While the colors are changing, the headphones themselves are not. V-MODA is still concentrating on dual-diaphragm drivers, which they still say are just as good as single drivers, but that their models have more of a distinct range to them. You also get a detachable cable, with a three-button remote control. It comes with a mic, and the controls will allow you to adjust the volume whenever you need. You can use the headphones to listen to music, or take phone calls. And, as usual, the construction of the headphones is top-notch, with a steel framed memory headband that goes atop your skull. The high price didn’t change either, still sitting pretty at $250.
While that would probably be enough for avid meeting attendees, Livescribe are looking to extend the usefulness of the Echo by including an app store. Accessed via the Livescribe Desktop app, with software synchronized over to the Echo via microUSB connection, it turns the Smartpen into a translation tool, a musical instrument or anything else developers can come up with via the free SDK. Unsurprisingly it’s the language apps that are most obviously useful; a dictionary app, for instance, shows definitions of your handwritten word on the OLED screen, while various translation apps can automatically convert your handwritten notes into other languages. Of course, developers are also coming up with more unusual software, so you can sketch out strings or staves and play your notepad as a guitar or piano, convert currency or even play games like Sudoku.
