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a2dp posts

Jabra's HALO now ready to make stereo Bluetooth look a little less ridiculous

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 26th 2009 @ 8:54AM

By its very nature, stereo Bluetooth gear is never going to look quite as cool as its wired equivalent -- but if we look back on the early days, we're making progress. Jabra's new over-the-ear HALO should appeal to some with its relatively convenient folding design, and as an added bonus, it kinda looks like you're wearing a futuristic hair beret when you slip it on. How can you argue with that? Following an announcement earlier this year, the HALO's now available at Best Buy locations for $130 promising 8 hours of music playback, 13 days of standby, seamless transition between calls and tunes, and an innovative corded mode with a 3.5mm jack. It's tough to say whether you'll get odd stares wearing these day in and day out -- but if you're not willing to find out the answer to that the hard way, we certainly are. Selfless, we know.

Sony Ericsson Aino's wireless headphones get FCC approval, Aino gets a user manual

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 10th 2009 @ 11:42AM

It isn't every day that a phone includes wireless stereo headphones in the box -- yes, that's right, we said wireless -- so when we saw the Sony Ericsson MH100 earn its FCC wings, we stood up and took notice. The MH100 is a color-coordinated A2DP clip-on with a 3.5mm jack and remote controls, making it the perfect complement to the Aino's advanced multimedia capabilities (including PlayStation Remote Play support, if you recall), and it's nice to know that you won't have to shell out for one of these suckers on top of the untold hundreds of euro you're dropping on the phone itself. Speaking of the Aino, though, maybe the more interesting find in the FCC filing is the inclusion of the phone's user manual, where you can get the lowdown on Remote Play, the built-in Facebook client, and details on the interface for that glorious 8.1 megapixel cam. Actually, large portions of the draft manual seem missing or half-assed, so we're guessing we'll see this get a lot more interesting by the time they pack the phones for retail.

BluAnt Wireless' S1 speakerphone reviewed, is well liked

by Sean Cooper posted Jul 2nd 2009 @ 2:33PM

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.

Jabra HALO hands-on

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 3rd 2009 @ 2:41AM

Finding awesome stereo Bluetooth hardware is challenging. There are a few good reasons for that: one, you've got to somehow pack a battery inside the headset itself, two, you've got radio circuitry in there, and three, it's all got to last a bunch of hours between charges. We're not saying that Jabra's just-announced HALO is for everyone, but it's an awfully interesting product -- probably one of the best A2DP sets we've seen -- and unlike most on-ear sets, it folds small enough to carry with you pretty much everywhere you go. The jury's out on audio quality and fit until we get our hands on an actual review unit (they're showing some pretty loose pre-production prototypes at CTIA) but considering how the HALO looks and works, we're cautiously stoked that this is going to end up being one of the better multimedia accessories of the year.

Gallery: Jabra HALO hands-on

Jabra intros HALO stereo Bluetooth headset, SP200 speakerphone

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 1st 2009 @ 2:00PM

Jabra's making the wireless music game just a little bit more interesting today with the announcement of its stereo Bluetooth HALO headphones, featuring six hours of playback time on a single charge, AVRCP support, Jabra's Noise Blackout circuitry for improved clarity when making calls, and micro-USB charging. Conveniently, the HALO folds for storage, which also toggles the set's power. Staying in the Bluetooth theme, the company is also showing off its SP200 speakerphone -- a great way to avoid the fuzz, we figure -- with 10 hours of talk time, 23 days of standby, and active noise reduction. The HALO hits in May for $129.99; the SP200, meanwhile, gets real in April for $59.99.

Gallery: Jabra intros HALO stereo Bluetooth headset, SP200 speakerphone

Philips Tapster stereo Bluetooth headset loves your voice, needs your touch

by Tim Stevens posted Feb 20th 2009 @ 10:26AM

While they may not have an particularly desirable impact on your image, wireless Bluetooth headsets are convenient, and their continually dwindling size gives us the hope that some day you could wear one without anyone noticing. But, smaller size equals smaller buttons, an issue Philips is looking to dodge entirely with its latest stereo Bluetooth headset, the Tapster. It relies on touch inputs, not moving ones (other than a wee power button), meaning you'll be able to administer a gentle stroke to adjust volume or a light tap to answer a call. It all sounds quite intuitive and convenient -- providing of course the thing doesn't start dialing when someone bumps into you on the subway. No word on price, but if all goes well you could be pairing these over Bluetooth 2.1+EDR A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, and HFP by the end of the year.

[Via Shiny Shiny]

Gallery: Philips Tapster

The word is on the street about Altec Lansing's BackBeat Bluetooth headphones

by Tim Stevens posted Jan 6th 2009 @ 9:54AM

We all yearn for a life lived sans wires, yet many of us still find our media players dangling from the things. Mono Bluetooth headsets are already everywhere, but this could be the year that those of the stereo variety take off, and Altec Lansing's hoping its new BackBeat series will be a contender. They're made in partnership with earpiece-guru Plantronics, so callers will find integrated voice dialing, omnidirectional microphones, 7 hours of talk time, and AudioIQ to boost volume when you're in a noisy situation. For the music listener the sets include tune-channeling, canal-sealing buds, a behind-the-head band, and support for A2DP, AVRCP, HSP v1.1 and HFPv1.5. For those devices that list doesn't cover (we're looking at you, iPhone), the $130 BackBeat 906 includes a small transmitter. Everyone else can opt for the otherwise identical but transmitter-less BackBeat 903, which is $30 cheaper. We look forward to getting our ears on these at CES -- hopefully after they've had a thorough cleaning.

[Via iPodNN]

Motorola's S9-HD looks white as a sheet

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 19th 2008 @ 3:13PM

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.

Motorola ROKR EQ5 hands-on

by Chris Ziegler posted May 31st 2008 @ 7:20PM

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?

Gallery: Motorola ROKR EQ5 hands-on

Jabra's BT3030 Bluetooth headset mimics dog tag

by Darren Murph posted Mar 26th 2008 @ 9:15AM

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.

RIM's BlackBerry Remote Stereo Gateway on sale for $80

by Evan Blass posted Feb 13th 2008 @ 12:55PM

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]

Venturi Mini uses lots of RF to get music from phone to car stereo

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 18th 2008 @ 12:52AM

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]

Motorola sets ears on fire with S9-HD Bluetooth stereo headset

by Sean Cooper posted Jan 7th 2008 @ 1:27PM

Motorola launched a slick headset today as a follow up to the original MOTOACTV S9 we saw this time last year. Form looks unchanged on this outing, but Moto has opted to add high-definition sound with SRS WOW HD and fixed the issue we had with background noise by improving the earbuds. Battery life is touted as 6 hours of play time on a single charge -- but of course your mileage will vary -- and weighs in at a measly one ounce. If you've been looking to upgrade your current sweat damaged S9 set, this may well be a worthy upgrade for you.

The Etymotic etyBlu: a less ridiculous looking successor to the ety8?

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 23rd 2007 @ 3:50PM

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?

Sony Ericsson's K630 gets official in black and gold

by Darren Murph posted Oct 11th 2007 @ 10:30AM

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]