Gadget Guru: Soul X-TRA wireless over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones

Listening to a Tom Petty music marathon is great in and of itself. Taking it to another level: Hearing his legendary music on the Soul X-TRA over-the-ear wireless Bluetooth headphones ($119.99).

Designed with running or exercise enthusiasts in mind, the headphones are wireless for workout freedom. Better yet, the headphones also feature dual-mode LED lights for early-morning or evening runs.

Another feature: The headphones have removable earpads that can easily be washed and dried. I put them to test during bike rides and lawn work. After washing the earpads, they looked as good as new.

As with any pair of headphones, sound is key. I found the sound to be clear and low on bass. I like a lot of bass, especially when listening to classic rock and roll, so I added it with an app and was good to go.

The headphones have 24 hours of battery life – 8 if you use the LED lights – and a 15-minute fast charge provides about two-and-a-half hours of use.

More: soulelectronics.com

Laptop backpack

Moshi’s new Helios Lite designer laptop backpack ($119.95) is stylish, protects and helps keep you organized.

As someone who is always keeping an eye out for new ways to tote around my gadgets, this one certainly drew my attention.

I couldn’t transfer everything from my cinderblock backpack into the Helios Lite – and that’s a good thing. But I did get my 13-inch MacBook Air into a padded compartment as well as an iPad, charging cables, papers, travel documents and several other accessories (just not everything).

Even after it is filled, the Helios Lite keeps its attractive, slim design. A magnetic strap keeps it closed and an exterior water-repellent finish is handy.

Part of Moshi’s 2017 autumn-winter collection, the bag was designed with colors and fabric details chosen to add texture and character.

More: moshi.com

Smart-home technology

August Home, one of the premier makers and designers of smart home automation products and a personal favorite of mine, recently announced three new products that feature DoorSense – the August Smart Lock Pro ($279), August Smart Lock ($149) and August Doorbell Cam Pro ($199).

The company touts this as the first intelligent, integrated sensor to tell users if their door is open or closed properly. All of these products are designed to allow users to monitor and control doors and locks from anywhere with a smartphone or tablet.

Though I haven’t tried these products, in the past I’ve found August products to be strong and reliable, and I’m confident these will be the same.

More: august.com

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Gadget Guru: Soul X-TRA wireless over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones."