Archive for the 'Bluetooth' Category
Today’s availability of Palm® Pre™ Plus and Palm Pixi™ Plus will bring the Palm webOS™ experience to the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network. The reach and reliability of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network will provide customers with a 3G advantage when they use Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus to:
· Download and use cool apps, from mobile social networking portals to streaming radio
· Browse the Web to keep up with news, sports, stock quotes, Hollywood gossip and more at faster speeds
· Stream must-see video
· Share e-mails with friends, family and coworkers that include picture and video attachments
· Download and play vivid, rousing games
· Quickly download and play music favorites from top 40 to classical
· Work on the go with rapid file sharing
Palm Pre Plus is $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and Palm Pixi Plus is $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate, each with a new two-year customer agreement. Buy a Palm Pre Plus or a Palm Pixi Plus and get a Palm Pixi Plus free after a mail-in rebate through Feb. 14.
Learn more about the features of the new Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus at http://news.vzw.com/news/2010/01/pr2010-01-07c.html and http://news.vzw.com/news/2010/01/pr2010-01-21.html.
About Verizon Wireless’ 3G Network
Today at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show, Verizon Wireless and Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) announced the Jan. 25 availability of Palm® Pre™ Plus and Palm Pixi™ Plus, bringing the Palm webOS™ experience to customers on the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network.
Palm Pre Plus has a large, vivid touch screen; high-performance processor; and slide-out keyboard. The Pre Plus keyboard makes for quick and easy typing, while the unique gesture area provides a sleek look and intuitive navigation. Pre Plus also comes with the Palm Touchstone™ Back Cover, making the phone compatible with the revolutionary inductive Touchstone Charging Dock (sold separately). Verizon Wireless Pre Plus customers will also get 16 GB of storage (approximately 15 GB user available) for applications and media.
Feature-rich, Pre Plus and Pixi Plus offer Verizon Wireless customers greater flexibility for access to the Internet with Wi-Fi. In addition, the all-new Palm mobile hotspot, a webOS app that can be downloaded from the Palm App Catalog, gives customers the option of creating a personal Wi-Fi cloud capable of sharing the reliability and high-speed Internet connectivity of the Verizon Wireless 3G network with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as notebooks, netbooks, cameras, gaming devices or portable media/MP3 players.
Social communicators and first-time smartphone buyers who want an affordable and customizable phone and instant access to messaging and Web content will love Pixi Plus. Customers have a host of options for personalizing their phones with the separately-sold Palm Pixi Artist Series Back Covers (www.palm.com/artistseries) and new color Pixi Touchstone Back Covers, which will be available in pink, blue, green, orange and black.
“The Palm experience is all about helping our customers stay connected so they never miss a thing,” said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. “We’re constantly enriching this experience with new features and innovations. The Verizon Wireless launch of Pre Plus and Pixi Plus is the next phase in delivering this unique Palm experience to more people.”
“The Palm webOS family is a great addition to Verizon Wireless’ robust line-up of smartphones,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “The outstanding capabilities and functionalities on both Pre Plus and Pixi Plus give customers a wealth of customization options to help them manage their lives. Customers get the latest technology from Palm along with the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network for an unsurpassed mobile experience.”
Following are key features and specifications available on both Pre Plus and Pixi Plus:
· webOS – Allows customers to run multiple applications simultaneously and provides over-the-air software updates delivered automatically to their devices
· Palm Synergy™ – Brings customers’ information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view
· Unobtrusive notifications and universal search
· Palm App Catalog – Currently offers more than 1,000 webOS applications for download
· High-speed connectivity
· Gesture area – Enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
· Full QWERTY keyboard
· High-performance, desktop-class Web browser
· Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
· Integrated GPS
· Robust messaging support (combining IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)
· E-mail, including EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers) and personal e-mail support (Google Gmail™ push, Yahoo!®, POP3, IMAP)
· VZ NavigatorSM – Allows customers to get audible turn-by-turn directions to more than 15 million points of interest and share the directions with others
· USB mass storage mode
· Proximity sensor – Automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display when consumers put their phones to their ears
· Light sensor – Reduces power usage by dimming the display if the ambient light is dark
· Accelerometer – Automatically orients Web pages and photos
· Ringer switch – Easily silences the device with one touch
· Removable, rechargeable battery
· Multimedia options, including pictures, video playback and music as well as a camera with LED flash and a standard 3.5 mm headset jack
· Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
· Charger/microUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Additional Palm Pre Plus Specs
· 3.0 megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field
· Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
· Dimensions: 2.35” x 3.96” x 0.67”
· Weight: 4.89 ounces
Additional Palm Pixi Plus Specs
· 2.0 megapixel camera with LED flash
· Fixed QWERTY keyboard
· Dimensions: 2.17” x 4.37” x 0.43”
· Weight: 3.26 ounces
Availability:
· Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning Jan. 25. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.
· 3G mobile hotspot is a separately-purchased feature added to a voice and data plan.
· For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
“With TomTom for iPhone, millions of iPhone users can now benefit from the same easy-to-use and intuitive interface, turn-by-turn spoken navigation and unique routing technology that our 30 million portable navigation device users rely on every day,” said Corinne Vigreux, Managing Director of TomTom. “As the world’s leading provider of navigation solutions and digital maps, TomTom is the most natural fit for an advanced navigation application on the iPhone.”
The TomTom app for iPhone 3G and 3GS users includes a map of the US and Canada from Tele Atlas, and is available to download through http://www.tomtom.com/tomtom-app for $99.99 USD.
TomTom app for iPhone key features
TomTom app for iPhone includes the exclusive IQ . Instead of using travel time assumptions, IQ Routes™ technology Routes bases its routes on the actual experience of millions of TomTom drivers to calculate the fastest route and generate the most accurate arrival times in the industry. TomTom IQ Routes empowers drivers to reach their destination faster up to 35% of the time.
Additional TomTom app for iPhone features include:
Best routing and maps
· Navigation software including fast route planning and clear voice instructions
· Automatic re-routing if a turn is missed
· Route demo or map of route when trip planning
· Alternative route options if avoiding roadblocks, toll ways or looking for high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes along route
· Latest Tele Atlas maps of the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand
· 6 million Points of Interest included
Easy to use and personalize
· User interface fully optimized with iPhone.
· Multiple display options including landscape and portrait navigation view
· Night and day color mode for optimized screen visibility in varying light conditions
· User interface available in 18 languages in
· Change view settings (2D or 3D map display)
· Easy to download from iTunes App Store
Complete phone and map integration
· Multi-touch gestures such as tap, swipe, pinch and zoom to operate the application and zoom in and out of the map
· Navigation to contacts in address book
· Points-of-interest search and call capabilities from iPhone
Pricing and Availability
The TomTom app for iPhone including full maps of the US and Canada will be available for $99.99 USD on the Apple App Store. http://www.tomtom.com/tomtom-app.
Compatibility with iPod touch and other iPhone models coming soon.
Requirements for use on the iPhone 3G or 3GS include phone installation of OS3.0 and installation of iTunes on the PC or Mac.
SyncMate is offered at two versions, Free and Expert, and provides all users with even more synchronization possibilities than before. SyncMate Free Edition enables you to sync Address Book and iCal entries in your Mac with their analogues in supported devices and back up these data to Online Storage Account. Google Contacts and Google Calendar synchronization is also available.
Additionally to sync features, SyncMate Free Edition provides you with opportunity to read your SMS right from Mac OS X computer, share Internet between Mac and Windows Mobile devices and visually analyze detailed information of the Windows Mobile devices connected (battery state or memory usage).
SyncMate Expert Edition provides all users with a full access to all synchronization features. Sync iTunes&Video, iPhoto, Safari and Firefox Bookmarks, Entourage and mail Notes, ToDo’s, Mail and even separate folders between your Mac and Windows Mobile devices, create, send or delete SMS right on your Mac computer.
With Expert Edition all users can install any .cab files to Windows Mobile devices right from Mac computer.
SyncMate Expert enables you to analyze Nokia S40 devices Calls history directly on your computer. You can also back up ToDo’s, Safari Bookmarks, Entourage and Mail notes to your Online Storage Account with Expert Edition.
SyncMate Expert allows synchronizing To Do’s, Safari bookmarks, Entourage and Mail notes and separate folders between two or more Mac computers.
And of course all features of SyncMate Free Edition are available at Expert Edition.
SyncMate installation is very easy. There is no need to unlock device in order to install SyncMate. Mac can be connected to Windows Mobile device via USB or Wi-Fi, Mac to Nokia connection is available via Bluetooth, and you can sync your Mac with another Mac via Ethernet.
SyncMate Compatibility.
SyncMate is compatible with Mac OS X platform (Mac OS X 10.4 and higher, Mac OS X 10.5). Device compatibility: Windows Mobile Pocket 5, Windows Mobile Smartphone 5; Windows Mobile 6 Standard, Windows Mobile 6 Classic and Windows Mobile 6 Professional; Windows Mobile 6.1, Windows Mobile 6.5; Nokia S40 devices.
Additional information about SyncMate, along with detailed technical documentation, online help, changelog, upgrade policy as well as free installation package can be found at: http://www.sync-mac.com/
You can download SyncMate 2.0 here http://mac.eltima.com/download/syncmate.dmg
Adesso Inc., a leading manufacturer of computer input peripherals, today announced the release of its latest addition to its extensive line of keyboards, the WKB-3100, a wireless, mini keyboard with integrated optical trackball. This compact keyboard offers the freedom of wireless computing in a wide array of environments, and is available for $79.99 at www.adesso.com.
The WKB-3100 lets users work freely, without any space, angles or distance constraints. The enclosed optical trackball delivers distinct precision and smooth motion, requiring virtually no maintenance or cleaning. The compact size of this keyboard allows for ease of use in tight spaces, including living rooms, kiosk stations, conference rooms and workgroup project environments.
The innovative keyboard is compatible with modern PC systems, flat LCD monitors and tablet PCs in various office environments. The small, compact size also allows users to work remotely, fitting snugly in any briefcase or backpack.
The WKB-3100 features the following:
Limitless connectivity angle with a wide range
6500 IDs on 12 channels, offering 30 feet of wireless freedom
Optical trackball technology that provides precision and control
Measures less than 12 inches in size
Adesso’s various product lines are available through Ingram Micro, Synnex and D&H direct vendors, eRetailers, including AMAZON, Buy.com, PC Mall, CDW, Insight, Newegg and TigerDirect. In addition, they are also available at retail stores, such as Micro Center and CompUSA, and leading catalogs, including CDW, PC Mall and PC Connection.
Scosche Industries (www.scosche.com), an award-winning innovator of mobile electronics and iPod accessories, is proud to announce the introduction of its environmentally conscious new Bluetooth speaker phone, the solCHAT (#CBHSOL). Harnessing the power of the sun, the solCHAT is powered by an integrated solar panel and lithium ion rechargeable battery combination. Utilizing voice announce technology, the solCHAT announces calls as they come in so users can keep their eyes on the road while driving.
Scosche’s engineers worked diligently to make solCHAT easy to use, even with its advanced functionality. With only three visible buttons— volume up, volume down and the answer/hang-up multifunction button —the solCHAT is exactly what consumers are looking for. Using voice announce, the speaker phone let’s users know who’s calling and actually guides them through the initial Bluetooth 2.0 device pairing process. The solCHAT automatically reconnects to users cell phones once initially paired. Users simply turn the solCHAT on when entering the vehicle and the device will automatically pair with the cell phone. Users don’t need to worry about turning the device off since the solCHAT will automatically turn itself off once the cell phone is moved out of pairing range.
Retailing for $99.99, solCHAT comes with a USB charging cable and car adaptor so you can charge at night and on days with insufficient sunlight. Also included are a windshield suction cup mount and sun visor clip for easy operation and solar charging. The solCHAT is now available at www.scosche.com and at retailers across the nation.
With much anticipation, Apple took off the covers of its latest version of the iPhone OS today from its Cupertino headquarters. As believed, Cut and Paste, MMS, and tethering support was announced. Actually, tethering was brought up during the Q&A and was confirmed by Scott Forstall, Senior Vice President of iPhone Software at Apple, telling the audience, “We’re supporting tethering in the client side, we’re building that support in. We’re working with our carriers around the world.” Dozens of other features, mostly for developers, where announce as well such as support for Google Maps so applications will no longer have to send a user to the Google Maps application but rather integrate it directly into its application. This also means turn-by-turn directions will be supported though it will be “bring your own maps” for licensing reasons. TomTom has a chance!
Forstall early on admitted blowing it on a feature that should have been out last year saying, “Next, Push. You know, we’re late on this one.” Working with developers and listening to their suggestions lead to a re-tooling of Push and now Apple believes the version that is in 3.0 is much better than what it once had. Examples of push, such as IM, were shown to work very nicely much like SMS or reminders in the current version of the iPhone.
Subscriptions will also now be available for software making way to purchase multiple levels of a game or more months for a sports service, for example. Peer to Peer connectivity is also added allowing for easier connection between two or more iPhones for multi-player games or for address card exchange, though the latter was not mentioned.
Hardware vendors will also have use of the iPhone via the dock connector, finally. Examples shown were the iPhone docked in a speaker system in which you could control the tone with an onscreen EQ. SvenOnTech is aware of Altec Lansing showing off alpha hardware to Apple in January and suspects that this very hardware was shown in the slide show, today. Other items shown were a blood pressure cuff and a blood tester for diabetes. With this access, it’s quite conceivable third-party vendors can finally tap into the phone and possibly tie it into car stereos or home dock systems. The ultimate speaker phone.
Copy and Paste looks fantastic. When asked what the hold up was all about the answer given was “security” without any further explanation. I find this a very interesting response since nearly every device on the market has this feature and these manufactures, such as Microsoft and RIM, seem to have not been worried about “security”. It’s hard to say if it was a cover-up excuse or something deeper RIM and MS haven’t considered.
Other goodies include landscape support for SMS, Mail, and Notes. Speaking of Notes, you’ll finally be able to sync those scribbles in your iPhone with 3.0. Voice notes was also shown off which looks to be quite nice. Steaming video was demonstrated by ESPN which looked incredible. YouTube will now allow you to enter your account information keeping favorites and subscriptions synced between phone and desktop. Multiple pictures can now be sent in Mail as well as direct access to the mail application for other apps. Safari users will also be happy to know Auto-fill has made its to the upcoming summer release of 3.0 as well.
So, what about that MMS and A2DP (stereo Bluetooth support) caveat? You know, how Apple just kinda breezed over the fact that you’ll need to have a 3G iPhone to get that working? Mmm, kinda fishy, we think. While it’s solely possible that the lack of support for stereo Bluetooth may be so on the older hardware, we’re at a loss why MMS cannot be supported. Let’s see, you can take a picture in the Facebook app and send it to your profile, today. Same with Twittelator Pro to post pics and embed the link in your Twitter posts, but Apple can’t open the camera in SMS and grab a shot to send because of hardware? Doesn’t make sense to us. Other 2G devices do MMS just fine, so why not Apple’s? We believe it’s a way for Apple to force users to purchase new hardware though we could be wrong on this. Still, can’t see how hardware other applications use without issue for photos can’t be used by Apple.
All-in-all a great announcement for developers at the iPhone OS 3.0 preview announcement. If they use the tools given to them today, this free update for all iPhone users, $9.99 for iPod touch, could be a mean and exciting update for sure. Guess that puts egg on our face for last nights post, huh? 
Surviving meetings just got easier. Today Canson, a supplier and manufacturer of the world’s finest art paper, is launching a brand new presentation and brainstorming product, Papershow, available for purchase on shoppapershow.com and directly on Staples.com for $199.99.
Papershow is an interactive paper and Bluetooth™ pen system used for digital communication and presentation applications designed to make meetings more fun and engaging for all participants. The plug and play nature of Papershow’s technology can revolutionize brainstorms and presentations, replacing antiquated flip charts and costly electronic whiteboards with fun, vibrant and interactive meetings anywhere, at any time. Papershow is compatible with PCs installed with Windows® XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Windows® Vista.
“Papershow is easy to set up and use,” said Diane Darling, CEO of Effective Networking Inc., speaker and author of “The Networking Survival Guide.” “Papershow is a hybrid presentation tool, combining the organization of Power Point presentations and the interactivity of writing—and the best thing is that you can use it right then and there!”
Papershow is extremely flexible and can attain perfect shapes and lines with varying degrees of thickness and colors. Users can export Papershow drawings into Power Point™ documents, quickly make comments or changes to a presentation image, and all creations can be easily modified or erased. All modifications made to a presentation, and all notes recorded during a brainstorming session can then be saved and e-mailed to meeting participants.
Contour, known best for its iPhone and iPod cases, has taken a dive into the Bluetooth headset market. It calls its super cool looking hands-free accessory Metal. One look at it and it’s easy to guess why.
We took the slim gum-sized headset for a test to let you know if Contour put the pedal to the Metal. It sure stuffs the box with lots of accessories and when you see how you charge this unit, you’ll smile. We did.
Read the review and see if this Metal is your style.
Schlangen claimed that the soft silicone tips were comfortable enough for him that he could wear it, “all day and forget they are in my ears”. I was sure to warn him that would be the first thing I tested once SvenOnTech receives its pair for review. With a talk time of 7 hours and nearly 8 days of stand-by, I’ll get a good opportunity to test the comfort of these sweet looking headsets.
Schlangen also pointed out the 906s unique Dual-Mic AudioIQ technology borrowed from its new parent, Plantronics. This technology allows the BackBeat to “accurately isolate voice signals: one microphone captures voice as the second microphone identifies background noise and removes it.” Schlangen said this makes the caller sound as if they are in front of you.
Promises, promises, we know, but Altec has a good track record. We’ll be sure to let you know when what we think once we get our ears on them…all day. 