New earbuds are good futuristic fun

I've always thought that knowing good sound from bad didn't require any expertise. You just know it when you hear it.

So after I put on the Beem BeMe D200 earbuds a few weeks ago, I knew they weren't just good because they were great.

A press release sent to me before they were available to the public touted them as a new dance line for Beem United, a company known for innovative products with quality design and looks.

But this got my attention before a sound was played; they are the first Apple Lightning-connected earbuds I've tried.

The D200's come loaded with features, including ergonomic ear-tips (four sizes included) for a secure and comfortable fit, a great sound with lots of bass, and an LED light to bring your sound to life.

An aluminum housing covers the 10.66 mm drivers, which also have a dual mic with active noise cancellation in each ear to ensure your sound is from the earbuds and not unwanted outside noise. There's also an in-line remote control for selecting music and calls.

You can make the sound experience even better with the free Beem app, which lets you customize your tunes with a 10-band equalizer. Presets are loaded in the app or you can customize to your liking.

A carrying case is included.

Urbanears Plattan 2 is another new great-sounding, stylish and colorful choice in headphones.

This new version of the Plattan is updated and redesigned with a new sound for the over-the-head headphones at a friendly price.

They sit on your ears with extra-isolating ear cushions, and a customized 3-D hinge adjusts how it fits over your head.

Urbanears says the 3-D hinge gives your headphones impressive flexibility ("sort of like double-jointed kneecaps") so they can adapt to the shape of your head for a perfect fit. When they are not in use, the flexibility allows them to fold up and fully collapse for storage.

Once you get past the looks and feel, you'll be equally impressed with the sound, which is obviously the most critical part of the headphones.

The Plattan 2s are equipped with a ZoundPlug - a socket on the cord that allows you to daisy-chain your music to share with others.

An inline mic and remote works perfect for calls and music controls.

The SpiderLight Backpacker kit is a strapless, innovative way of securely fastening a camera to a backpack or messenger-bag strap.

While it's attached, the spider system gives you instant on/off access with its easy snap in-out connection. The ergonomic design lets you wear the hardware and even attach a bulkier digital SLR camera with ease.

Setting it up takes just seconds. I tried it with a medium-sized SLR camera with the SpiderLight camera plate security attached to the bottom of the camera's tripod connection, which is then attached to the backpack holster on the front strap of the backpack.

I tried it with a few different brands of backpacks popular with photographers, and it worked perfectly on every one.

Before I even attached anything to my camera, I was impressed with the durable construction of the hardware, especially since you are entrusting it to carry expensive camera gear.

Accessories for the system are available. One is used to capture front-facing point-of-view videos with a GoPro.

The backpacker kit can also be used for belt access.