Gadgets

How often has this happened to you? You're in the last leg of a marathon when your iPod headset falls off. You fumble with it and a competitor rushes by you, beating you by mere seconds.

With the JayBird JB-200i-01, this problem is history.

This Bluetooth headset transmits stereo audio and phone calls from compatible phones and MP3 players. An included iPod adapter adds wireless Bluetooth ability to almost any Apple music player, and an optional 3.5 mm jack adapter connects to just about everything else.

The JayBird fits into the ears and is secured with a loop behind the ears. It is water- and sweat-resistant. The included charging dock or USB cable replenishes the internal battery, which lasts for about six hours of active use.

The JB-200i-01 with iPod adapter will be available online and in stores in April for $160, or $130 for the model without the adapter.

It's not easy being No. 2 when No. 1 is Apple's line of iPod music and video players. SanDisk, which holds that slot, is aiming its new Sansa Fuze player squarely at the iPod Nano. The Fuze is competing mainly on price.

Like the Nano, the Fuze's batteries are not replaceable, and the Fuze comes in five colors, compared with Nano's six, though the Fuze has a deep blue choice that iPod lacks.

While the iTunes service does not work with the Fuze, the device will download music from other sites like Rhapsody, Napster, Urge and Yahoo Music. SanDisk says the Fuze will play up to 24 hours on a single charge, but its main advantage over the Nano may be its slot for a microSD flash memory card that can add as much as 8 gigabytes of storage.