Bluetooth
by Doug Aamoth on February 26, 2009

Remember when people used to memorize phone numbers? How many of the phone numbers of the contacts in your cell phone do you know by heart? I know my wife’s and both my parents — that’s it. Assuming I’d want to get in the way-back machine and go to a simpler time, this Bluetooth-equipped rotary phone might do the trick quite nicely.

by Matt Burns on February 23, 2009

Who says that two isn’t a party? This Apple iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard look like they are having a rock’n good time. The two hooked up after an enterprising chap circumvented Apple’s approval and did it anyway. The hack isn’t mainstream or available to the public just yet, but judging by the interaction shown in the video, it must be coming soon. *fingers crossed*

by Doug Aamoth on February 18, 2009

These wrist-worn Bluetooth doodads seem to strike a delicate balance between full-fledged cell phones and feature-limited watch phones while at the same time alleviating the need to have a Bluetooth headset stuck in your ear all day. So instead of looking like you’re talking to yourself, you can look like you’re deeply engrossed in conversation with your forearm.

by Scott Merrill on February 10, 2009


If you’re tired of seeing all those generic Bluetooth earpieces jutting out of people’s heads and you just have to stand out from the crowd, today’s your lucky day! Swarovski crystals adorn this swanky Bluetooth earpiece from LG. If you’re lucky enough to still have a job to be able to afford such a thing, you can announce that by wearing this, too.

by Scott Merrill on February 6, 2009

Bluetooth transmitters are amazingly cheap, so expect to see more and more Bluetooth equipped gadgets. It doesn’t add substantially to the overall price to the gadget, and it might add some useful new functionality. Or maybe not. Consider the LG LBA-C300 Bluetooth enabled Qwerty Card.

by Dave Freeman on January 12, 2009

The theme of this years CES seems to have been connectivity. Between Netflix being in everything, and the Palm Pre, it seems like the major focus is connecting your gadgets together, and doing it well. Along that vein, JVC has announced several new products with integrated connectivity options.

by Nicholas Deleon on December 19, 2008

Does Mac OS X 10.5.6 break Bluetooth? That’s what some people are saying on Apple’s support forums, as are the jkOnTheRun guys. It seems that after applying the update—I haven’t bothered to update yet—the little Bluetooth icon disappears from the menu bar. Not only that, but the Bluetooth entry in System Preferences disappears, too. Without that, there’s no way to turn on and configure the service.

Review: Samsung SBH-700 Stereo Bluetooth Headset
3 Comments
by Jeremy Kriegel on December 11, 2008

Short Version: I love wirelessness. I was using Bluetooth to connect handhelds, phones, and headsets since ~2004. While smart phones have mostly killed the PDA, their media capabilities scream for a good set of wireless headphones. Sadly the Samsung SBH-700’s are not those headphones. While the specs sound impressive, talk time up to 9 hours, play time up to 7 hours, standby time up to 140 hours and weight of only 38.3 grams, the reality was disappointing.
Read More

Review: Jabra BT530 Bluetooth headset
4 Comments
by Matt Burns on December 4, 2008

Short Version: Another Jabra Bluetooth headset with O.K. sound quality and range, but sports a true on/off switch. Not a soft button, but a real, honest to goodness, on/off switch. Praise jebus!

Read More

Ever wondered what a melted Jawbone headset looks like?
2 Comments
by Matt Burns on November 25, 2008

Here it is. The funny thing is that this melted Jawbone headset still has more sex appeal than other non-melted Bluetooth headsets. The story goes that the headset started smoking while charging and kept smoking even when removed from the charger. The pic above is after the owner doused it with water. No word from Aliph support yet. Recall imminent?

Marantz turns the iPod wireless with the IS301 dock
2 Comments
by Matt Burns on November 21, 2008

Marantz wants to turn your iPod into a wireless AV goldmind with the IS301 dock. A sleeve piggybacks on the iPod and transmits both the audio and the video to the base station where it will be pumped to the AV system. The wireless system operates on both Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR A2DP and AVRCP (Audio / Video Remote Control Profile) to ensure proper delivery of the iPod tracks, pics and videos to the base station. There isn’t any word if this system will find its way over here to the States, but it look like a solid AV solution for the iPod and even the 26,250 yen ($276) isn’t that bad considering all it can do.

CrunchDeals: 8GB Insignia Pilot for $59.95
1 Comment
by Doug Aamoth on November 19, 2008

01

Perhaps even better than the previous Bluetooth-enabled audio player CrunchDeal, Geeks.com has another good deal on the refurbished 8GB Insignia Pilot running until the end of the month. Normally $79.95, you can pick up the Pilot for $59.95 by using promo code 8V24 at checkout. The player does audio and video, is less than half an inch thin, and features stereo Bluetooth and a 2.4-inch screen.

Insignia NS-8V24 Pilot 8GB [Geeks.com]

Tiny Bluetooth dongle easily updates your laptop
6 Comments
by Matt Burns on November 17, 2008

In case your laptop was built pre-Bluetooth, this tiny dongle will bring your laptop into this era. It only costs $14.95 and supports Bluetooth v2 on XP and Vista without any drivers. While it probably doesn’t offer the range as full size dongles, it should offer enough range for in-room connectivity. 

USB fever via gear diary

Mr. bluDANGLEs
2 Comments
by John Biggs on November 15, 2008

I knew a dongle bluDANGLES and he’d connect for you
And had a crazy string
With silver case, a tiny mic, and and an LED
The oddest thing
He it clipped to your shirt, clipped to your shirt
So it never touched down

I met him in an aisle in Odd Lots I was
down and out
He looked to me to be $9.99
as he paired right out
I talked of life, talked of life, I laughed
clicked my heels and paired

He said his name “bluDANGLES” and he paired so quick
with my cell
I grabbed his string and spread his clip,
And attached him to my collar, to my collar

via AOL

CrunchDeals: 4GB Bluetooth MP3 player for $39.99
2 Comments
by Doug Aamoth on November 12, 2008

insignia

Geeks.com is selling the refurbished 4GB Insignia Sport in red, black, and blue for $39.99 when you use code NS4V at checkout. The Sport is a fairly straightforward portable media device that plays music and videos and displays photos, but it’s also got an added feature that you won’t find on most other devices of its kind: Bluetooth.

So if you’ve got some Bluetooth headphones, the Sport might make for some inexpensive wireless audio goodness. Other features include OGG support, 1.7-inch color screen, FM-tuner, and memory expansion via microSD cards.

The promo code (NS4V) is good until the end of November.

Insignia Sport 4GB [Geeks.com]

LG’s Bluetooth TV lets you watch your pornography in complete privacy
1 Comment
by John Biggs on November 7, 2008

LG televisions just got a little more bestiality-friendly with the addition of stereo Bluetooth support. The system allows you to connect a Bluetooth headset to the TV and turn down the speaker volume, thereby ensuring the bleating, honking, and barking that makes up the wild soundtrack to your deepest dreams and desires is yours and yours alone – you, in this case, being me.
Read More

OMG!! Another iPhone keyboard, this one Bluetooth OMG!!
18 Comments
by John Biggs on November 6, 2008


Hot on the heels of our first keyboard abomination we present this odd $92 keyboard for the iPhone. The BTKeyMini is available from Avalive and is on pre-order right now but it does work directly with the iPhone, which saves you from having to tear up an old third-party keyboard. Again, I’m totally OK with not having to carry a keyboard around but maybe you’re writing your novel on your iPhone and need it.

via NoWhereElse

Sony’s music robot Rolly can now be controlled via Bluetooth
5 Comments
by Serkan Toto on October 28, 2008

Sony says it’s a music robot, others say it looks like a rolling turd: The new version of the Rolly, which was unveiled today [JP], can be controlled via Bluetooth, via a cell phone or PC (it’s even possible to control seven of the so-called SEP-50BTs at once).

The new Rolly (still featuring 2GB of memory, two 1.2W speakers, USB 2.0) is out in Japan November 21 and costs $420. Buyers can choose between a white and (new) pink model.

Best Buy to sell Jawbone headsets in two new colors
2 Comments
by Matt Burns on October 27, 2008

The newish Jawbone is one of the hottest Bluetooth headsets on the market and two new color options are going to be available at Best Buy. Previously, the color palette was limited to black, silver and gold; or as Jawbone likes to call ‘em: Blah Blah Black, Silver Tongue, and Goldy Lips. The new color options of Babbling Blue and Rambling Rose are going to carry the same $139.99 price as the older colors and are available soon at BestBuy.com

Free Bluetooth headset if you get a ticket for not using a one
3 Comments
by Matt Burns on October 18, 2008

Well, this is awful nice of Headsets.com. If you happen to earn a ticket for talking on your cell phone while driving, the site will give you a free Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth headset. All you have to do is fill out a form and in the name of safety, they you the headset. The small print reads as the offer is only valid for the first 734 claims so get out there and starting breaking the law!

via GadgetReview

bugbugbug