Filed under: Portable Audio

The first thing you may have noticed about the iLuv i202 headphones up there is the lack of wires. Oh sure, they’re Bluetooth 1.2 so there’s no need to jack into your DAP. However, unlike all the other stereo-capable Bluetooth headphones we’ve seen, these lack any type of connectivity between the cans — No little wire, no strap, nothing. So either they’re being a bit devious with the product shots or we’ve got a first here. Nevertheless, they bring a nice looking design along with support for A2DP (stereo) and AVRCP (remote control) profiles on top of the handsfree and headset profiles to make ‘em equally at home with your Bluetooth cellphone in and out of the car or for listening to your MP3 player. Yes, iPod too just as long as you don’t mind lugging around the included iLuv Bluetooth transmitter. The i202 features a 200 hour standy time and will seamlessly switch between music and incoming calls with up to 13-hours of talk time or 14-hours of stereo audio before needing to pull a charge over the included USB power adapter. Each can weighs 51-grams with one sporting play/pause/skip/volume controls for AVRCP-equipped devices. $90 and shipping now. iLuv also has a set of i903 noise-canceling Bluetooth Headphones available with all the same features but 300 hours standby / 8 hours audio / 9 hours talk time. Yours for $100 — picture after the break.

[Via iLounge]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

The FCC‘s handed us yet another tasty morsel today: the new Logitech FreePulse Wireless headset, and what a headset she is. The minuscule looking device features Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR with A2DP (huzzah!) to control your iPod (via a dongle, of course) if that’s how you want swing it, or other A2DP-compliant devices like that swanky LG Fusic that you’ve got your eye on. And according to the user’s manual the FreePulse will also play nice with other MP3 players too, like that just-released Zune, for example. Unfortunately, the friendly Feds didn’t tell us when these ‘phones would be released, nor how much they would retail for. We do have to applaud Logitech for coming up with a name better than those other Bluetooth iPod packages that we’ve already seen, like the D.Muse iBlue and the horribly named iMuff.

[Via TGDaily]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Peripherals, HTC

If your HTC-branded TyTN just doesn’t feel complete without the matching branded range of accessories, it looks like HTC feels your pain. Browsing on over to the company’s European site, a couple of accessories have popped up with more promised in the pipeline: the BH S100 A2DP headset and BH M100 mono Bluetooth headset, both with expected August availability. Neither unit looks exciting, special, or different in any notable way — just HTC branded. If you’re into that sort of thing.

[Thanks, Tim]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Features, Peripherals, Wireless

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about the future of technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment:

During the spring CTIA conference of 2005, a Switched On column expressed hope for Bluetooth. Bluetooth phones were becoming more broadly available in the US and headsets were becoming more affordable, trends that have continued. However, the potential of Bluetooth has been cut short by carriers that have disabled or “crippled” parts of it functionality. The two most common profiles that carriers have disabled are DUN (dial-up networking) which lets you use your Bluetooth handset as a wireless modem, and OBEX (object exchange), which lets you wirelessly trade files between your handset and PC.

DUN is generally disabled to prevent users from taking advantage of data plans intended for the kind of relatively light data usage patterns of a smartphone, whereas some carriers disable OBEX to prevent circumventing cellular-based transfer services, like Verizon, for instance, and photos. While carriers have eased up on some of the profile disabling, the Sidekick 3, for example, supports only headset and file sharing functions.

Communicating Bluetooth compatibility has always offered a dilemma because the wireless technology encompasses several different benefits. Do you go the route of the WiFi Alliance and offer one logo that might leave out details such as operating frequency, and speed or do you go the PlaysForSure route and offer a confusing composite badge that details all the capabilities?

Be it via cost-cutting or carrier caprice, though, consumers are getting a warped idea of what Bluetooth is and what it can do. Putting aside newer features such as A2DP audio and EDR enhanced speed, the Bluetooth SIG needs to confront the issue of phones not supporting the expected features of DUN and OBEX — features that could conceivably interfere with carrier revenue models. That’s why it should reward carriers that support phones with these capabilities via a “True Bluetooth” certification.

“True Bluetooth” would tell consumers that a specific phone on a specific network offers the essential – if not full — promise of what a Bluetooth phone should be. Promotion of “True Bluetooth” would be done via the handset manufacturers that have been most aggressive in supporting Bluetooth such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson. These companies are motivated to have carriers support the features that they’ve spent valuable development time engineering.

Carriers would also benefit from “True Bluetooth” as they would have a simple way to distinguish phones where they support features such as DUN from those that don’t, and market the right handsets to advanced users who want to use these features without resorting to hacks. It’s high time the Bluetooth SIG put some teeth back in Bluetooth with “True Bluetooth” — the way to hold its standard to a higher one.

---

Ross Rubin is director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group and a contributing editor for LAPTOP. Views expressed in Switched On are his own. Feedback is welcome at fliptheswitch@gmail.com.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Portable Audio, Wireless

Since Apple's still showing no sign of caving into consumer demand and releasing a Bluetooth-equipped iPod (even a proprietary solution would be a good start -- anything to get rid of that annoying white cord), more and more manufacturers are looking to fill the void with their own workarounds, and now headset giant Jabra has announced plans to throw its own hat into the ring as well. Jabra's "hat" will come in the form of a dock connector-compatible adapter called the A125s, which will work with both the video and nano versions of the iPod, and promises 10 hours of playback or 250 hours of standby time before recharging becomes an issue. Unfortunately for exercise enthusiasts, these won't work at the same time as your Nike+iPod kit, so runners won't be able to cut the cord unless Nike releases its own pair of headphones. You can expect this adapter -- which will join the likes of the D.Muse, icombi, and naviPlay -- to retail for around $75 once it hits stores sometime this August.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

The guys over at PhoneScoop have sure made the site live up to its name today: not only did they get some serious hands-on time with Motorola’s upcoming RAZR slider — codenamed Capri — they also got to preview the next version of Moto’s much-maligned Synergy UI that will show up in such models as the Canary and the SCPL. At least on paper, the Capri seems to offer a very compelling feature set that will probably attract anyone into the RAZR lifestyle- you’re getting a model only slightly thicker and heavier than its clamshell counterpart, but which sports a 2.0 megapixel camera, A2DP-capable Bluetooth, and what sounds like a greatly improved user interface. Especially noteworthy in the overhauled Synergy is an address book that seems to work much more intuitively than past iterations (remember the one on the StarTAC?), allowing you to organize entries by name and search for contacts using multiple letters. Although Phone Scoop was only testing a pre-production model, they have identified some potential problems to watch out for on the final version, such as the unusually crappy quality of what should be a decent camera, and most importantly, a spring-assisted slider that’s difficult to activate due to the raised antenna bulge so familiar to RAZR owners. Click on if you want to peep a few more snaps, but you’re really doing yourself a disservice if you don’t head over to PhoneScoop for the full gallery and a very thorough write-up…

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Peripherals, Nokia, Symbian

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras, Portable Audio

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Reviews, Windows Mobile, HP, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, O2, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Multimedia, Windows Mobile

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Features, Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wireless

the A2DP and AVRCP profiles. A2DP, or Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, brings the stereo love while AVRCP, or Audio / Video Remote Control Profile gives you the device control. If all you want is stereo audio, then A2DP is all you need.

So as you probably guessed, the BTH-820 headset supports both AVRCP and A2DP. However, the BTA-830 gateway goes A2DP, only. Those of you paying attention go get yourselves a cookie since you already realized that the headphone remote won't allow you to control your media player no matter how hard you push the buttons. That is, unless the device supports AVRCP natively, dig? Regardless, the BTH-820 will still control the volume which isn’t all bad, right?

Initial Thoughts
Mmm, bubble wrap.

Hey, that audio gateway looks a bit like a Griffin PowerMate, and it's almost the same size!

Hey, we likey this Y-charger. Messy, but effective.

Performance
Let’s start with audio quality which is largely down to personal preference once it exceeds some unwritten, but generally agreed threshold of crap. Some of us found the quality achieved by the included earbuds to be comparable to that of the buds shipped with one's portable audio player. Especially when used outside the Engadget Mansion’s sound studio where ambient noise is an issue (unlike where we record the Podcast). Others found the slight, but audible baseline fuzz to be unacceptable. Your mileage, as they say, will vary. Most found the audio quality acceptable and simply enjoyed the novelty and freedom of untethered stereo audio.

As expected, the devices paired easily via a 6-second press-and-hold on each unit’s power button. They could then be used to enable stereo audio on any device which could muster a 3.5mm jack. It should work with any stereo audio device with good results, with one (discovered) caveat -- inexplicably, there was a very slight but very noticeable delay in the transmission of the audio when connected to a Mac. No problem if you are just listening to music, however once we started a movie the delay was quite obvious with lips and audio clearly out of sync. No problems from a XP laptop however.

While on the topic of using the device with a Macintosh we should also note that we simply could not get the BTH-820 headset to pair with the D-link DBT-120 Rev. 3 adapter on our G5 PowerMac running the latest OS, updates, and firmware. No problem on the XP laptop. GlobalSat was not able to sort the issue although they still claim the headset is Mac compatible.

And as you can tell, GlobalSat’s headphones aren’t completely wireless, which has its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus, you don’t have to wear big cans or thick droopy cable behind the neck since the Bluetooth radio is in the remote which clips onto your kit. Besides, you want that remote anyway, right? The disadvantage of course is wires and the occasional fashion conundrum of where to clip the remote since the cable is not long enough to reach both your cuffs and ears without turning you into a gimp.

Not to knock GlobalSat too much for the following, since it seems that all Bluetooth headset manufactures suffer from the same deluded idea -- let’s be clear, we're not huge fans of our Bluetooth headsets flashing. We already feel goofy enough having lumps of plastic bolted to our heads, we don’t need yet another badge-o-geekdom drawing even more attention to (y)our wares. The GlobalSat lights blink 4 times in rapid succession every 2 seconds until death by battery or harikiri. The incessant flashing of the two devices reached such an annoying pitch that we finally had to cover the units with tape before we could peaceably enjoy a film in a dimly lit home theater. Seriously, not good.

While the range does indeed extend to 10-meters and occasionally beyond, the signal is easily interfered with by the human form. For example, when adjusting the volume on the remote, the mere presence of the hand in front of the unit while adjusting decibels was enough to cause the sound to drop completely, regardless of whether we were 10-meters or 10-centimeters from the Gateway. So no dancing, ok folks?

The battery operated as advertised giving us about 5.5 hours on average of good strong music playback. The biggest problem was keeping all three devices (headset, gateway, and media player) charged once we started using these for day-to-day listening. That might not be a problem for you Mr. Order-n-Sunshine but in our chaotic life of battery drudge it sometimes seemed to be a bit, say, over-the-top.

While our main goal was to review the stereo audio capability of these units, it should be noted that the BTH-820 headset also supports the Bluetooth Headset and Handsfree profiles. So we went and paired the headset with our cellphone and indeed, music was muted (not paused -- no AVRCP remember?) and the headset switched over to the call. However, we received regular complaints about the quality of our mic like, "Dude, you eating tin foil?" Seriously.

As an interesting side-note, GlobalSat also dropped in their little $19 BTA-806 Bluetooth 2.0 dongle, which gave us a chance to test the BTH-820 headset on a laptop. Now even though XP supports Bluetooth natively, additional software from Widcomm or IVT BlueSoleil (included) is required to add the required Bluetooth AV profile. The software worked fine on the PC, but it’s far from intuitive. However, we did finally manage to get the BTH-820 recognized as the default Windows audio source, resulting in stereo audio with the fine bonus of controlling Windows Media Player to skip tracks, pause, etc. Nice. And when installed in the Mac (without additional software) it paired with every Bluetooth device we could find including a Bluetrek G2 (mono) headset but we just couldn’t get the damned thing to pair with the BTH-820 headset. Go figure, this thing hates our Mac.

Conclusion
While the system works and provides good stereo sound free of wires you have to consider the cost. We don’t mean the $115 for the pair of devices, rather this solution means that instead of just one device to obsess over regarding fingerprints, scratches, storing, and keeping charged, you’ve now got three -- with one of those swingin' like a wrecking ball from your MP3 player. Can you deal with that? Ultimately this setup just proved too cumbersome for us on a day to day basis -- but we’re minimalists and a bit freaky too.
 
Bottom Line
If you absolutely, positively must have 10-meters of Bluetooth stereo audio for your legacy, non-Mac device then the GlobalSat BTH-820 Bluetooth Headset and BTA-830 Audio Gateway makes for an acceptable solution.

However, if you have the funds and patience, then you’d be wise to hold out for both a media player and headphones / remote that support A2DP and AVRCP natively. Think Sony Ericsson W950i Walkman phone and HBH-DS970 stereo Bluetooth headset -- that's how we'd roll given our druthers.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, 1xRTT, Kyocera, CDMA

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Peripherals

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments