Question for those of you with Bluetooth Earbuds...
 

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With Collar

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Without Collar

There appear to be 2 types of wireless earbuds. Some have a plastic / rubber 'collar' and some dont. My question: Is there any advantage in the collar? To me it seems unnecessary. Am I missing its purpose?

Is the wire there because of the microphone?

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In both examples, the microphone is half way up the cable. Its the solid plastic bit that goes around your neck I'm talking about.

It allows a bigger battery?

Thats what I thought at first, that is was for the battery, but the supposed standby / use times of both variants are pretty much the same...

I got a cheap shit without collar for $10 or so, works nicely when I go for a run