They should be able to survive water sprays, so no worries if you go jog on the beach

Jun 14, 2014 08:47 GMT  ·  By

Earphones may not be as comfortable or good at producing sound as circumaural headphones, but they are the only ones that can be worn during workout or a run without the danger of them flapping and falling off.

It's also easier to render earphones resistant enough to water (and its body-produced variety called sweat) while not leading to a bank-draining price point.

The Powerbeats2 Wireless from Beats Electronics LLC are an example of a water-proof (reasonably) earphone set, a wireless one too.

That means that they only have one cable, the one that holds them together and enables them to work as a single whole. It's meant to be hung around the back of your neck, and is adjustable to boot.

It will make it easy for you to stop and respond to passers-by. Just take out the bud from your ear and let it go without any concerns.

On that note, you don't have to shove the bud in your ear canal and hope for the best. The y have supports that go over your ear lobes (ear hooks), for stability no matter how fast you run or how far/high you jump.

Of course, since this is a wireless product, a battery had to come into the picture. It's in the right ear bud, or the outside of it anyway, as the larger bulk of the product segment suggests.

The battery life is six hours, which isn't that amazing but should carry you through even the longest workout sessions, plus the resting periods or picnics that come after. It takes 15 minutes to replenish one hour's worth of charge.

As for the wireless technology, it's Bluetooth, as you may have guessed, with a range of 30 feet / 10 meters. It won't matter much if you're running around the block and listening to music from the phone in your pocket, but it will be good at the gym, where you may be wearing clothes with no pockets at all.

All in all, the Powerbeats2 from Beats Electronics offer everything you'd expect from earhook-shaped wireless earphones. You even get RemoteTalk control (no-slip grip when changing volume, switching tracks, making hands-free calls).

Beats should be selling the Powerbeats2 Wireless earphones for $199.95 / €199.95 beginning at some point this month, but only from Beats Electronics' own website and some retailers. Black, red and white colors will be up for grabs. Mass availability will ramp up only in July this year, 2014.