Gadgets: Noise-canceling headphone a sound investment

When I first opened Able Planet's Clear Harmony noise-canceling headphone, I had to compare them to my personal set of Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones, based on their appearance alone.

Once they were opened and on my ears, they felt great and comfortable, with soft padded ear cups that help block outside noise and one side holds the two AAA batteries to power the unit. The headband is also padded for complete comfort.

The headset limits sound to the headset using a technology called Linx Audio, designed for hearing aids to increase sound clarity.

Nevertheless, the headphones worked great. The idea behind noise-canceling headphones is to block outside noise and these do just that. I used them on a recent weekend trip where I flew and I have to say they measure up to my other brand very nicely. Once plugged into my iPod, all I heard was the music.

A nice feature these have that mine does not is an in-line volume control attached to the headphone cable, making it easy to adjust the volume or shut it down entirely in seconds.

When buying an expensive set of headphones like these, you’re purchasing a complete set. They come with a secure padded case to hold the included headphones, cable and a two-prong airplane adapter if you want to listen to whatever they are pumping through their systems. The case also holds extra batteries and it has a nice compartment to hold a typical-sized iPod.

Information: www.ableplanet.com, the MSRP is $349.99 but search around and you’ll find them for much less, I found them online for $236. These headphones can be used with computers, stereos, CD, DVD and MP3 Players.

32GB memory card shipped

Kingston Technology Company, Inc. (www.kingston.com) is shipping its 32GB Elite Pro SDHC flash memory cards for use with today’s digital video camcorders and other high-resolution imaging devices.

The 32GB card is the largest capacity in Kingston’s Elite Pro line of SDHC cards, which includes cards with capacities of 4, 8 and 16GB.

The Kingston’s 32GB memory card can store thousands of photos and hours of high definition video. With that much memory, the card can capture and store more than 6,000 still images (depending on the resolution of the camera) or over eight hours of video, also depending on the video camera settings.

The 32GB SDHC card has a suggested MSRP of $308, but shop around and you’ll find it for about $100 less.

Users will get Kingston’s lifetime warranty and 24/7 live technical support. But beware; the warranty (as is the same with every memory card company) will cover the hardware, not the images or video that could be lost due to damage. So make sure you backup all your data as often as possible.

Collection of prints available

PhotoShelter Inc., an online community of 42,000 independent photographers, has announced a limited-time opportunity to purchase a selection of prints from The PhotoShelter Collection.

A team of editors from PhotoShelter picked the prints, which reflect the wide aesthetic range of images contributed by PhotoShelter’s global photographer community. They range from exquisite floral still life to Las Vegas Elvis impersonators.

They are available through Oct.1; images can be viewed and purchased at www.photoshelterprints.com.

The PhotoShelter Collection was launched in September of 2007 as a stock photography marketplace where buyers request prints. Photographers range from Pulitzer Prize winners to emerging photographers from around the world.

The site has two galleries; one with contemporary aesthetic images and the other a classic. Both show the diverse work of PhotoShelter.

Print prices vary by size, ranging from $100 to $450 and are printed on archival quality Kodak Pro Endura Supra paper.

Gregg Elman is the Star-Telegram’s photo director/technology. His Gadgets column appears weekly.