BoneConduction -- Engadget Mobile

BoneConduction posts

Motorola Endeavor HX1 on sale in Sprint stores for $129.99

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 23rd 2009 @ 9:14AM

This one slipped right under our radar, but some Sprint stores have already started taking delivery of the awesome Motorola Endeavor HX1 headset -- so at least one part of the rumor calling it out as a $159.99 Sprint exclusive was true. Fortunately, the pricing part of the rumor was false, because the sticker price you'll find on the shelf is a slightly more palatable $129.99. That's still pricey, yes, but at least it falls in line with the upper echelon of Bluetooth headsets on sale these days. We called around and found that some locations don't have it, some don't expect it until next week, and some already have a few socked away under the counter, so call around before you head out to pick it up.

What happened to Motorola's bone conduction Bluetooth headset?

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 23rd 2009 @ 4:22PM

Last year, we were told by a source very close -- nay, very very close -- to Motorola that the Invisio Q7 design that the company had bought from Nextlink (which has since renamed itself Invisio, ironically) would see release by summer of 2008. Well, we're into spring of 2009 at this point and there's no sign of it. We'd asked for an official update late last year and were given a "no comment" sort of response, and since then, we haven't seen any teasers or announcements that would indicate this thing is close to release. Noise reduction is getting pretty damned good in modern Bluetooth headsets, but even the best models are rendered unusable in circumstances where true bone conduction would shine -- high winds, for example -- so we're anxiously awaiting this thing's release. Motorola, what say you -- is this tech dead for some reason you haven't shared with the world? Was your pricey purchase a bust?

Motorola releasing first bone conduction headset this summer

by Chris Ziegler posted May 14th 2008 @ 6:27PM

We've learned from a source close to the project that Motorola is planning on rolling out a bone conduction headset "this summer" based on Nextlink's technology. This totally jibes with recent news that Moto and Nextlink had partnered up -- and furthermore, that the long-overdue Invisio Q7 would be straight up Moto branded by the time it actually hit store shelves -- and sure enough, the photo we've been provided certainly looks like a Q7 in Moto clothing. We don't have anything else solid at this point, but we're told that the headset performs brilliantly in windy conditions, a common complaint for Jawbone owners. Motorola, Nextlink, whomever, we don't really care what this thing is called, we're just happy to hear we'll finally have it out in the next few months.

NTT DoCoMo's Sound Leaf+ ready to conduct a bone near you

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 25th 2008 @ 3:28PM

Remember the Sound Leaf? Unless you live in Japan, there's a very good chance you don't, so let us refresh your memory: it's a rather interesting Bluetooth device that looks a bit like a miniature handset and functions as a bone-conduction receiver for taking calls in noisy environments. It's a cool idea -- Bluetooth headsets are very, very rarely as loud for the wearer or as noise-free for the person on the other end of the call as they should be -- but for whatever reason, the technology really hasn't taken off in full force. Again, that's unless you're in Japan -- because NTT DoCoMo's just released the Sound Leaf+, a new take on the original that looks almost exactly the same but trades an all-white color scheme for a more in-your-face black getup and apparently features improved reception. It'll go for about 15 hours on a pair of AAA batteries, and the mouthpiece folds conveniently away when not in use. We'll take a dozen, NTT; you can float 'em across the Pacific in a bottle, if you like.

[Via Slashphone]

Nextlink's Invisio Q7 finally sees FCC approval

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 1st 2007 @ 2:55PM

Wow, we'd darned near forgotten about this thing. Remember the Invisio Q7, Nextlink's hot little bone conduction number from mid '06 that was promised for delivery by the end of the year? Yeah, it never showed up -- until now. It may not be for sale just yet, but at least a few folks at the FCC have had a chance to check it out (ick, we hope they changed earbuds as they passed it around), giving us hope that it'll finally show up in stores in time for the holidays. The $200 price point still puts a sour taste in our mouths, but considering how much smaller it looks than the similarly-spec'd Jawbone, it may end up being worth every penny.

Nextlink's new bone-conduction headset goes Bluetooth

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 7th 2006 @ 5:57AM

It's hard not to love the concept of bone-conduction headsets: government-funded technology (much like the iPod), fairly positive reviews on sound quality in noisy environments, and most importantly, they represent the closest most of us will ever get to bionic implants. The tech is still fairly young, though, and previous entries from Nextlink and Aliph have come up short in the size and, uh, wire departments. Nextlink's at it again with their latest entry, the Invisio Q7, and both issues appear to be solved. The Q7 takes the shape of Nextlink's well-liked Bluespoon line, adding Bluetooth and a send/end button for good measure. At $200, the headset is a bit steep when it looks to drop toward the end of the year, but if it means we can hold a phone convo in the middle of a raucus Engadget reader meetup, we're all for it.

[Via phoneArena]