The music service offers ad-free access to more than 10 million tracks, and will initially be offered at a rate of S$0.99 (for web) and S$1.99 (for web and mobile on the Android platform) per month in Singapore.

After three months, the price point will jump to S$4.99 per month for web and S$9.99 per month for web and mobile respectively.

Take a look:

My initial reaction was: meh. I’m not really impressed after I visited the site.

I expected to have some kind of trial or download demo, but that wasn’t the case. Besides having to sign-in with an email account, you have to put in your credit card and pay to see what you can get.

No demo or trial.

Now, music streaming is not a new business at all, and for anybody late coming to the party, you would expect the new kid-on-the-block to come up with demos to persuade people what the fuss was about.

Yes, some of the more dodgy music streaming sites have gone out of business, or have changed business models, but there are still dozens of alternatives — and quite a few are free — out there.

That’s not even mentioning all the strides telcos and mobile vendors have made in making streaming music available over the air, like SingTel with AMPed, and all the experiments Nokia and Sony Ericsson had with mobile music services.

And based on Rara.com’s EULA, the music tracks come laden with DRM, something that is a pet peeve of mine for content issues.

I understand that it is a necessary evil, but I’m not comfortable with the portion on DRM in their EULA.

Quoting directly from Rara.com’s EULA:

“Because the rara Application includes security components, special rules and policies apply. You agree to abide by the rules and policies established from time to time by rara media. We will apply such rules and policies generally in a non-discriminatory manner to users of the rara Application, and such rules and policies may include, for example, required or automated updates, modifications, and/or reinstallations of the rara Application to address security, interoperability, and/or performance issues. These updates, modifications and the like may occur on a periodic or as needed basis without notice to you.

All streaming content is encrypted and, where your Subscription allows you to cache Content for offline playback, that cached Content is protected by digital rights management (DRM) technology to protect the Content against unauthorised use. You must not do anything to disable or circumvent the encryption of the DRM technology.

In addition, you understand that the rara Application is capable of monitoring itself for security-related and tamper-detection purposes and for communicating information to rara media about security incidents. You hereby consent to the operation of the rara Application in this way. Your copy of the Software and your access to certain applications that communicate with it are subject to restriction and/or revocation (such as being shut down) for security purposes or according to consistently applied Content-protection policies. You understand and agree that this may result in Content that was previously available for use being unavailable thereafter.”

I don’t like not knowing what DRM software I’m installing on my PC or device, but more importantly I’d like to know what information it’s sending to Rara.com without my notice. Clarifications on the DRM in the EULA might help.

Yes, Rara.com may have secured international licensing agreements with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group and has a large 10 million-plus track database. It may be available in 20 countries around the globe, and is available in Singapore, unlike Deezer, Pandora or Spotify.

And yes, the music streaming industry is not an easy one — anyone remember Soundbuzz, who was one of Singapore’s first online music store but went out of business about two-and-a-half years back?

But that doesn’t change the fact that, for a latecomer, Rara.com feels pretty meh to me on first impressions.

And given that I cannot try the service without paying money, I’ll stick with Grooveshark, Last.fm and Musicovery for my music streaming needs.

Thanks to Bluetree Electronics, we are giving away four Kube2 MP3 players in our Chinese New Year lucky draw. The Kube2 is touted as the world’s smallest touch MP3 player and sports a unique one-inch cube aluminum body. The S$45.90 doodad also comes with a 4GB microSD card.

To enter the contest:

1. Follow us on Twitter.
2. Post a tweet on any Techgoondu article that you like.
3. The URL of that article (use a link shortener service) must be included in your tweet, along with this hashtag: #TGCNY12.

This contest runs from January 30 to February 7, and we’ll pick the winners at random from all Twitter posts entered for this contest.

Rules and details:

1. Only residents staying in Singapore are eligible to participate.
2. Each tweet is eligible for one entry, so feel free to post as many tweets as you want.
3. Anyone found using multiple Twitter accounts to enter will be disqualified.
4. After the contest closes, we’ll Twitter DM the lucky winners to coordinate with you how you can collect your prize.

Happy new year and good luck!

According to YouTube, this is the top list of most watched music MTVs by Singaporeans in 2011. Enjoy, and check it out:

1. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock

2. Jennifer Lopez – On The Floor ft. Pitbull

3. Bruno Mars – The Lazy Song [Official Video]

4. Jessie J – Price Tag ft. B.o.B.

5. Chris Medina – What Are Words

6. Nicki Minaj – Super Bass

7. Pitbull – Give Me Everything ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer

8. Super Junior 슈퍼주니어_Mr.Simple_MUSICVIDEO

9. Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

10. Avril Lavigne – What The Hell

And to contrast, here are the most-watched music videos on YouTube in 2011 globally:
1. Jennifer Lopez – On The Floor ft. Pitbull
2. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock
3. Bruno Mars – The Lazy Song [Official Video]
4. Nicki Minaj – Super Bass
5. Pitbull – Give Me Everything ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer
6. Pitbull – Rain Over Me ft. Marc Anthony
7. Jessie J – Price Tag ft. B.o.B.
8. LMFAO – Sexy and I Know It
9. Katy Perry – E.T. ft. Kanye West
10. Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

Not that many differences, as 7 out of the top 10 global videos appear on the Singaporean list, and it would seem that a lot of us consume US culture and music.

It’s that time of the year again.

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, and every year at Techgoondu we want world peace and justice. This year I want to add to the list a fairer society, better public transport, and affordable public housing.

And in case those big dreams fall a little short of our lofty naive ideals, well, there’s always geek toys and gizmos that we can console ourselves with. And still keep dreaming big dreams — they are worth fighting for, aren’t they?

In the meantime, here’s what the goondus would like this Christmas:

Raymond wants:

Wait a minute, Raymond already had an entire article’s worth of tech stuff he wanted to buy. Check it out.

Alfred is dreaming of:

Oppo BDP-95 Blu-ray player

I know we’re going into an age of lossless tracks and HD video downloads, but if you are looking for a universal player that plays back your Blu-ray discs, SACDs and regular CDs, there is only one that every AV geek is talking about right now – the Oppo BDP-95.

At US$999, it looks expensive compared to the US$90 Blu-ray player at electronics stores, but this Oppo player is packed to the gills with the most high-end features (like streaming and 3D support) and also audiophile-grade goodies, like two, yes, two, separate top-notch Sabre32 DACs to handle both movies and music.

Oppo players are so solidly built – yet relatively inexpensive, considering all the stuff thrown in – that they have been cloned and repackaged with more expensive-looking chassis and sold for several times more!

B&W 802 Diamond speakers

I heard these speakers at the showroom once and the sound has never left my mind. A live performance is what you’d expect to hear – you sense the scale of an orchestra, the sound is so airy and real, and bass is impossibly extended and deep. Even movies sound amazing – yes, the showroom also used them for a Blu-ray movie.

But what do you expect of speakers so big that the average Singapore apartment can never accommodate because of their size and their power? Even if you had more than 20-grand (Singapore dollars), these B&W 802 Diamonds won’t sound good in most homes here, unless you have a big listening room, so this is definitely a “dream-worthy” item. Maybe it’s time to upgrade the house first!

Aaron is drooling over:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

I’ve never fancied lugging around a 10-inch screen wherever I go. So when Samsung unveiled the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab, I knew it was going to be the top on my Christmas wish list. It’s more portable than the iPad and shares the same features as the larger Galaxy Tab 10.1 including the latest Android Honeycomb OS.

Compared with a 7-inch tablet, the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab packs more screen estate for displaying both e-books and webpages in their full glory without excessive scrolling. At just under $250 for the 16GB version with a data plan, this slate is a steal too!

Asus Zenbook UX31

This skinny ultrabook will give Apple’s Macbook Air a run for its money. Measuring just 3mm thick at its slimmest, the Zenbook is a head-turner endowed with a gorgeous metallic design, a 1600×900 pixel display and a solid-state drive for top-notch computing performance. The exceptionally well-crafted machine feels more solid than the Macbook Air and boasts of Bang and Olufsen’s ICEpower audio technology.

In some ways, the advent of ultrabooks such as the Zenbook represents the coming out party for PC makers who have shown that they too have what it takes to deliver great industrial design.

Lester craves:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Game of the year? Quite possibly. Skyrim has been released to rave reviews across the board, and dedicated gamers have ratcheted sales beyond expectations.

Dragons are popping up all over the land of Skyrim, and you- as the Dragonborn- are the only one with the power and skill to stop them. Adventure across a staggering open-ended world and do just about anything you like. Take a long hike across the landscape that starts off as a forest that peters into vast snow fields. Embark on sidequests, slay dragons, raze entire towns, or help anyone that asks for it- the choice is yours.

Skyrim’s wide-open gameplay brings something to everyone. The graphics alone are enough to halt even non-gamers and to intrigue them into playing. Skyrim will provide hours of fun- actually, that’s more of a caveat than a statement, because Skyrim is so open, so wide, it’s easy to get sucked into gaming for hours to come.

Google Galaxy Nexus

Yes, it’s due to be out only in January 2012, but Google’s Galaxy Nexus is already generating mobile tech-lust for this user. Google’s latest Nexus iteration brings the Android experience mobile users have come to love and expect in a gorgeous form factor that’s packed with incredible top-end smartphone specs.

Being the model phone for Android 4.0, the Galaxy Nexus will no doubt be the phone for Android fans that want the pure Android experience. Improved Gmail integration, enhanced text-to-speech and smoother multitasking are welcome features, and the Galaxy Nexus won’t disappoint.

For those who can’t wait, and require a suitable stocking-stuffer, the Motorola Droid Razr is a comparable model. Already touted to be one of this year’s best Android smartphone, the newest, sharpest Razr shows that a sleek, fashionable smartphone can exist alongside powerful hardware. Just wait for the Android 4.0 update to the released, and it’ll be a lean, mean mobile beast.

Chi-Loong desires:

Guild Wars 2

If Lester can get away for wanting the Google Galaxy Nexus that isn’t out yet, I can certainly get away with craving a game that is due next year that I’ve been awaiting as a patient fanboi for the longest time.

No, it’s not Diablo 3 or Starcraft 2:Heart of the Swarm (though that is high on my list), it’s Guild Wars 2.

For MMOs, I’ve played World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, and Rift, but nothing kept me as enthralled as the original Guild Wars, which I’m almost ashamed to say I sunk in almost 1700+ hours over a five year span. I plead guilty that I was a major addict of the game at one point.

I’ve really fond memories of the game, and I’ve high hopes for ArenaNet’s Guild Wars 2.

Now if only I could invent a time machine to take me into the future to get a copy of this game now…

Games for Change

What would a Techgoondu Christmas wishlist be if it didn’t have an interesting entry that tied back to our tongue-in-cheek introduction of wanting, you know, good things for the world?

What if you could marry my one big vice, gaming, with something I really believe in, like changing the world to become a better place?

And this is how I became a fan of Games for Change, a global non-profit organization dedicated to using games to serve as tools in humanitarian or educational efforts.

It’s how I got to know about indie games such as Fate of the World (available on Steam) and We Topia. Watch:

Food for thought, certainly.

And on that note, we here at Techgoondu wish all our readers a very merry Christmas.

Bowers & Wilkins Zepplin Air

This gorgeous audio dock from audiophile specialist B&W sports a signature design and promises punchy tunes packed with oomph. You can be assured of room-filling sound and strong vocals that will rise above accompanying music, whether you’re listening to jazz crooner Norah Jones or pop rock band Maroon 5. The speaker also supports Apple’s AirPlay technology that lets you play tunes from an iPhone or iPod over a wireless network. A front dock connector is also on hand for folks who wish to hook up their Apple devices directly to the speaker.

Bose SoundDock 10

Some folks may not take too well to its chunky looks, but the SoundDock 10 delivers the audio goodness that matches the flair of the Zeppelin Air. You can expect the same audiophile qualities that are usually associated with a Bose speaker system: tight bass and pristine vocals that maintain their composure even when pushed to the max. To ensure better stereo separation — the bugbear of compact audio docks — the SoundDock 10′s drivers are projected outwards at an angle to amplify the subtleties unique to each stereo channel.

Jawbone Jambox

Don’t be fooled by the size of this tiny boom box. The Jawbone Jambox is one fiery speaker that sounds bigger than it looks. Besides belting out an astonishing amount of bass from its compact enclosure, it also manages to maintain its cool at high volumes. Vocals aren’t too bad either – you can expect clear renditions that remain distinct amidst a busy sound stage in rock numbers from Radiohead. Tunes can be pumped through the speaker via a headphone jack, wirelessly over a Bluetooth connection or Apple AirPlay. While this chilli padi of a speaker won’t replace bigger sound docks and desktop speakers, it offers one of the best portable audio experiences available.

Focal Bird 2.1

Audio purists will feel right at home with the Focal Bird from French audiophile company Focal. The system comprises two satellite speakers and a power amplifier that doubles as a subwoofer. The Focal Bird 2.1 supports multiple audio sources with its array of analogue and digital connectors, and includes a wireless transmitter that lets you “stream” your tunes from an iPhone to the speaker system. The advantage of a 2.1 system is room-filling sound, as well as a strong stereo image that’s almost non-existent on a sound bar or dock.

Every once in a while, a technology emerges that makes you wonder why you haven’t thought about it before. The Singapore-made Orastream app is one such example.

It enables music players to stream the songs at as high a quality as possible, depending on the network that is delivering the songs. This means you always enjoy the highest quality music, without worrying about the dreaded break in transmission – a boon to future music services on the go.

Let’s take your phone, for example. When you are at a cafe and you can receive a good 3G signal, it can stream at a high bit rate of, say, 800Kbps, but if you step into an underground mall, you may only get a slower 2G network link, which means the songs will then be streamed at a much lower bit rate, say, as low as 24Kbps.

Either way, the music continues playing, because the technology adapts automatically to the network conditions. There are not breaks in songs even if you switch from, say, 3G to 2G, as the folks behind Orastream showed in a demo to Techgoondu last week.

First developed at Singapore’s government-funded A*Star labs several years ago, Orastream is the brand name for an adaptive streaming music format called MPEG4SLS. This, incidentally, is also the name for the company spun off from A*Star that now develops Orastream.

The uses for the technology are numerous. For starters, the company is looking to offer a Dropbox-like service where musicians can upload their songs – at the highest lossless quality – to potential record company partners. Instead of sending various demo tapes or CDs or storing different formats of the same song, they can continually update the catalog of songs easily.

To do this, the Singapore firm has even developed simple tools for the musicians to create an app that plays back the music automatically from this library.

Needless to say, this can be applied to consumers as well, as a sort of cloud-based music locker service. You can essentially upload your entire library – at a cost, of course – to the cloud and have the Orastream technology stream the music to your PC, MP3 player and even hi-fi (if someone develops a Squeezebox plug-in, for example).

This means you don’t have to keep separate copies of your library, like MP3s for your portable players and FLAC lossless tracks for your hi-fi or PC. You can just stream them all in one format using Orastream. In countries with well-connected mobile and fibre broadband networks, this is an ideal solution, and better than the other cloud-based music offerings out there which usually only support the “lo-fi” but common MP3 format.

To be fair, there is still a lot more to be done for Orastream before this becomes reality. But the technology is out there and the business model is already proven, so the potential is clear.

And compared to rival technologies from, say, Microsoft, Orastream is truly dynamic, as in, it does not have to be set with a few pre-determined bit-rates, but is fine-tunes the bit rate or quality according to the network quality. If a network offers 300Kbps, the stream will be as close to 300Kbps as possible, perhaps at 290Kbps.

One more thing: Orastream can stream songs at up to 24 bits/192kHz, which is higher than a regular CD’s 16/44.1kHz. This will be a boon for audiophiles looking to stream their songs both over Wi-Fi at home (at high quality) and over the Net to their portable players.

Do check out the Orastream app available for the Mac, iOS and Android. Still very much like demos, these simple players show the potential of a technology that could change the way you enjoy music in future.

Despite being one of the first with an Android phone when it released the Droid and Milestone about two years ago, Motorola has not had a top-end phone that stood toe to toe with offerings from rivals such as Samsung, HTC and even Sony Ericsson of late.

That changes now with the new Razr, which brings the Android pioneer up to the speed with not just the latest hardware but also a surprisingly nifty software experience.

First off, for those not in the know, the Razr is named after the original clamshell design from 2004, which brought Motorola so much success (it was number two phone maker, after Nokia, at one point) and which ultimately led to the company breaking up and almost being lost as a has-been phone maker.

The new Razr, besides the sleek branding and ultra-thin design, has little resemblance to the old. Okay, the premium design is still there, with Kevlar fibre in the back of the phone for rigidity and texture and the 7.1-mm frame making this one of the slimmest phones around.

But the designers have also taken pains to make sure the beauty is more than skin deep, reporters were told at a Singapore launch event on Friday. The Corning Gorilla glass, for example, is able to prevent your keys scratching the screen, and interestingly, the components under the hood are sprayed with a nano material to keep water out, in case you spill water or wine on the Razr.

The hardware, as I said before at the unveiling of the phone, brings it on par with the rest of the competition. The 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen is big and bright enough for surfing the Web comfortably, the 1.2GHz processor and 1GB RAM keep things humming along smoothly, and the 8-meg HD camera shoots HD videos on holidays.

If the specs look good on paper, I wasn’t disappointed either when I  got a quick hands on at the launch. First off, the Kevlar fibre does remind one of the iconic textured design of the original Razr, which had etched button keys. The screen on the new Razr is also one of the brighter ones I have seen (other than Samsung’s Super AMOLED plus on its Galaxy S II phone).

What’s more impressive is the software that Motorola seems to have thrown in. The MotoCast software that comes with the phone easily lets you connect to documents on your home PC, which you can also use to stream movies and songs from while you are on the go.

I know this is not new – even Windows Mobile of old had similar, though less easy to use apps – but MotoCast being included in the box makes it fuss-free for non-techies to get things done. All you have to do is install the software, connect your phone and set a password. Once you are out and about, you can simply log in to see the files you have shared on your PC.

The good news is, the interface is pretty as well. Similar to the album flow that Apple’s MP3 players are known for, the Motorola music player lets you browse albums intuitively by flipping virtual album covers. You can browse both the songs stored on your phone and those you have set to stream over the Internet to your PC.

What’s not so cool, of course, is that the 3G cellular network is not always super fast. So, such cloud computing services on mobile devices are still something to be improved on when the network is more ready. You’d probably also need to have fast uploads from home – likely on a fibre broadband service – if you want to stream HD movies from your home PC to your phone while on holiday.

Like with its previous phones, Motorola has thrown in a number of other customisations to sell the idea that the Razr is not another cookie cutter Android gizmo.

Some are useful, like a feature that lets you turn certain settings on and off automatically to extend battery life.  For example, you can set your Bluetooth or GPS off when you reach home – the phone gauges your pre-set home location – because you may not need them.

This, according to Motorola, can save up to 30 per cent of battery life, which is handy at a time when phones like the Apple iPhone 4 S and Samsung Galaxy S II are often running out of juice because of all the features onboard.

Not everything that Motorola has thrown in is useful, of course. For example, there is a neat, little animation that lights up your screen when you slide through several main screen menus. Such touches are nice but users should approach with a word of warning – they can slow down the phone if you have loads of widgets running at the same time.

Fortunately, when I tried one of the “clean” out-of-box Razrs, the performance was hard to complain about. I could swipe through the screens and launch apps without any perceivable lag.

All the enhancements which Motorola is so proud of also means it needs time – possibly more than its rivals – to update the Android operating system on the Razr. It is running the “Gingerbread” 2.3.5 version, and Motorola executives did not give a time line for an update to the newly-announced Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” OS for Asian markets.

Still, that does not make the Razr a bad phone. The only device slated to ship with Android 4.0 and its long list of enhancements is the Galaxy Nexus (no dates for Singapore yet), so the Razr is still pretty up to date with most rivals, as far as features are concerned.

Should you buy the Razr? I’d say it’s definitely in my list of top phones for the moment, along with the HTC Sensation XL and Samsung Galaxy S II. And the Razr’s asking price of S$888 in Singapore, when it ships in Singapore on November 11, is a competitive one, considering that top-end phones these days are closer to S$1,000 here.

Photos courtesy of our technology content partners at Yahoo! News Singapore.

Google has launched a dedicated YouTube site for Singapore in a bid to grow its inventory of localized video content. Prior to this, the search giant has been offering localized YouTube services in 34 other countries including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, India and more recently, the Philippines.

Users can visit the localized site by choosing “Singapore” as the location setting at the bottom of the YouTube.com homepage, or by heading directly to youtube.com.sg.

“Even though we’re only launching a localized site for Singapore today, Singaporeans have already been an extremely large and important audience on YouTube,” said Adam Smith, director of product management for YouTube in the Asia-Pacific region, in a media statement today.

“Through localizing YouTube in Singapore, the site will deliver more of the content Singaporeans want to see, and we hope the world will continue to discover the amazing culture and talent that exists in Singapore today,” he added.

YouTube Singapore features a local interface that makes it easy to find videos that are most relevant to Singaporeans, including content from global partners and local media agencies such as Refinery Media and Oak3 Films. Interactive SG, a local web design and interactive agency, is also showcasing Angel’s Gate, a new reality TV show on entrepreneurship, on the site.

According to YouTube, partners can take advantage of the localized site to distribute their content, grow their audience and generate revenue when advertisements are displayed against their videos in the YouTube Partner Program. Independent content creators can also apply for the program to monetize their work.

In addition, YouTube has signed a licensing agreement with the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (Compass) to allow music artists to earn revenue on YouTube. Under this agreement, artistes can now receive payments for content that’s distributed through the video sharing site.

“Reaching an agreement with YouTube is a step forward that creates major new opportunities for our members and affiliates,” said Edmund Lam, CEO and director of Compass. “From now on, they will receive fair payment for the use of their works on YouTube which is a very positive step for our songwriters and publishers, and, more broadly, the Internet.”

Anyone who’s ever gone jogging or biking with their music will know how irritating it is to have wires dangling and getting in the way. You can have a short cable, say, with sports earphones that hook up to an iPod strapped to your arm, but there’s still that bit of wire that often gets in the way if you are sensitive to these things.

For such active folks, you’d be pleased to try out Jabra’s Sport earphones. These Bluetooth headphones receive music wirelessly, doing away with cables other than one between the earphones which you’d hardly feel on the go. I’ve tried a number of Bluetooth stereo headsets before this, but Jabra Sport ranks as one of the best yet.

The first thing that inspires confidence is the sturdy-looking yellow cable hooking up the two earphones. Okay, the yellow seems a bit obligatory since these are meant to be “sport” headphones, but there is a lot more thought involved here than colour.

The flat cable, for one, is less likely to be tangled up than regular thin, rounded cables. Then there is the hardy joints between cable and earphone – you’d have to pull pretty hard to destroy that.

When I took them out of the pretty packaging, the Jabra Sport also impressed with their really soft yet sturdy hooked design. Though they resemble the early Jabra headphones that made the brand famous, the new headphones are now made with a material that is much improved in comfort and fit. Few Bluetooth headphones fit as snugly yet feels as comfortable.

When I went for a short run last week, I didn’t feel the Jabra Sport on my ears at all, partly because they hung on without moving irritatingly as in-ear types can often do. The Jabra Sport comes too with three “ear gels” for that perfect fit, but I was happy enough with what I got out of the box.

Like similar Bluetooth stereo headphones, the Jabra Sport receives the music wirelessly using the Bluetooth A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) feature, which is supported on most smartphones today and a small number of Bluetooth-enabled MP3 players such as the Apple iPod Touch (check Apple support here).

It’s a pity that small and light iPods, such as the Nano that runners like, don’t do Bluetooth. You may still add a Bluetooth transmitter to it, though I have not tested this out and can’t vouch for 100 per cent compatibility with the Jabra Sport.

Once powered on, the Bluetooth headsets are a joy to use. Fire it up for the first time, and a voice prompt tells you to hook up with a phone or MP3 player using a pre-set pass code. That’s all the fuss you need to go through before heading to the gym or track or climbing on your bike.

I paired the Jabra Sport with my Samsung Galaxy S II (yes, a little big for running) once and never had to fuss around with the settings again. Every time I wanted to play back tracks on the Jabra Sport, I only have to press the Play button on it, and it automatically loads the last track played on the phone. There’s no need to even stumble through the menus on the phone, which is a good thing if you want to quickly get going for a jog.

And what of the audio quality? I’m pleased to say that music streamed perfectly for me, as long as the phone and headphones were within line of sight, say, about 5m to 10m. You’d have no problems streaming music clearly if you jog while having your music player in your trouser pocket (even though Jabra, for some reason, doesn’t encourage it).

The headphones also punched well in the bass department and sounded clearer and brighter than many poor-sounding sports headphones that often don’t emphasise audio quality.

Needless to say, the voice quality is impressive as well. Expect no less clarity when it comes to phone conversations as you would with other high-end Jabra headphones, especially since the Sport also suppresses background noises like wind noise. I guess it’s something bikers might want if they are on hours-long rides, though the one time I answered a call on my smartphone while in the middle of a jog, my panting proved more of an issue than the noise cancellation.

I use the Nike+ run tracker now, and the Jabra Sport comes with similar features as long as your phone – or MP3 player – supports them. If you install the free Endomondo Sports Tracker app on your phone (Android, iOS or Blackberry) to track your run or bike ride, the Jabra Sport will remind you of the distance you have covered and even offer words of encouragement (or taunts). If you like Nike+, you’d probably like this Jabra + Endomondo combination.

The only small issue I have with the Jabra Sport is probably its USB connector, or rather, the rubber protector that you have to lift every now and then to charge the headphones.

I know it’s ruggedised, but I can’t help worrying that I’d accidentally pull out the really thin plastic connector holding it in place, which could leave the USB port totally exposed to sweat and grime. Considering how often you have to flip this little rubber piece out to charge your headphones, it has better be able to withstand tough use.

To be fair, I’ve not managed to destroy the headphones yet in the couple of weeks I used them. I’d happily recommend the Jabra Sport because few headphones have felt so “transparent” and comfortable when I go jogging with them. Plus, the audio quality is pretty good, which is a plus when you just want to enjoy the music while not working out. I just have to find a Bluetooth adapter for my iPod nano now.

The Xperia Active and Live with Walkman are retailing at $498 and $398 respectively without a mobile plan contract. Check today’s papers for telco deals.