Hey, that's pretty awesome that Amazon's thrown together an MP3 store app for the G1, isn't it? What would be even cooler still, though, is if you could actually listen to those tracks without a crazy dongle hanging off your phone. Like many recent HTCs (Touch HD notably excepted), the G1 eschews a standard 3.5mm headphone jack for its proprietary ExtUSB connector, meaning you'll need custom headphones or an adapter to plug in your own. What's worse, the adapter won't be available immediately at launch, just a bundled headset. Why, HTC? Why?

Here's a little Espoo humor for you: offer a crazy-expensive limited edition of the N96, make buyers think they'll be getting it early, and when they don't, ship them stereo Bluetooth headphones as a consolation prize which -- wait for it -- you need a phone (like that unshipped N96, for example) to use. Whatever, we suppose it's better than getting a cold shoulder, but the silver BH-503s getting shipped to at least some of the Face The Task buyers sure aren't a substitute for the real deal.

Hmm, Hov, you may want to check the fine print on whatever deal you've got with Moto, because these Jay-Z-branded MOTOROKR S7-HD Bluetooth headset aren't exactly big pimpin' -- and compared to Dre's big ol' cans, they look downright sad. Of course, the FCC's legendarily nasty product photography isnt helping here, but even A2DP stereo support and the integrated mic can't salvage this mess -- was this really worth unretiring for?

[Via Crave]

Philips's claim that its new SHB9000 headset offers the best-ever music and conversation quality from a Bluetooth headset might be a bit optimistic, but it's their PR, so we'll let 'em say what they want. The over-the-ear headphones offer native MP3 decoding for loss-less streaming, 40mm neodymium speakers and can automatically switch between calls and music. There's a digital signal processor to filter out background noise and echo when on the phone, and you can connect to your phone wirelessly or via a provided cord. We're not quite sure what the difference in SKUs is, but Philips is offering this one in the Spring for $99 and $129 "respectively."

Perhaps the sleeper of this week's announcements out of Nokia's aptly named Nokia World event, the WH-600 and WH-700 headsets kick it old school by eschewing Bluetooth for good, old-fashioned, reliable wires. They've got all the bases covered, too: the WH-600 goes on the ear while the WH-700 is a traditional bud style, offering three different cup sizes in the box. Both can be used for music and calls alike -- obviously -- and include 3.5mm jack adapters for use with any ol' music player you like. Get them both starting in January; €65 (about $96) for the WH-600 and €50 (about $74) for the buds.

Anyone who's been repeatedly reaching for a iPod remote control clipped to their wardrobe while using their iPhone -- only to discover that it doesn't exist -- will be delighted to hear that V-MODA has revamped its Vibe Duo headset to add integrated music control. The control button, which seems to be positioned and operated the same way as the one on the iPhone's bundled headset, can be used to fiddle with calls as well as tunes. It's not quite the four or five button set we'd like to be able to track forward, back, play, pause, and change volume, but considering that the iPhone lacks a control socket beside its jack, we'll take what we can get. Get the updated 'phones now for the same $99 as the original.

Rarely does an accessory hit the market that really seems to fill a gap in the already overcrowded Bluetooth headset space, yet Plantronics may have managed to pull off just such a feat with its uber-low-profile, transforming Voyager 855 headset-cum-headphones. Besides the sliding boom, this model might look like a regular over the ear unit at first glance, but a detachable cord with an earbud at the end allows the 855 to perform double-duty as A2DP-compliant headphones -- great for those of us trying to downsize from the normally-bulky earpieces offered by iLuv, Bluetake, and friends. You're also getting the all-critical AVRCP profile here as well, so the only real downside seems to be the price: sounds like it'll be retailing for around $200 when it hits later this month, although we've already seen street prices ranging from $80 to $150.

Update: Plantronics let us know that pricing will be more in the $110 to $120 range, so bully for you if you can find that $80 deal.

First, a disclaimer: this is a peripheral no one wants, but many will need. The Belkin Headphone Adapter for the iPhone simply allows you to do what you should be able to do without any adapter whatsoever -- plug in a plain ol' set of headphones. This was a pretty clear-cut play on Apple's part to give itself and official accessory manufacturers some license to further scar our already irreparably damaged wallets, and frankly, we're bitter that we had to buy it for a stiff $9.95. But yeah, whatever, let's get on to the good stuff.

Japan's Willcom sure doesn't have a shortage of handsets that rock the foundation of what a wireless phone should be, so enter this entry: a handset inside a headset. Willcom's conceptual "handset" here (that will never be in your hand) will accept a Willcom W-SIM so that the wireless headset sitting on top of that noggin can actually make independent voice calls as well. Since W-SIMs integrate a PHS wireless receiver right onto the card itself, it's easy to give non-wireless devices that capability -- so why not let that music-laden set of headphones have some fun, right?

[Via Slashphone]

Sure, there's a bevy of ways to effectively conceal the real you while out and about in public places, but Alice Wang's new lineup of Peer Pressure conquerors let you utilize surrounding technologies to boost your self-esteem (and your image). If you're not already rockin' the iPod suit to work, and don't want your cubicle buddies to overhear faint whispers of "Everybody Hurts" in the background, the two-sided headphones are for you. They play that sad, sad song into your ears, but emit a (presumably positive) song of your choice outwardly, giving everyone around you good vibes while you're down on your luck. Next up, the Popular Mobile software sporadically and continuously sends you fake text messages in order to show off just how popular you are whilst in a group of higher-ups, and while we're not sure if each message come pre-programmed with fortune cookie taglines, it's a surefire way to flaunt your appeal. Additionally, Alice has designed the Fast Typing Keyboard in order to make your office mates think you can crank out 120 words per minute, and the Positive Printer helps printer snoopers discover awfully amazing things about you that the upbeat software spits out. Of course, we're not expecting these admittedly handy creations to make their way into Office Depot anytime soon, but we'd love to be proven wrong.

Introduced at Ed Zander's CES keynote, Moto is positioning the A2DP-compliant MOTOACTV S9 as a shout out to the athletes (and fitness freaks, and... uh, pretty much anyone that works out once in a while) by making it fairly robust -- by wireless headset standards, anyway -- while phone controls and a mic will let you take that critical call without getting off the Stairmaster. The inner part of the device seems to be available in black or red, though the outside (that is, the only part others will see) will only come in black when it rolls deep later this half. Click on for live pics!

Nothing much to see here, but Plantronics just announced their MX203S, MX200 and MX250 wired headsets, priced at $30, $20 and $25 respectively. The MX203S (pictured) supports musicphones, with stereo earbuds, and a button to switch from music to a phone call. There is also a WindSmart tech to cancel wind noises, but that's about all that's going on here. The MX200 is a single earpiece design, and the MX250 sports a boom, but that's about it. All three headsets should be available this month.