Gadget Guru: No strings attached to these earbuds

The Earin M-1 wireless earbuds are one of those products in which less really is more.

These are the definition of wireless with no cables or wires. Bluetooth technology is built into the earbuds, which receive the sound from your music source.

Each black earbud charges in a lipstick-like capsule, which connects to a power source with a micro USB cable. It’s worth noting for Apple fans that the capsule design is very Apple-esque.

The earbuds have a secure compartment in the capsule for charging; simply line them up and they fit snug for charging and storage. I got about three hours of use before I had to charge them. It takes about 70 minutes to fully recharge the earbuds.

They weigh 0.12 ounces each and are by far the smallest earbuds I’ve tried. You get several sets with the kit and normally I won’t spend much time finding the right fit; I go with the ones installed. With these, you want to have a secure, tight fight, ensuring the best sound quality along with keeping them safe in your ears.

When you place the earbuds, you’ll notice each is built with an angled tip designed for comfort as well as getting the sound angled into your ear.

As for the sound, I was impressed. The Earin app helps you set up the sound balance and offers a bass boost.

earin.com; $199.

CHARGING CABLE

The importance of USB charging cables with today’s portable gadgets is critical. The one time you have a broken cable, you’ll see what I mean.

The Snakable cable’s patent-pending strain relief assembly features rotating ball joints with 90 degrees of movement. This gives each end of the cable flexibility from the area that typically has a lot of strain and bending, which causes it to break. Each end twists, turns and rotates to keep everything working, connected and charging.

I had no problem connecting the cable on my Otterbox case on my phone. Each cable is 4 feet long.

They are available in Apple Lightning and Micro USB connector configurations. Moreover, they come in five colors: black eclipse, green leaf, orange flame, red meter and white cloud.

snakable.com; $29.99.

BLUETOOTH SPEAKER

The Inateck MercuryBox BP2101B Bluetooth Speaker has a ton of features, nice sound and doesn’t cost much.

You can connect via Bluetooth or with an Aux-in cable. The body is IPX waterproof to protect it from a quick splash and it has an attractive black anodized aluminum body.

Inside are two 5-watt precision-tuned drivers and a built-in 1800mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 15 hours of portable use. A built-in microphone lets you use the portable (6.4-by-2.4-by-1.1 inches) speaker for hand-free calls.

inateck.com; $38.99.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Gadget Guru: No strings attached to these earbuds."