I got a new pair of earphones for the iPhone the other day: The V-Moda Vibe Duo Nero. Lots of contenders to the throne of the white buds, but all things being equal this is the only one worth getting.

iPhone buds are  the Holy Grail of accessories – while the white ones suffice, unfortunately they’re neither here nor there. To be fair they sound ok, but people keep them around because they have the mic and button on the cord. Those inclined to trade them right off for better ones tend to hang on for the functionality. Honestly, there aren’t any real compromise-free options available.

V-Moda previously released the Vibe Duo model which had the phone mic incorporated into it, but it didn’t have the all-important button that answered calls and stopped, started and forwarded tracks – just like the regular buds. The new models, which come in chrome, red and black, have this button, which is a trifle smaller than is convenient.

But the Vibe Duo is the only one that approximates the original buds in configuration and use without taking anything from the mix. The existing alternatives either have too many cords or have little growths and appendages that carry the mic or the button or both.

At US$99 the pair is the best option so far in terms of function and value. With some extras. Of course the plug fits, and the jack seems sturdily made with a knurled grip, as there are on the left and right buds themselves. The sleek chrome of the buds and jacks are well made, but the big surprise is the cords themselves. They are light, soft and pliable, and cloth-covered! The feel like well-made, durable string, and not prone to tangling or retaining odd shapes when they get wrapped around things. A self-sealing leather carry pouch comes in the box, which is a pretty classy bonus.

The buds are in-ears, which are acquired tastes. Some like it, some don’t. I belong to the former, having used many like them in the past. They come with six pairs of replaceable silicone fittings, in three sizes: S, M and L, and in clear or black. I’m most comfortable with the mediums. The in-ears seal out extraneous noise and amplify the sound; I’m glad I don’t have to dial up the volume to full all the time now. Two-thirds is plenty.

One of the comments is that the Bliss silicone fittings have a tendency to fall off their posts, and you find you lose one or the other in common use, forcing you to use the other color, or the other sizes. I own a pair of red V-Moda Vibes, and I was down to just four mismatched pairs until I figured a tiny droplet of glue on the rims when you pop the fittings on usually does the trick. You just have to settle on the size and color and stick with your choice.

Another usual comment is that V-Modas have tradionally been bassy buds; true, but not excessively so. Mids and highs don’t get buried, and the reproduced tones shine through the low lows. I’m prefer flat settings myself, but I can live with the V-Modas.

One of my friends who owns a pair already complains that it’s odd to use the V-Moda Vibe Duos as a handsfree headset, and having taken calls on it, I know what he means. The lack of the ambient noise is a bit disconcerting, since the in-ears shut everything out. But it isn’t a biggie; it’s just a matter of getting used to it,

I’m glad I got these, and can now set the white buds aside as reserves. Two Mac-A-Doodle thumbs up.

While not the most striking announcement by any measure, Apple’s newly introduced pink-colored iPod nanos are causing a bit of renewed interest in the obvious markets.

The iTunes Store went down for a couple of hours recently again creating a fierce hornet’s nest of speculation among the Mac faithful worldwide as to why. Ah, here’s the one more thing Steve forgot. The real sub-notebook? The Mac multi-touch tablet? The 3G 16gb iPhone? And then when the site came back, it was a …pink iPod.

The new Pink just comes in 8gb, and is available immediately.

Oh, well. Maybe I’ll get my wife one. Her pink iPod mini is looking a bit old.

See Akiko Wada’s Flickr photostream pics here.

The ReLocker finally arrives…

…and it comes bearing gifts:

Beware…

Apparently the new Movie Rentals feature is exclusive to newer hardware like the iPod Touch, iPhone, 3G Nano and iPod Classic. Does that mean the 5 and 5.5G iPod videos are out in the cold?

Yep.

I went back and rewatched the keynote and Steve-O did say it was for “current generation iPods”, but just once, and quickly. It’s one of those things that you hear, but is so unbelievable in the back of your mind you go, Nooo, that can’t be true, he must be kidding, so you gloss it over and pretend you didn’t hear it. That must have been Steve’s plan all along.

TUAW speculates that this is being done to prevent easy and casual piracy (as in jack it out via the video cable to a recorder, and boom, there goes the neighborhood), and I see where they’re coming from. But still, man. Millions will be up in arms.

I was about to tell my brother, who’s got a 5G, the good news (though he owns an iPod he’s a die-hard Windows guy and not a rabid Mac fanboy like me - must’ve been adopted - and doesn’t keep up with keynote addresses), but I think I’ll leave off telling him he’s SOL like a lot of other 5/5.5G owners out there. Better he finds out for himself.