If you travel a lot, you probably have several things in your bag that pretty much do the same thing: Let you listen, let you talk or both. Not too long ago, I emptied my carrying case, and came up with these:

The buds that came with my iPod, the corded earpiece with a microphone for my phone and the two-prong headset I used for VOIP calls and WebEx sessions.

Not only were all of these confusing, but they created chaos inside my bag - they were constantly tangled, I could never seem to get my hands on the right one and they took up a lot of space - something that is at a premium when I'm mobile. Like many of you I'm sure, I am mobile more and more these days.

Lenovo recently introduced a new product that not only allows me to carry a single set of buds for all those things, but gives me terrific sound quality and an attractive price. They are called the "ThinkPad In-Ear Headphones" and you not only get a great companion for your ThinkPad for VOIP calls or a WebEx (using either dual 3.5mm jacks or the 2.5mm standard that is now appearing on PC's), you get a terrific set of in-ear headphones that fit the same 2.5mm industry standard jack for your MP3 player. Lastly, these same ear phones work in my cell phone, too. The microphone is well-placed and the in-ear design gives high quality sound and blocks out much of the noise of the coffee shop, the plane or my kids.

The best part is the price - all that flexibility comes for less than $20 (USD) and in a handy little pouch that takes up very little room in my bag and makes a little order of the chaos. I'm a fan of anything that can accomplish that.