AIR
TUBE (Product Review)
by
TV Smith
11/05/05
My first
encounter with a pair of air tubes was onboard an Aeroflot flight to Novosibirsk
back in the last century (circa 1986). A hairy, stern stewardess handed me a pair
of rubber headphones and reminded me to return it before alighting. Being young,
rebellious AND Malaysian, I pocketed it when the plane neared Siberia. Hey, they
were supposed to be disposable. Communist Russia then seemed indestructible and
so was the mobile phone my family had back home. It was tough, big, heavy and
shaped like a dynamite detonator. Fast
forward to 2005. Mobile phones have shrunk smaller than the "national average"
and enemas exploded as a recreational activity beyond Japan. I purchased the first
ever bluetooth headset a few years back and never had a smooth relationship with
it. Pairing and unpairing the device for use between a laptop and two phones was
troublesome. Keeping the headset constantly charged was even more burdensome.
Soon I was back to ordinary, inelegant, wired handsfree. After many tangled and
ripped cords later; I decided not to take calls while driving anymore and stick
to texting. I
dropped by the neighbourhood phone shop yesterday and was surprised to find those
generic (compatible) handsfree kits selling at 10 ringgit for 3! However, the
shopkeeper insisted I try a new kinky looking 'high-tech' device known as the
Air Tube. It looks and functions like one half of the aircraft headphones. Or
an old-fashioned mono stethoscope with a clothes peg replacing the diaphragm.
 |  |  | | Simplicity.
A moulded earpiece on one end and a clip on the other. Ear model: Jenny Ho |
The
Air Tube practically works with any phone model, its clarity was amazing and there
is no need to plug in anything, anymore. The hole on the bottom of your phone
will wear out in no time with repeated insertions (like most other things in life),
in case you didn't know. For RM 21, it may be the best thing since sliced Berlin
Wall.
Pros
One
size/type fits all - Works with PDAs and 3G phones as well
Tangle-free flexible
rubber tube
Durable - no delicate wire or parts
Reliable - no electrical
contact or loose connection
Radiation and magnetism free
Washable
Can
double up as enema tube
2 year warranty Cons
No
mic - so phone has to be near
No in-line volume control
Not fashionable.
Unless you consider a plastic clothes peg a fashion statement
L-shaped earplug
makes insertion tricky (when used for enemas)
This review cited in Engadget
| PhoneMag
| Gadgets.cz
©
2005 TV SMITH
Link to this article: http://www.tvsmith.net.my/duasen/110505_airtube.html
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