Tag Archives: Bluetooth3.0

Plantronics outs Voyager Legend Bluetooth headset with enhanced voice recognition, improved battery life

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tk Plantronics outs Voyager Legend Bluetooth headset with enhanced voice recognition, improved battery life

For the most part, the headsets we've seen from Plantronics this year have been aimed at gamers, but make no mistake, the outfit is still churning out Bluetooth earpieces for road warriors: the company just announced its fifth-generation Voyager headset, the Voyager Legend. In many ways, it's an iterative product, with longer battery life (seven hours, up from six), and more mics (three instead of two). It also has an elongated windscreen and is 25 percent smaller than its predecessor, though Plantronics claims the in-ear fit hasn't changed. Key internals include Bluetooth 3.0, not 4.0, and support for streaming over A2DP. All told, exactly what you'd expect from the latest and greatest BT headset.

But even more important than enhanced performance and a more compact design, the headset responds to voice commands in a smarter way. Say, for instance, that you receive an incoming call and happen not to be wearing your headset (maybe you took it out to charge). You can put the earpiece in and the headset will automatically pick up the call. Or, if you're not wearing your headset you can have it route calls to the phone instead. As for answering calls, you can say "answer" or "ignore," and you don't even have to press a button to activate the voice recognition. The earpiece can also announce your caller's name, so long as it's in your phone book. Additionally, the headset responds to about 10 other commands such as "check battery" and "pair me," but in these cases you do have to press a button first. Rounding out the feature list is a new Android-only Find MyHeadset app that uses tones and geolocation to help you figure out where you last saw your earpiece. The headset is available today for $100, and the company is also selling a desktop stand and charging case, both priced at $30.

Gallery: Plantronics Voyager Legend

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Plantronics outs Voyager Legend Bluetooth headset with enhanced voice recognition, improved battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei’s MediaPad7 Lite clears FCC, will soon trek to Europe

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Huawei Media pad

Now that Huawei has shepherded its MediaPad 7 Lite through the FCCs corridors to ensure its WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and HSPDA 3G radios all conform, the tab is set to travel. The 7-incher wields a 1024 x 600 IPS display, 1.2GHz Cortex A8 processor, 8GB of storage (32GB with optional microSD), 1GB of RAM, 4,100mAh battery and 3.2 / .3-megapixel back / front cameras. Huawei said it would ship across Asia and Eastern Europe to start with, then land in Germany by October with a price of 249 euros ($315). The slate might have a tough row to hoe against similar competition, considering its tame processor, but maybe that newly stamped cellular radio will tip the balance for road warriors.

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Huawei's MediaPad7 Lite clears FCC, will soon trek to Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 02:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jabra Solemate Bluetooth speaker hands-on, soles off

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Hey, it's a shoe-themed Bluetooth speaker -- because, hey, why not, right? Jabra announced the punnily named Solemate yesterday, and we happened to run into one on the floor of this year's IFA. It's a small, solid little speaker with a hearty rubber sole that sits on the bottom, protecting the device from shocks and the like. The heel actually peels off, so you can replace it with different colors. Jabra had a slew of brightly colored options aside from the basic black and white, though apparently those won't be widely available at launch.

The pairing process is quite easy -- just flip the Bluetooth button on the side of the device and a glowing blue light will turn on -- not only that, but a friendly device will walk you through the process. Find the speaker on your device's drop down menu and you're good to go. As for the sound, it's surprisingly loud (120dB, to be exact). We walked off the show floor for a second to demo it, but it turned out we didn't need to. Oh, and when you're using a non-Bluetooth device, there's a wired connection that lives on the bottom of the sole that you can pull out.

All in all, it's a really solid and nicely built speaker -- and for its $200 asking price, we'd certainly hope so. The speaker has big volume buttons on the top and a carrying loop on its side. It also comes with a small black bag, which it can actually play through without dampening the sound too much. It'll hit the US on September 2nd, but you can pre-order it now, if you're eager.

Gallery: Jabre Soulmate Bluetooth speaker hands-on

Continue reading Jabra Solemate Bluetooth speaker hands-on, soles off

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Jabra Solemate Bluetooth speaker hands-on, soles off originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jabra’s $200 Solemate portable Bluetooth speaker wants to kick the Jambox aside

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Jabra's $200 Solemate portable Bluetooth speaker wants to kick the Jambox aside

If you looked at the photo above thinking Dr. Martens got into the portable speaker game, you're not so far off. Jabra's taken its Bluetooth headset know-how and blended it with a footwear-inspired design to create its first portable speaker, the $200 Solemate. At first glance the shoe theme does seem a bit silly, but don't let that fool you as this Bluetooth 3.0 speaker packs some notable specs -- especially pitted against the Jawbone Jambox. Available inblack or white, the features rubberized casing that's shock- and water-resistant, and can be supplemented with an included waterproof soundbag (similar to the Braven 625). Taking it a step further, the unit actually has a "heel tab" for carrying purposes and a replaceable sole, which also serves as a storage point for a handy 3.5mm cable.

Gallery: Jabra Solemate press photos

Moving onto to its less quirky features, at the front you'll find a duo of acoustic tweeters separated by a subwoofer with a passive bass radiator on the back -- all together they pump out up to a whopping 120dB of volume. On top are two volume buttons, along with a multifunction button for commanding calls and enabling its Voice Guidance feature. Lastly, the right side houses two indicator lights (battery and Bluetooth), a power and pairing switch, a 3.5mm jack and a micro-USB input for charging and direct digital audio connection. According to Jabra the unit is "about the the size and weight of a water bottle," and you can expect to get around eight to ten hours of use per charge. We'll be giving you our in-depth impressions of the speaker before long, however, the Solemate will be up for pre-order today at the likes of Best Buy and Amazon, and set to release on September 2nd if you're already interested. Check out the press release after the break for more details in the meantime.

Continue reading Jabra's $200 Solemate portable Bluetooth speaker wants to kick the Jambox aside

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Jabra's $200 Solemate portable Bluetooth speaker wants to kick the Jambox aside originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung HM5100 Bluetooth S Pen makes a surprise debut in our Note 10.1 ‘press kit,’ we pencil in a chat (hands-on)

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Samsung HM5100 Bluetooth S Pen makes a surprise debut in our Note 101 'press kit,' we pencil in a chat handson

Hidden among the higher-profile items at Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 launch today was a device that at first seemed familiar, but turned out to be far more than your everyday S Pen. That's right, Samsung's already capable stylus just got a major boost -- meet the BT S Pen. The device, which received no formal introduction during its host device's launch event, first appeared in the "press kit" bag that attendees received on the way out the door. It's similar in size and shape to the company's Galaxy S Pen Holder Kit, which serves as a sleeve for the standard-issue Note S Pen, but Bluetooth functionality, along with a microphone and tiny speaker, enable the lightweight plastic contraption to double as a wireless headset -- sure to come in handy with the SIM slot-equipped international Note 10.1 flavor.

We caught our first hint of the pen's functionality upon discovering a bundled AC adapter -- that seemed mighty odd. The box also included an unusually beefy user manual and no fewer than five replacement "nibs" (read: stylus tips). Pairing took but a few seconds, and then we were on our way answering calls with a single tap of the talk button. There's also a built-in vibration mechanism, which serves to alert you to incoming calls. Sound quality was solid, but speaking into a pen admittedly felt a bit odd -- you may not draw as many stares as you would if speaking directly into a 10.1, but the seemingly unusual action may still turn a few heads. Otherwise, the S pen functioned as expected.

The packaging is all we have to go off of at this point -- Samsung reps we spoke to didn't know to expect the device today, so there's no pricing or availability info to share. We do know that it's rated for three hours of talk time and 130 hours of standby, it weighs 21 grams, offers Bluetooth 3.0 compatibility and will work with Galaxy Note devices -- you could use it as a headset with other gadgets, though there wouldn't be much appeal. It also includes a micro-USB charging cable, with the port accessible just above the shirt clip. That's all she wrote for now -- apparently this accessory was available exclusively at today's event, and may not make its way to the US, if it's released at all. You can see it in action now though, in our hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note BT S Pen hands-on

Continue reading Samsung HM5100 Bluetooth S Pen makes a surprise debut in our Note 10.1 'press kit,' we pencil in a chat (hands-on)

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Samsung HM5100 Bluetooth S Pen makes a surprise debut in our Note 10.1 'press kit,' we pencil in a chat (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s tube powered DA-E750 audio dock hitting the UK, Korea on June 18th

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Samsung's tubepowered DAE750 audio dock hitting the UK, Korea on June 18th

Have a thing for wood grain and high-end audio? You're in luck, as Samsung has announced that its DA-E750 Audio with Dock will be available in the United Kingdom and Korea beginning Monday, June 18th. As a refresher, this rather handsome boom box uses a handful of glass fiber speakers, a dedicated subwoofer and vacuum tubes to output 100 watts of "natural and harmonious" sound. What's more, the device (available in mahogany or piano black) can accommodate your Galaxy or iOS handheld of choice via a dock, or, for those that abhor cables, stream audio via Bluetooth 3.0, AllShare or AirPlay. Sammy didn't specify a price in its latest announcement, but the figure $800 was mentioned back at CES 2012 when the model was first announced. Any audiophiles out there interested in this tube-driven shelf unit with a bookcase-sized price tag?

Samsung's tube powered DA-E750 audio dock hitting the UK, Korea on June 18th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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