Who doesn’t like running with apps? We know it’s essential to keep your smartphone strapped to your arm so you can track your run and then blast it all over Facebook. But then that dang earphone wire gets in your way.

I looked at a couple pairs of bluetooth earphones, but my fountain-like sweat destroys basically every bringer of music to my ears, so I didn’t want to invest a lot in one pair of headphones. In addition, I like having the volume controls and mic handy, but even those controls short out after a run or two with me.

The Jabra Clipper is an ideal solution for me. I can easily clip it to my shorts or the bottom of my shirt and keep the earphone cord tucked nicely under my shirt (instead of whipping me in the face like it does when it’s tethered to the phone on my arm). It connects via Bluetooth to my phone, so I can easily grab my phone out of its holder while running without worrying about having to interweave the earphone cord just right so it’s not too loose or not too tight. The Clipper also has convenient volume controls (that also skip, repeat, pause, and answer calls), as well as a built-in microphone. It basically adds the volume and mic controls to even the cheapest pair of earbuds.

The clip is tight, maybe too tight, but stays secure to your clothing (if it’s not too thick). The battery lasts about 4 hours (which I have yet to outrun). The Bluetooth range does appear to be severely limited, as I’ve had my music drop in-and-out if my phone is on my right arm and the Clipper is on my left side. However, keeping them in line-of-sight of each other makes everyone happy.

PROs

+ Lightweight, stays secure

+ Use your favorite pair of earphones. I was able to use my old, beat-up Apple earphones although I had already ruined the volume controls on it.

+ The audio controls and microphone are on the Clipper

+ Works with basically any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone

+ Micro-USB charging, so you can use multiple chargers with it.

CONs

- Limited Bluetooth range

- The Clipper cannot invoke Siri

- My “orange” edition (hey, it was cheaper than the other colors at the time of purchase) blocks the red and green lights, making it difficult to know when it’s done charging. For some reason, both lights show as “white” through the orange paint.

Check out the Jabra Clipper on Amazon!