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BluAnt Wireless' S1 speakerphone reviewed, is well liked


BluAnt, maker of many fine Bluetooth accessories launched the S1in the recent past and CNET's taken some moments to review it. Sure, we've seen gazillions of speakerphones that attach to the visor in your car but this one adds a fairly low price -- roughly $69 -- A2DP support for streaming your tunes, voice answering, and multipoint connectivity to the mix. CNET liked the price, tiny size, and the call quality, but were down on the volume rocker's stiffness, and the fact that S1 doesn't announce the incoming caller's info. We're all for music streaming and answering a call by speaking to it, but if you drive a convertible, you may want to look for something in the higher end that'll handle all the wind noise.

Sony Ericsson intros T715 slider, VH310 Bluetooth headset


Sony Ericsson's pushing its Walkman and Cyber-shot sub-brands harder than ever these days, but there's still plenty of good stuff in the regular range, too -- take this T715, for example. The newly announced slider features a 3.2 megapixel camera with "photo light" (don't call it a flash), sunlight-viewable 2.2-inch QVGA display, 3G, an impressive claimed 20 days of standby time, and a compact shell -- SE says it's the size of a credit card when closed. Launched alongside the T715 is the VH310 headset, available in your choice of silver or black with three different earpieces and two loops to fit your screwed-up head perfectly. Look for the phone to launch in Galaxy Silver and Rouge Pink (isn't that a contradiction?) in the third quarter -- and yes, both global and North American 3G versions will be available.

Motorola Endeavor HX1 ears-on


We've been playing with Motorola's recently-announced Endeavor HX1 for the past few hours, and we're just going to come right out with it: this is the best Bluetooth headset we've ever used. Moto claims that the HX1 is the world's first consumer headset to use "true bone conduction technology," a veiled (but obvious) reference to the external cheek-resting sensor found on Jawbone's devices -- and indeed, the Jawbone Prime is the most obvious direct competitor to the HX1. Both devices offer decent styling, feature optional earloops and a selection of earbuds for a tighter fit, are being positioned as premium headsets, and -- most importantly -- pack a ton of innovative circuitry all in the name of cutting noise in harsh surroundings. Follow the break for our quick impressions!

Maria Sharapova models Bluetooth-enabled Sony Ericsson prototype dress


Sony Ericsson's official spokesperson, Maria Sharapova, was on hand recently to unveil a student-designed prototype of a Bluetooth-enabled dress. The iridescent scales that run up one side of the dress move and light up when the phone rings, enabling its owner to know about calls even in noisy places (so says the dress's maker, Georgie Davies). Yes, it's just a prototype for now, but it's a pretty cute dress, so hopefully we'll see these hit the streets at some point in the (nearish) future.

[Via Switched]

Motorola's Endeavor HX1 Bluetooth headset packs 'true' bone conduction technology, modicum of style


Motorola isn't shying away from a fight here with its Endeavor HX1 Bluetooth headset -- and if there's anything the Bluetooth headset industry needs, it's some manner of controversy. The company is calling its new HX1 the "only Bluetooth headset to use true bone conduction technology," with a user activated "Stealth Mode" that switches the set from regular mic to an in-ear sensor which picks vibrations right off the bone for talking in particularly noisy environments. Jawbone, on the other hand, picks up vibrations from the outside of the face, but primarily as an "Activity Sensor," though the latest version nabs some audio from those vibrations -- both manufacturers naturally claim a military heritage to their technology. It'll take some actual testing to see who wins out, but it sounds like some good tech from Moto all the same. We do know one thing, however: no amount of in-ear stylings can ever ease your transition into general society. No word on price of a US release date for the HX1, it hits Asia in July.

Vertu's BH-1V Bluetooth headset gets FCC approval, leaves $100 tip


The Vertu Aerius never really did Nokia's luxury marque justice -- casual passers-by would stop, point, and laugh at the overpriced Jabra JX10 masquerading as a meticulously hand-built bauble, and as we all know, disgustingly wealthy people have egos far too fragile for that kind of mockery. We have renewed faith today, though, that Vertu's hard at work making its own Bluetooth headset more befitting a brand associated with gelded, bedazzled serpents thanks to an FCC approval for a model BH-1V. Yeah, that's right, that'd be "V" as in "Vertu," so you know this thing is gonna be awesome. Who knows -- it could even be a giant letter "V" encrusted in diamonds, in which case our life would be complete and we could stop writing about technology altogether.

Citizen unveils i:Virt M Bluetooth watches for loyal Softbank customers


Man, talk about a long time coming. The last time we saw a line of i:Virt watches from Citizen, it was a bright fall day in 2007, and obviously our style threshold was entirely different. Thankfully, the outfit's latest line of Bluetooth-enabled timepieces are far sexier, though we have to say -- the fact that they only support Softbank phones makes us shed a tear on the inside. As with most other BT watches, these too will display emails, alert you of incoming calls and even clue you in on the latest news (via RSS, we suspect). Both the TM84-0341V and TM84-0342V feature a stainless steel case and a life of around five days with a full charge; there's no mention of price, but frankly, we're too depressed to even find one. Poor us.

[Via Akihabara News]

TAG Heuer's Bluetooth headset proves the rich only need 4GB flash drives


Finding a headset that can match the overwhelming pretension exuded by your multi-thousand-dollar TAG Heuer Meridiist can be a daunting challenge; pairing it up with your old Vertu (which was just a Jabra clone, anyhow) would be an embarrassing faux pas to say the least, and a Jawbone Prime can't physically fit enough diamonds to accurately express your expertly-honed sense of luxurious style. No worries, though: your favorite watchmaker has crafted just the piece for you, combining a totally ordinary-looking headset with a USB-powered charging base that integrates 4GB of questionably useful storage. Looks like an $80 package to us, but rest assured -- whatever the actual price is at launch, it'll starkly remind you that you're wealthy, fancy, and on the cutting edge of cool.

[Via Newlaunches]

Lenovo and RIM's Constant Connect now available


We know you've been literally hanging on the edge of your seat waiting for this day to come, so it's our honor and privilege to announce that Lenovo and RIM's Constant Connect solution is now available. For those who managed to sleep right through February, the technology enables select ThinkPads to automatically pull down BlackBerry emails whenever it's within range, even if the laptop is completely off. There's no word on what it'll cost to have this added into your next corporate machine, but you can head past the break for a quick demonstration vid if you think you're interested.

Update: It's a $149 option from select business partners and through Lenovo.com.

Broadcom's first Bluetooth 3.0 chip gets certified

Well, that fast -- just a day after the Bluetooth SIG officially announced the new Bluetooth 3.0 specification, Broadcom's announced that its BCM4325 chip has been certified and is ready to go. As you'd expect from a chip that uses the new high-speed multi-protocol standard, the 4325 does WiFi as well as Bluetooth, with a dash of FM thrown in for good measure. Handshakes all around -- now let's get this thing in some devices, shall we?

Aliph Jawbone Prime arrives to coddle your ears, raid your wallet


It's been almost a year since Aliph last graced the Bluetooth headset world with its presence, and now it's back with the Jawbone Prime to reclaim the throne. The Jawbone Prime is only a minor update -- on the surface, anyways -- to its predecessor, and in fact the only visible change is a slightly different surface pattern and a minor indentation to denote one of the headset's two invisible buttons. Other than the quite welcome addition of Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR (multipoint connections, easy pairing), almost all the improvements under the hood have to do with the algorithm tweaks of NoiseAssassin 2.0 to improve noise reduction. It's really too bad the original isn't firmware-upgradable (we asked). The Prime will be replacing existing Jawbones at retail for the same old $130 pricetag, and comes in Blah Blah Black, Coffee Talk and Going Platinum, while an "EARCANDY" edition is available in Frankly SCARLET, 'YELLO!, Drop Me A LIME and LILAC You Mean It. Both will be available at retail on May 2nd.

Plantronics Voyager PRO gets purchased, unboxed early


Plantronics isn't planning to share intimate details about its Voyager PRO Bluetooth headset until April 23rd, but evidently its supply chain executives didn't exactly touch base with marketing before sending out stock to Best Buy. Jeff and John both managed to procure the $119.99 Bluetooth headset over the weekend, and we've got the shots to prove it. Based on the teaser site down in the read link, this here headset should be it's most advanced yet, but for a buck twenty, it better answer and respond to our calls without us having to intervene.

Update: Plantronics pinged us to say the price point here should be $99. Interesting.

[Thanks, Jeff and John]

Bluetooth 3.0 to use WiFi for high-speed file transfers

Sounds like the Bluetooth 3.0 announcement on April 21 is going to finally usher in the era of high-speed short-range data transfers -- as previously hinted, the new spec will actually negotiate a quick'n'dirty ad-hoc WiFi connection between devices if it needs to move bits in a hurry, and then turn off the spigot to save power when it's done. The idea is to leverage the speed of WiFi while keeping power usage low, and we'd say it's a pretty trick solution, since most Bluetooth-capable devices also have WiFi radios (cough, Storm). Since the ad-hoc WiFi connection is managed over Bluetooth, no actual wireless network is necessary, and the switch will appear seamless to the user -- except for the sudden increase in data transfer speeds. Yeah, it's definitely slick stuff -- we're looking forward to seeing the first devices in action next Tuesday.

[Via MocoNews]

Bluetooth 3.0 specification to debut on April 21st

We've seen no official word from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, but phonescoop has it that the Bluetooth 3.0 specification is just about ready for prime time. Reportedly, the spec will feature "dramatically increased speeds, allowing for the transfer of large video files, music collections and photo libraries wirelessly within seconds." BT 3.0 should also include a newfangled ability called Enhanced Power Control (EPC), which will supposedly "reduce the occurrence of disconnects that can be caused by actions such as putting a phone in a pocket, backpack, briefcase or purse." We're told to expect a whole boatload of details, along with a list of chip makers already lined up to provide support, on April 21st.

Update: It's official -- April 21st is a go. Head past the break for the official verbiage.

Zeemote JS1 wireless controller syncs up with the G1 for game time fun

Zeemote JS1 wireless controller syncs up with the G1 for game time fun
We've already seen the Zeemote JS1 bring wireless nunchuck gaming action (and its vaguely copyright-infringing name) to Sony Ericsson and Nokia handsets. Now it seems the device is leaving those corporate ventures behind, going open source and syncing up with HTC's G1 as shown in the video below. The game the demonstrator is playing doesn't look like much fun (surely some sort of abstract re-imagining of Cosmic Ark), but more entertaining games will likely be showing up in the Android Market soon -- assuming they don't do anything with tethering.




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