decibels

If there were a polar opposite to the sleek good looks of Philips' home phones, this might be it.

Granted, the "Pro Amplified Phone Center" may well be packed with useful functions, including four tone levels amplified up to 50 decibels for those who may be losing their hearing, according to GeekAlerts. (We were tipped off by the fact that this came from FirstStreet, the catalog that carries such items as the "Lite and Motion Head Lite Cap" in fulfilling its mission to serve "Boomers and Beyond.")

But does it have to look like … Read more

There's certainly no shortage of communications products that promise to muffle ambient noise, but a new earbud microphone from Japan is taking an interesting approach: It picks up speech from the ear, not from the mouth. We're not kidding.

That's the explanation given by Nikkei Net Interactive about the "InCore" microphone from start-up Nap Enterprise. The company claims that the technology allows mobile phone conversations "in even very noisy settings like concert halls and construction sites," according to Textually.org, reducing external noise by 30 decibels.

It's just another example of the … Read more

One of Crave's primary missions is to keep you on top of the latest trends, and there's one that has barely been noticed: loud alarm clocks. (We didn't say they'd be good trends.)

It started a couple of weeks ago with the "Sonic Bomb," which blasts you awake to the tune of 113 decibels and bed-shaking vibrations. That item, which proved surprisingly popular among readers, was followed by a retro version of said clock. Now, thanks to Gadgetizer once again, we find out that there's a "Sonic Boom Love" edition available … Read more