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parrot posts

Parrot intros Philippe Starck-designed Zimku wireless speakers

by Donald Melanson posted Dec 18th 2008 @ 1:33PM

We're not sure if he's been taking notes from fellow countryman Jean-Michel Jarre or not, but it looks like prolific designer Philippe Starck now has a tower-style speaker system to call his own. Considering that Starck has paired up with the wireless-minded folks at Parrot, however, there's a few more surprises in store with these -- namely, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth to accommodate your laptop or cellphone of choice. You will still get an iPod / iPhone dock, of course, along with a remote control (also designed by Starck), and some newfangled NXT technology that apparently "revolutionizes traditional acoustic design." All that comes at an expectedly premium price, however, with the speakers set to run $1,500 when they're released sometime in the spring.

[Via Phone Arena]

T-Mobile's CAMEO frame shows holiday snaps while you're still taking them

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 6th 2008 @ 9:08AM

It's been nearly a year since Parrot announced its DF7700 GPRS-endowed picture frame, said to possess the mystical ability to pull photographs straight out of the ether. Now T-Mobile has pledged to bring Parrot's magic frame to the US as the CAMEO, a $100 device that, when coupled with a $10/month service fee, can be the recipient of picture-bearing messages. When you get bored with that feature (or that fee), there's a mini-USB port plus slots for SD/MMC cards that will enable it to accept pics in a more traditional manner. Its 7-inch screen has a 720 x 480 resolution and is surrounded by an interchangeable leather border guaranteed to look cheap in any decor -- not just those with golden mirrors astride a marble mantelpieces.

[Thanks, Mark]

HTC, Parrot come clean with their love for one another

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 27th 2008 @ 3:32PM

We though the whole idea behind Bluetooth was to create a universally compatible, short-range wireless protocol, but apparently that's not enough of a guarantee for HTC. The ruling patron saint of Windows Mobile devices has teamed up with Parrot, a rather large European manufacturer of Bluetooth accessories, to "align product roadmaps" in an effort to make their products more harmonious in each others' presence. All told, the announcement is rather vague, with the most telling line saying that the partnership will bring "expanded capabilities" to users' devices, whatever that means. HTC doesn't have much of a retail presence in the Bluetooth peripheral market, so could this be a prelude to an acquisition? [Warning: PDF link]

[Via the::unwired]

Parrot intros PMK5800 plug and play car kit

by Sean Cooper posted May 29th 2007 @ 3:35PM

We love anything that comes a-packin' no muss, no fuss technology -- even more so when you can install it in a few seconds and don't need a toolkit to get the job done. Parrot's newest Bluetooth carkit, the PMK5800 consists of a single part which plugs directly into your car's 12V accessory socket or cigarette lighter. Using a built in FM transmitter (a la iTrip), the set will stream tunes via A2DP from your handset or your voice calls to your car's stereo deck to give you that auto-filling sound you love. When the phone rings, just hitting the FM preset you configure for the PMK5800 will automatically answer it and mute your music. While not an embedded kit, it packs all the goodies you would expect like DSP, echo and noise cancellation, full duplex sound, and voice recognition all in something that can go from car to car without effort. Look for these to land sometime this summer for about $120.

[Via PR Newswire]

Parrot intros A2DP-enabled MK6100 handsfree Bluetooth car kit

by Darren Murph posted Mar 16th 2007 @ 7:54PM

Our favorite French Bluetooth gurus are readying yet another in-car handsfree kit, but unlike the run-of-the-mill offerings already crowding store shelves, the Parrot MK6100 adds a bit of musical delight as well. Aside from giving users the opportunity to hear conversations through their stereo system, this two-piece system boasts a built-in microphone in the horizontal display (which just so happens to be a svelte OLED), and also plays on the emotions of audio lovers everywhere. The A2DP-enabled kit features a separate wireless remote that can be used to cycle through the tracks on your handset, play and pause the tunes, and easily fit into your glovebox when you exit the vehicle. Additionally, users will be graced with DPS, automatic phonebook synchronization, text-to-speech capabilities, and voice dialing, and while we're not quite sure of the pricing deets just yet, you can probably expect to find out for yourself in Q2 of this year.

Parrot's NOMAD handsfree kit promises killer sound quality

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 13th 2006 @ 6:16PM

There's certainly no shortage of Bluetooth handsfree kits designed to keep your hands on the wheel (without necessarily making you safer), but they can be notoriously difficult to use in noisy environments -- like cars, for example. Parrot is showing off its new NOMAD kit, touting the three years of research it allegedly poured into signal processing algorithms to maximize sound quality. The device conveniently clips to a visor and seems portable enough to tote around as a personal speakerphone, offering 10 hours of talk time and over a week of standby. Pricing is unknown, but expect it drop this month.

[Via BlueTomorrow]