This isn’t the smallest headset. In fact, Motorola’s Elite Sliver Bluetooth Headset ($130) is actually bulkier than many other personal BT headsets. Its trick, though, is to hide most of the bulk behind the user’s ear, leaving just a sliver — hence the name — of technology visbile.

But the Sliver isn’t just a one-trick pony; its case also doubles as a battery that will top off the Sliver when the headset is housed in the case (which actually does triple duty as a charger).

We bumped into neophyte Australian headphones-maker Audiofly in January, during a press-only event at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, and gave two models in the four-model lineup a whirl. Their mid-level AF45 set sounded great for $50; but the next one I tried — the top-of-the-line AF78 ($200) — left me slack-jawed with disbelief; its sound knocked my socks off, even amid the cacophony of noisy journalists.

What makes the AF78 unusual is its speaker arrangement.

Many mid-to-high-end canalphones are powered by tiny armature speakers, while moving coil drivers are found pretty much everywhere except the very high end. Armatures are generally better at producing clean highs and mids, but can lack deep bass; moving coils, on the other hand, are generally not as good at reproducing the clarity of an armature. But the AF78 is part of an elite group of models  — like the Scosche IEM856m I reviewed last year — that employ both a moving coil speaker and a balanced armature in each ear, in an attempt to give the listener the best of both worlds. And it works spectacularly.

The Spigen SGP Valentinus provided by the good folks at MobileFun is a handmade, luxury faux leather wallet case for the Samsung Galaxy Note that’s designed to protect your device and carry your credit cards and cash — allowing you to leave you billfold behind.

Its slimline form factor hopes to maintain the Galaxy Note’s slender shell no matter how many cards you cram inside, while providing full body protection against dings, dents, scuffs, and scratches. Its button clasp also keeps the case closed while it’s not in use, and ensures that when you do drop you device, the case doesn’t open up and leave your 5.3-inch display exposed.

The Valentinus boasts four card slots, plus a larger pocket for bills, business cards, and anything else you pick up on your travels. As you’d expect, it provides access to all your buttons, ports, and cameras, in addition to the Galaxy Note’s S Pen.

A long time ago, before this site was born, we reviewed the Altec Lansing BackBeat 906 Bluetooth headphones, and liked ’em. Plantronics had their own identical version of the 906, as they had owned Plantronics since 2005 (the two companies parted ways about the time the 906 was released).

The Plantronics BackBeat Go ($100) is an evolution of the 906. Same principle — wireless (meaning there’s no wire conecting the player with the headset) music and calls in a compact form via the magic of Bluetooth — but in an even smaller and more svelte form factor. Should be even more fantstic, right? Let’s take a look.

How many of you have heard of NFC? NFC is the latest short-range radio communications standard taking the mobile world by storm. In fact, if you have a new Android phone, there’s a good chance it has an NFC chip inside. NFC stands for Near Field Communication, and it’s a standard that allows devices to establish radio communication with each other when brought within close proximity of one another.