get off the couch, that is. But really with Keith don't you always have to make that assumption?

The i1015 is not a svelte case. It's more like something the Incredible Hulk would carry ("Hulk angry! Hulk call therapist! Hear Hulk now?"). The case is basically crushproof and dustproof, and they call it "water resistant." We didn't do an immersion test, but it will certainly keep your phone safe from rain and splash contact.

The i1015 is available with both a solid color lid and a see-through lid; why anyone would want the solid color - which is what we got for testing - we don't know, but be sure which one you're ordering. The case has webbing slots top and bottom and a carabiner hole that will take small biners, not full size ones, at the top. Inside you can fit your iPhone and even leave it inside smaller cases, like a LifeProof case, and it will still close. The case is deep enought to have a little extra storage for headphones, rolled up money, or even a key. The included right-angle headphone cable allows you to use your full headphone controls, which is very handy, or you can just open the case to manipulate the phone.

Basically if you are taking your iPhone (or any similar sized phone) to South Trashcanistan and want the peace of mind of a truly crushproof, dustproof and water resistant case, Pelican has got you covered. The only downside is that it costs one dollar short of free shipping on Amazon, but you can solve that, right?

$24.00 at Amazon

Black Diamond quality control lab: slings and draws

You stingy bastard. You know who you are: the guy who insists his gear is still fit for duty as it crumbles into dust. Everyone is guilty of it, but we all need to take a deep breath and realistically assess the state of our gear.

Black Diamond's quality control lab hooks us up with pointers on how gear degrades, what to look for and what to do about it. This edition focuses on slings and quickdraws, but there's plenty more on their site so dig around.

The bottom line: BD claims two main factors wear out slings and draw, and those are abrasion and ultraviolet light. One interesting finding is that both nylon and Dynex degrade similarly from UV, and most of that 16% loss in strength happens in the first ten weeks. So don't think it's even over time.

Their next gear lab will focus on biners, so stay tuned.