The follow-on to Motorola's sporty and moderately popular (for a stereo bluetooth headset, anyway) S9 may not have launched yet -- a disappointment, considering the original plan for a Q2 release when it was announced at CES -- but perhaps a little last-minute paint job was the reason for the delay. We've now spotted the S9-HD in a bright white getup with blue accents, a far cry from the black of the model shown at CES (and presumably still slated for launch) or the red of the original, but let's not kid ourselves: this one has a way better chance of finding its way into an ear canal or two. Hopefully we'll see it within a few weeks -- just in time for a successor to be launched at CES 2009, no doubt.

We'll plainly admit, going into this hands-on, we didn't think much of Motorola's ROKR EQ5 -- or the whole concept of a portable A2DP speaker, for that matter. Stereo Bluetooth has a nasty habit of detuning audio quality just enough to make it noticeable for folks that are paying close attention to their music, and portable speakers have a nasty habit of just not sounding very good in general. Not a winning combination.

Happily, our misgivings here were largely unfounded. The prototype unit we tested looked great, felt great in the hand, and slides into just about any pant or bag pocket for safe stowage. It paired like a champ with a Samsung BlackJack II and a Nokia N95 8GB (in fact, we had no manual and still managed to get it working on the first try, so that's quite a testament to the ease of use). The thing was plenty loud and clear for quick 'n dirty use as a pocket boombox -- we could've used lots more bass, but that was to be expected. Basically, sound-wise, the EQ5 seems to do the most it can with its limited dimensions.

It doubles as a serviceable speakerphone, and a 3.5mm line-in jack allows the less Bluetooth-inclined of your audio devices to get in on the action. We didn't test battery life (nor would it be a fair test, since this is a preproduction unit), but the rated 8 hours should give you plenty of time to rock out -- and thankfully, it charges off a standard microUSB cable. Overall, we're really impressed; converted, even. We never would've seen ourselves picking up a device like this, but you've shown us the light, Moto. Now just try that same trick with your phones, would you?

Falling somewhere before the BT8010 and BT8040, the BT3030 most definitely takes the crown for clever design. Jabra's latest Bluetooth headset, as you can glean from the image above, was crafted to mimic the traditional dog tag, and specifications wise, you'll find Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, HSP, HFP, A2DP and AVRCP support. Additionally, you'll find six buttons useful for sending / ending calls and controlling music playback, and yes, it will lower the volume when detecting an incoming call from your livid mother-in-law. Ditch that ear critter and pick up something slightly less appalling late next month in Japan (or right now in the US) for ¥8,980 ($90). Check out the gallery over on Engadget Classic.

BlackBerry owners looking to wirelessly connect to a home stereo or portable speakers can finally pick up that Remote Stereo Gateway we first saw sneaking through the FCC at the end of last month, for $80 from Tessco. The matchbook-size dongle receives a Bluetooth signal from your compatible 'Berry, and then pushes the audio out a standard 1/8-inch jack. According to the retail description, the device is also capable of streaming tunes from your stereo to a pair of Bluetooth headphones, which would mean that we are in fact looking at an A2DP profile here and thus likely compatibility with non-BlackBerry devices. Anyone wanna do us a solid and test this out with a WinMo phone?

[Via The Boy Genius Report]

We've seen more efficient ways of piping tunes from phones to stereos, but admittedly, they usually involve a wire or two. The Venturi Mini, now being offered by Verizon Wireless, performs the wondrous feat of receiving music streamed to it via stereo Bluetooth and relaying it on to your car's head unit by way of FM transmitter, making the whole process completely wire-free. "But wait," as they say in the industry, "that's not all." The cigarette lighter socket-powered device doubles as a handsfree that cleverly pauses your music when the time comes to take a call. Grab the multitalented wonder now for $129.99 -- and if you live in Washington or Oregon, the sooner, the better.

[Via MobileBurn]

If you want a pair of true, in-ear buds without the muss and fuss of wires, your options are limited and you need to be prepared to make some sacrifices. One such sacrifice that needs to be heavily weighed into the equation, for example, is your desire to appear as though there is a pair of black Duplo blocks hanging out of your ears. That's exactly the curse of Etymotic's ety8, a decent set of stereo Bluetooth 'phones (we've tried them, they're comfortable and sound great) that were irreparably damaged by the ugly stick somewhere during the course of their development. The high-end headphone outfit has another Bluetooth product in the works, though -- the ER-89 "etyBlu" just hit the FCC's wires, giving us hope that they heard our complaints loud and clear and have worked to make their kit just a little less embarrassing to wear in public. We couldn't find conclusive evidence in the documentation that we're looking at a stereo headset here; theoretically, it could just be a mono product for calls, but we're encouraged by a brief mention of listening to music (who wants to blast tunes into one ear?) and the fact that the ety8's model number is ER-88. Can anyone make out what's going on in this FCC label diagram here?

Just in case two recently announced Sony Ericsson mobiles weren't enough for one day, along comes the K630 to quell your grumbling. This handset sports a slightly less impressive feature set than the other two newcomers, but it ought to put a noticeably smaller dent in your wallet to compensate. Nevertheless, the K630 will be available in Havana Gold and Quick Black and will feature HSDPA, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync preloaded, a two-megapixel camera, 256MB M2 card, built-in Media Browser, an FM tuner, support for MP3 / AAC / WMA formats, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, video recording at 15fps and USB connectivity. Mum's the word on pricing at the moment, but look for it to land in "select markets" during Q4. Check out a video of the device right over here.

[Thanks, tootie_boy]

We've certainly seen our fair share of nicely-equipped motorcycle helmets, but Benchmark Helmets is looking to spruce up your everyday noggin protector rather than forcing you to buy a whole new one. Marketed towards "scooter and motorcycle enthusiasts," the Camos lineup includes two new headsets that utilize Bluetooth 2.0 and support A2DP / handsfree profiles. Additionally, both tout waterproof housings and connectors, directional microphones with noise canceling technology, stereo speakers, and 10-hours of talk time (150-hours in standby). The BHS-500 is set to land for $149, while the $199 BHS-600 ups the ante by allowing users to pair up another BHS-600 for a "complete wireless intercom system."

[Thanks, Spencer]

Rarely does an accessory hit the market that really seems to fill a gap in the already overcrowded Bluetooth headset space, yet Plantronics may have managed to pull off just such a feat with its uber-low-profile, transforming Voyager 855 headset-cum-headphones. Besides the sliding boom, this model might look like a regular over the ear unit at first glance, but a detachable cord with an earbud at the end allows the 855 to perform double-duty as A2DP-compliant headphones -- great for those of us trying to downsize from the normally-bulky earpieces offered by iLuv, Bluetake, and friends. You're also getting the all-critical AVRCP profile here as well, so the only real downside seems to be the price: sounds like it'll be retailing for around $200 when it hits later this month, although we've already seen street prices ranging from $80 to $150.

Update: Plantronics let us know that pricing will be more in the $110 to $120 range, so bully for you if you can find that $80 deal.

Ear candy aside, Nokia showed a bunch of other goodies today to adorn that special handset in your life, too. First up, the LD-4W GPS Module adds a little style -- "Nseries style," sez Nokia -- to the previously released LD-3W, offering 10 hours of operation on a single charge; it'll be available for about €125 ($170) and promises compatibility with a "wide range" of Nokia hardware. Next, the MD-7W stereo Bluetooth speakers let you share the tuneage with those around you, willingly or not; they're also designed with the Nseries in mind but should work with any device supporting A2DP when they hit for €130 (about $177). Last but certainly not least, the DC-1 Power Pack acknowledges that media-centric phones aren't always the easiest on the battery, offering juice to one or two phones with 2mm Nokia power ports simultaneously. Look for this one to run about €105 ($143). All of 'em should be available "globally" in the fourth quarter of the year.

In addition to their new 500 GPS navigator, Nokia also announced a slew of new accessories this morning. On the headset front, they've loosed a Bluetooth pair: the new BH-903 (pictured above) and BH-902. The 23-gram BH-903 brings an OLED display and support for A2DP, AVRCP, PBAP, HFP and HSP Bluetooth profiles. It'll be good for 15 hours of talk/music when it hits globally in Q4 for €200/$274. The 8-hour BH-902 then, brings the same display without the dongle and stereo remote capabilities for an all-in-one, on-the-ear solution weighing 18.2-grams. Just be sure to take advantage of the neckstrap and clip to make that display useful ya hear? The BH-902 ships in Q4 as well for an estimated €115/$157 (pre-tax) -- pictured after the break.

Shortly after learning that Samsung's touchscreen-based SGH-P520 was slightly more than a figment of our imagination, a foreign site has seemingly sat down with oodles of time and snapped more images than you're likely to look at. Still, this oh-so-thin mobile has the sex appeal nailed down solid, so be sure and take a closer look at all the curves awaiting you after the break.

[Via Slashphone]

Hot on the heels of BlueAnt's Z9 comes a new one from Jabra, and while this Bluetooth earpiece doesn't strike us as revolutionary in the design department, it does add a bit of flexibility not often found on similar alternatives. Beyond the obligatory voice dialing, handsfree profile support, A2DP compatibility, USB connectivity, DSP noise reduction, and automatic volume adjustment, the BT8040 sports Multi-point technology that enables it to sync to two devices simultaneously. Yes, this does mean that you can pretend to be listening to your kvetching sibling whilst actually taking in your favorite jam from your BT-enabled audio source. No word just yet on price nor availability, but we can imagine multitaskers everywhere lining up for this one.