PS3 7.1 Surround Sound Wireless Stereo Headset

This is a review of my Sony PS3 wireless headset for playing multiplayer online Zombies.

Trying to hear what’s going on is incredibly important in any FPS game situation.  Sony did an amazing job with the 7.1 surround sound.  Everything is crisp and clear sounding.  I’ve been hearing new sounds that I didn’t even know were there because of these headphones.  It goes to show that Sony didn’t cut any corners releasing these awesome headphones to their dedicated players. 

Sound Quality: 10 out of 10

All of the controls are intuitively placed on the headset.  The controls are conveniently placed on the left.  Another smart feature Sony included is the ability to have control of more players (friends), Voice or more music Sound or 50/50 voice and sound half way between at the bumper. This Voice/Sound control is placed at front left and the master volume control is placed just opposite it back left.  The headset is equipped with a retractable mic streamlined for easy storage and usability.

User Experience Design: 9.5 out of 10

Battery life is always a concern when playing long hours of online games.  The headset gets a solid five and half hours of game play before it needs to be recharged.  It’s also nice that you can have it plugged in for charging and still be able to use it at the same time.

Battery Life: 8.5 out of 10

Connection stability, I noticed, can play a role in these types of devices.  While playing the headset cuts out and then re-establishes connection.  It doesn’t happen very often but can be annoying when there is a lot of conversation happening and you miss something.

Connection Stability: 8.0 out of 10

Price tag on a pair of headphones like this is in the range of $70-$130.  The PS3 headset is $99 which is a suitable price for what you get.  Anything you buy that has the Sony logo on it is going to be a little more expensive than everything else. What you pay up front you get in long lasting quality.  Sony could have tried to make these headphones a bit cheaper but a hundred bucks isn’t going to make you broke. 

Price Tag: 8.5 out of 10    

Overall 8.9 out of 10

Related articles

• Sony PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset review (engadget.com)
• PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset heads to retail September 6 (joystiq.com)
• Official PS3 Wireless 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound Headset Review (pshomegazette.com)
• Poll: Wireless headset or wired? (zdnet.com)

HTC EVO 4Geez

Image via Wikipedia

This is the most powerful gadget I have ever had the pleasure of using.  Just looking the specs will blow your mind:

• a 4.3-inch 800×480 capacitive TFT touchscreen with multitouch capabilities out of the box;
• Android 2.1 OS with HTC Sense UI;
• 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording;
• 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video conferences;
• 1GB of flash memory where you can install apps;
• 512MB RAM;
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor;
• 802.11b/g WiFi;
• GPS/aGPS with free turn-by-turn navigation;
• Bluetooth 2.1 A2DP + EDR;
• 4G WiMAX technology / 3G EV-DO REV A;
• FM Radio;
• HDMI out port;
• 3.5mm headset jack;
• microUSB port;
• 8GB microSD card out of the box (expandable up to 32GB);
• Digital compass, G-sensor, Proximity sensor, and a Light Sensor;
• 1500mAh battery;
• Kickstand on its back.

I just have to talk about the Android 2.1 OS with HTC Sense UI, because it offers you so much.  When I opened the address book I suddenly realized I had way more contacts then I had originally.  The EVO actually uploaded all my friends from Facebook and Twitter and loaded them into my contacts with the option of linking my phonebook contacts with their Facebook and Twitter profiles. 

I want to tell you a little about the hardware of this device and what’s so instrumental about it.  First, there are two digital cameras: a primary 8 megapixel on the back with an LED flash that allows for 720p HD video recording and a secondary 1.3 megapixel on the front to accommodate webcasts and self-portraits. Who gives out microSD cards? Sprint does!  An 8GB expandable microSD memory card is included out-of-the-box with a capacity of 32GB.   HDMI mini allows for connection to a HDTV for multiple output options. 

The FriendStream is a great new feature for consolidating social interactions.  It allows you to post a status update to your Facebook and Twitter simultaneously and shows your friends updates from those Social Networks.

Now, let’s talk about speed. The HTC EVO comes with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor which makes this gadget faster than a speeding bullet, able to run multiple apps in a single bound, and power 8 other devices on its WiMax Network.   

Is there anything this little gadget can’t do?  Only one: since 4G has not made its way to the Big Apple the EVO can’t produce a high-speed internet hotspot, so I will have to wait a bit before I cut the cord from Time Warner Cable ISP.  Let’s face it; ease of use is very important these days. Being able to turn your internet ON from your phone is much easier than having some stranger come to your house to install a modem and forget about having something go wrong. Waiting for service calls from 8-11am is not how I want to spend my Saturday.  It’s just old technology that’s easy to let go.   

Lastly let’s talk about Sprint. I have been a long time Sprint customer for about 20 years from when my parents used them for home phone service. They have been a great company with reliable service. A few hiccups along the way but nothing devastating. The other big players like Verizon which I think ties Sprint for 1^st in overall customer satisfaction also doesn’t carry a super phone like the iPhone yet so there was no reason to jump ship for them. AT&T on the other hand has the iPhone which is enticing but the carrier quality is not up to par with that of Sprint or Verizon so they were never an option.  I think this could be the biggest thing for Sprint since they moved to mobile.

My overall rating of this phone is 10 out of 10 for a true technological masterpiece. 

Related articles

• HTC gives Sensation a WiMAX makeover for HTC EVO 4G+ (slashgear.com)
• Sprint Launches The HTC EVO 3D for $199.99 (techie-buzz.com)