Archive for the 'Bluetooth' Category
Verizon Wireless and LG Mobile Phones today announced the LG Octane™ will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores tomorrow. Keeping customers up to date with their social networks has never been more convenient with the LG Octane’s iconic form factor with full QWERTY keyboard and seamless integration of Facebook®, MySpace™ and Twitter™ via Social Beat.
Key features:
· Sleek, dark brown outer case
· QWERTY keyboard
· Social Beat Widget – offers a single point for accessing social networking sites, allowing customers to stay connected to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace plus more than 50 news, sports and entertainment feeds
· microSD™ slot for up to 16 GB of memory
· Bluetooth® 2.1 capabilities with support for the following profiles: headset; hands-free; dial-up networking; object push for vCard and vCalendar; stereo; file transfer; phonebook access; basic printing; basic imaging; human interface; message access; and instant sharing of music, photos and videos
· Built-in music player with music library, repeat and shuffle features, as well as stereo sound via headset or Bluetooth
· Voice commands
Lifestyle features:
· V CAST Music with Rhapsody®
· Favorites shortcut keys for quick access to up to 10 contacts with picture ID
· Customizable font type and size on internal and external LCD for dialing, menu and lists, and messages
· New Mobile E-Mail client 4.0
· Skype mobile™ capable
· Visual Voice Mail and HTML Web Browser
· 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera and camcorder with flash that includes:
o Five different camera resolutions and two different video resolutions
o Zoom up to 2.98 times
o Intelligent shot for improved image quality
o Smile shot automatically takes a picture when a smile is detected
o Panorama for three guided, sequential shots
o Dual display activation for self portraits
o Image editor with zoom, rotate, resize, crop, added frames and stamps
o Customize brightness, white balance, shutter sounds, color effects and use a self-timer
Pricing:
· The LG Octane will be $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
· 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.
NAVIGON AG, a leading provider of mobile on-board navigation, today announced the release of the US version of its award winning MobileNavigator for the Android platform. The first on-board navigation app of a major navigation company to launch on the Android platform, MobileNavigator brings premium navigation to the growing Android user base. Among many signature functions, the app includes the industry-first feature Reality Scanner that identifies points of interest by showing them in a live camera view. MobileNavigator is available now from the Android Market and includes Traffic Live and without an additional cost.
MobileNavigator brings first-class developments in GPS navigation technology and real-time travel information to the Android platform. “For almost two decades NAVIGON brings preeminent navigation technology; this long standing experience enables us to deliver sophisticated navigation solutions that transform smartphones into navigation solutions comparable to standalone devices,” said Gerhard Mayr, NAVIGON vice-president worldwide mobile phones and new markets. “Other than free navigation apps for the Android platform, NAVIGON’s app provides on-board premium maps and driving related features that go beyond providing simple directions, helping to make driving a more relaxed experience.”
Reality Scanner is an industry first feature for the Android platform. Utilizing the phone’s build-in camera, positioning, and compass components together with NAVIGON’S extensive POI database to project POI (points of interest) icons directly on the camera’s image. Users can point the device and instantly identify POIs in or around the location. Other premium features include, Reality View Pro, displaying photo-realistic 3D views of actual road, highway/interstate, signs and exits, and lane guide markers for easy driving decisions. Traffic Live uses real-time data from over a million drivers to route around traffic. NAVIGON MyRoutes analyzes driving habits, patterns, location, time/day and provides up to three routes clearly displayed in-map with ETA, distance and driving times for each (a comprehensive list of features is below). The NAVIGON Red Light Cameras feature provides drivers an advanced visual warning for most red light and speed cameras.
MobileNavigator relies on the devices’ GPS receiver as well as the pre-loaded NAVTEQ® maps, providing full function navigation capabilities when a cell signal is not available. Off-board navigation, in comparison, is dependent on a cell phone connection to download map and routing data. Therefore, no cell signal renders navigation useless or interrupted until a connection is re-established. “MobileNavigator addresses the concerns of savvy consumers who are dissatisfied with the inconsistent performance of off-board turn-by-turn navigation solutions using lower quality data that has recently entered the market. NAVTEQ maps are a key differentiator and part of NAVIGON’S overall strategic vision for enabling a more sophisticated navigation experience for consumers,” said Jeff Mize, executive vice president, Global Sales, NAVTEQ. “The superiority of NAVTEQ® maps is defined by its verified accuracy, richness of content and its breadth of coverage data. Equipped with proprietary data collection tools and state-of-the-art technologies, NAVTEQ’S Geographic Analysts continually drive the roads to collect, verify and update over 260 attributes, many of which can only be captured through direct field collection. This in-depth “human factor” delivers data consistent with real world conditions and is one of the most robust and accurate geographic databases in the world.”
In addition to the benefits of an on-board solution, NAVIGON’S hallmark navigation capabilities and third party partnerships come together in MobileNavigator customized and developed for the Android platform.
The extensive set of features and capabilities include:
• Reality View™ Pro clearly displays photo-realistic 3D views of actual road, highway/interstate, signs and exits, and lane guide markers for easy driving decisions.
• Traffic Live The most precise traffic information available today, using real-time speed data from over a million drivers including commercial fleets such as trucks and taxis and non-commercial drivers with GPS capabilities.
• Reality Scanner helps finding points of interest by showing them in a live camera view.
• Lane Assistant Pro prepares drivers to make an upcoming exit or turn with a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.
• Speed Assistant Adjustable audio-visual warning alerts drivers of speed and can be turned on or off.
• Text-to-Speech Complementing turn-by-turn directions; informs the driver of both the street name and the direction to turn.
• NAVIGON MyRoutes analyzes driving habits, patterns, location, time/day and provides up to three routes clearly displayed in-map with ETA, distance and driving times for each.
• Day & Night Mode for map display.
• Direct Access to Contacts Allows navigation to contacts saved in the phone’s address book.
• Route Planning
• Branded POIs and POIs along the route and in Reality Scanner.
• 2D and 3D map view
• Coordinate Input Employ longitude and latitude coordinates as a destination as an alternative to traditional input like an address or POI by name. Email geographical coordinates for precise location identification.
• Automatic Portrait or Landscape
• Intelligent address entry for quick text entry and lookup results.
• Real Street and Hwy sign display
• Directly call POIs
• Pedestrian Navigation
• Google Local Search Connected instant search of local points of interest.
• Red Light Cameras provides drivers an advanced visual warning for most red light and speed cameras.
Pricing and Availability
MobileNavigator is available now in the Android Market and Google Checkout for *$39.99 for two-weeks. Post promotion the app retails for a one-time fee of *$59.99. The price includes the Traffic Live services. MobileNavigator is equipped with maps of the U.S.A. from NAVTEQ®.
*NOTE: Price subject to slight variations based on exchange rates between Euros and US Dollars.
From CTIA Enterprise & Applications™ 2010, Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today unveiled DROID PRO, a new, powerful, stronger and faster solution designed to meet both business and personal needs. The first Android™-based smartphone optimized for business use, DROID PRO is also a global-ready Android smartphone from Verizon Wireless, allowing customers to enjoy wireless voice service in more than 220 countries and data coverage in more than 200 countries.
DROID PRO meets employers’ and employees’ needs by addressing the productivity tools businesses require, including corporate connectivity and security; full push corporate e-mail with corporate level security; unified calendar with additional work features; pre-loaded Quickoffice Mobile Suite, a powerful 1 GHz processor; 4 GB of memory (2 GB internal; and 2 GB removable) and a QWERTY keyboard designed for speed and convenience.
“DROID PRO combines the feature-packed, high-level user experience that customers look for in an Android smartphone plus the security that enterprises require, all with the reliability of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network,” said Mike Lanman, president – Enterprise and Government Markets for Verizon Wireless. “DROID PRO builds on our commitment to deliver the best Android experience to the marketplace as well as to our enterprise customers.”
“The DROID PRO is an advanced business-ready solution that provides users with the full smartphone experience, redefined by delivering the power of a DROID,” said Sanjay Jha, chief executive officer of Motorola Mobility. “The DROID PRO consolidates users’ work and personal needs. This is just another reason the DROID PRO is setting a new standard for enterprise, allowing users to enjoy all the benefits of a smartphone with full push delivery of corporate e-mail and corporate level security.”
Key features and specifications:
· Support for both Exchange e-mail and Gmail™ for business
· Corporate directory look-up, unified calendar for Enterprise and sync with Google Calendar™
· PC-like browsing with Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 on a full, multi-touch, 3.1-inch brilliant display built on Android 2.2
· View, edit and share documents, including Microsoft Excel® spreadsheets, PowerPoint® presentations and Word® documents
· Built-in security features, including AuthenTec IPSec multi-headed VPN integration, remote wipe of device and SD card, and complex password support. Device and SD card encryption will be available in early 2011
· 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities – Allows customers to connect up to five other Wi-Fi®-enabled devices and laptops
· Live widgets that stream e-mail messages to the home screen; customers can filter the widgets to separate work and home e-mail
· 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and dual LED flash as well as DVD-quality video
· 3G diversity antennae provides customers with enhanced data speeds and range
· Wi-Fi®-enabled DNLA® connectivity
· Android Market™ – Provides customers with access to more than 80,000 applications
· My Verizon and Backup AssistantSM support – Allows customers to manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones
Pricing and availability:
· DROID PRO will be available at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the coming weeks. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.
· For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
From CTIA Enterprise & Applications™ 2010, Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today unveiled Motorola CITRUS™. Powered by Android™ 2.1, Motorola CITRUS delivers an affordable, entry-level, customizable smartphone experience in a compact design that is easy on both the eyes and the earth.
Key features and specifications:
· Curved design
· Easy-to-use, on-screen QWERTY keyboard (available in landscape and portrait modes) for quick messaging
· Full HTML Web browser – Preloaded with Bing Search and Bing Maps and delivers a PC-like Web browsing experience with quick access to Web apps and services such as Facebook®; Google services such as Gmail™, Google Talk™ and YouTube™
· Equipped with BACKTRACK™, a touch panel located on the back of the device that enables users to navigate and scroll through websites, home screens, e-mails, music and more without obstructing the display
· Full capacitive touch screen display delivers fluid flick, swipe and pinch-to-zoom navigation
· Seven home screen panels that can be tailored with an array of available shortcuts; applications; and pre-loaded widgets such as sticky notes, weather, messages and calendar
· Android Market™ – Choose from thousands of downloadable apps, many of which are free
· CITRUS has a housing made from 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, is certified CarbonFree® through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, and is PVC and BFR free. The packaging is made from 80 percent post-consumer recycled paper, and the user manual is made using 100 percent recycled paper and soy-based ink.
Pricing and availability:
· Motorola CITRUS will be available at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in Q4 2010.
· For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
Verizon Wireless announced that the highly anticipated limited edition DROID™ R2-D2™ by Motorola will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in select Verizon Wireless Communication stores beginning Sept. 30. With a graphic design to look like the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars™ Saga, the DROID™ R2-D2™ by Motorola will be packaged in a custom box resembling carbonite and come with a Star Wars media dock and wired stereo headset. Exclusive content comes pre-loaded on the special edition smartphone, including:
· R2-D2 notification sounds and ringtones
· Four live wallpapers
· R2-D2 Clock Widget
· “The Best of R2-D2” video with the original Cantina music
· Exclusive Binoculars App
Star Wars Mobile App Available for All Customers with Android 2.1 phones
To celebrate 30 years since the film hit theaters, customers with Android devices running Android 2.1 or higher will soon be able to get the Empire Strikes Back app from Android Market™. The app, only for Verizon Wireless customers, allows Jedi Masters to browse, preview and download Star Wars content related to Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Verizon Wireless customers can access premium Star Wars content for a one-time charge of $2.99.
The Star Wars mobile app will have the following features and content:
· Bounty Hunt Visual ID: Find and capture images around the Star Wars universe to unlock hidden content
· Sound and Photo Gallery
· Live Wallpapers:
o Blast the Probe Droid
o Luke Balancing Yoda
o Navigating the Asteroid Field
o Watch Bespin’s Cloud City
· Trivia Challenge: Answer trivia questions about The Empire Strikes Back
· Widgets
The DROID™ R2-D2™ by Motorola will be available for $249 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan (beginning at $39.99 monthly access) and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan (beginning at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access). Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
For more information on DROID™ R2-D2™ by Motorola, go to www.droiddoes.com/r2d2.
By easily downloading the FREE HT-Connect app on Apple iTunes, users can instantly connect to the AcuTouch™ 9500 to enjoy the ultimate massage and wellness experience at their fingertips, with such features as:
· Sixteen+ expertly designed massage programs that are constantly being added to HT-Connect, designed to fit each individual’s specific needs. This includes prescribed massage programs from Human Touch’s Wellness Council experts, including PGA Golfer Tim Clark, former NBA legend Bill Walton, fitness trainers, doctors of Chiropractic, massage therapists, and more.
· Limitless customization options allowing users to tailor their AcuTouch 9500 massage chair wirelessly, based on their own personal wellness needs.
· Instant access to wellness tips and expertise from the Human Touch® Wellness Council, who offer their expertise and advice on how to live better through regular massage, proper relaxation and other wellness practices.
· Quick and easy Espresso Shots that allow the user to point to specific pain points on their body using their wireless device to create a completely customized five-minute massage when in a hurry.
· Much more: built-in foot & calf massager, adjustable massage intensity, preset posture positions that remembers the individual’s settings for future use, dual-lumbar heat, and that’s only the beginning of what AcuTouch 9500/HT-Connect can do.
Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and ZTE USA, Inc., introduce the Verizon Wireless Salute™. Available today, the lightweight, slim slider phone offers up to 240 minutes of talk time and up to 220 hours of standby time on a single charge. It is a reliable handset with the most important features customers need in a single device, including a 1.3-megapixel camera, speakerphone and Bluetooth® headset support.
Key features:
· Stylish slider design
· Large 2.4-inch screen
· 1.3-megapixel camera
· Mobile Web capable
· Messaging options include: text, picture and voice messaging; Mobile Email; Mobile Web Email; and Chat capable
· Bilingual interface: English/Español
· Micro USB 2.0 compatible
Lifestyle features:
· Bluetooth® technology with support for the following Bluetooth profiles: headset, hands-free, phonebook access, and object push for vCard and vCalendar
· Media Center provides access to downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more
· Social Beat application – offers a single point for accessing social networking sites, allowing customers to stay connected to Facebook®, Twitter™ and MySpace®, plus more than 50 news, sports and entertainment feeds
· Backup AssistantSM application – saves and updates a copy of the phone’s address book to a secure website
· VZ Navigator® capabilities for customers to receive audible turn-by-turn directions to millions of points of interest and share the directions with others
· Preloaded with Bing Search
Price and availability:
· The Salute is available today at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores for $19.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
· 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.
“When we announced DROID X last month, we reaffirmed our commitment to continue to bring unique Android experiences to the Verizon Wireless network,” said Jeffrey Dietel, vice president – wireless device, marketing and development for Verizon Wireless. “The DROID by Motorola was our first Android device, so it is important for us to include the successor to that phone in our portfolio. DROID 2 is not only a continuation of our commitment to Android but offers customers the features and form-factor they crave on the Verizon Wireless network.”
“With the new DROID 2, we’ve taken a big leap forward from the original DROID,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home Business. “We listened to consumers and are providing an even more robust experience built on Android 2.2 that includes a new keyboard, increased processing power, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities to send, access and share information even quicker than before.”
DROID 2’s super-slim design helps customers e-mail, text and tweet with ease. DROID 2 offers a redesigned symmetrical keyboard with raised keys for more responsive typing to push out notes and status updates. Speech-to-text input and the virtual multi-touch keyboard allow for quick messaging; or customers can also use Swype for even easier text input. In addition, full push corporate e-mail delivers enhanced features such as remote wipe and password enforcement so that information remains secure.
DROID 2 packs power and speed. Customers can enjoy the freedom of wireless with the 3G Mobile HotSpot and the ability to connect up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices, and watch content on the full multi-touch 3.7-inch brilliant display, or share content captured on the 5-megapixel camera with enhanced functionality and DVD-quality video capture with DLNA connectivity to share on compatible devices.
Customers can also download favorite apps from Android Market™, which has more than 70,000 applications, and store them on 8 GB of preloaded on-board memory and the 8 GB microSD™ card, which can be upgraded to a 32 GB SD card for a total cargo capacity of 40 GB. Popular apps available on DROID 2 include NFL Mobile (downloadable), Skype mobile™ and BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video. Customers can even manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones with My Verizon and with Backup AssistantSM.
“It’s great to see amazing new smartphones like the DROID 2 come pre-installed with Flash Player 10.1,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Creative and Interactive Solution Business Unit at Adobe. “With the completely redesigned and hardware accelerated Flash Player 10.1, DROID 2 users will be able to experience the full Web on the go.”
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 lets mobile users experience millions of websites the way they were meant to be seen – with rich Internet applications (RIAs), content inside the browser, including games, animations, data presentations and visualizations, e-commerce, music, video, audio and more.
R2-D2 DROID 2
In honor of the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars™ Saga, Verizon Wireless will offer a limited-edition R2-D2 version of the DROID 2, available only online in September. The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale.
Pricing and Availability
DROID 2 by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com on August 11, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning August 12 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.
Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile HotSpot service to their DROID 2 smartphones for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile HotSpot allows customers to turn their phones into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID 2, without penalty.
For more information on DROID 2 by Motorola, go to www.droiddoes.com. For information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Samsung Intensity™ II is available online today and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the coming weeks. Made partly from recycled plastic, the feature-rich Intensity II boasts a horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a music player, one-touch access to social networking sites, and a 1.3-megapixel infrared camera with night vision.
The Intensity II’s design includes an exterior battery cover made from 35 percent post-consumer materials, which is recycled plastic extracted from water bottles or other recycled polycarbonate materials.
“We’re excited about the Intensity II launch because a major part of Verizon’s sustainability strategy is providing products that utilize post-consumer materials,” said Jim Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon.
For customers interested in calculating their own carbon footprints, the Intensity II offers an eco-calculator to track car fuel mileage, efficiency and estimated amount of carbon dioxide emitted, along with a calendar and ringtones.
Colors: Deep Gray and Metallic Blue
Key features and specifications:
· Full horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard with external numeric keypad
· 2.2-inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) screen
· 1.3-megapixel infrared camera with night vision; series and divided shot modes; and color effects, including normal, black and white, antique, negative, aqua and green
· Voice commands and advanced speech recognition
· Bluetooth® technology with support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access, basic imaging, object push for vCard and vCalendar, and serial port
· microSD™ card slot with support for up to 32 GB (card purchased separately)
Lifestyle features:
· Built-in music player
· One-touch contact list to access frequently used contacts instantly
· Full suite of messaging options, including text, picture and voice messaging; Mobile IM; Mobile Chat; Mobile Email; and Mobile Web
· Social Beat application offers customers a single point for accessing social networking sites, including Facebook®, Twitter™ and MySpace®; e-mail; content feeds and instant messaging
· VZ Navigator® capabilities for customers to receive audible turn-by-turn directions to millions of points of interest and share the directions with others
· Media Center provides access to downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more
· Personal organizer and tools with calendar, calculator with currency converter, alarm clock, world clock and stop watch
· Supports Verizon Wireless services, including V CAST Music with Rhapsody® (subscription and PC downloads only), V CAST Song ID and VZW Tones
Additional environmental features:
· Packaging partially made from recycled paper and partially printed with soy ink, along with reduced package size, which creates less material to dispose of or recycle and less weight for shipping
o Box: 60 percent recycled paper
o Quick reference guide: 20 percent recycled paper
· High-efficiency charger that alerts when battery is fully charged
Price and availability:
· The Samsung Intensity II is available online today at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the coming weeks for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
· Customers who purchase the Intensity II can donate their old phones and put them to good use with Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine® cell phone recycling and refurbishing program. Customers can simply drop off or mail in their old wireless phones and, at the same time, help victims of domestic violence. The used phones are either refurbished or recycled in an environmentally sound way. With the proceeds from the donated phones, Verizon Wireless helps provide wireless phones and airtime to victims of domestic violence, as well as funding and other contributions to non-profit domestic violence shelters and prevention programs across the country.
· 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.
APTX today announces that Chord Electronics Ltd., the renowned British manufacturer of high-end audio equipment, has included apt-X in every Stereo Bluetooth enabled module in the company’s recently launched Chordette range of compact Hi-Fi components. Available under license agreement to consumer electronics OEMs and mobile computer OS developers, apt-X audio coding ensures that the performance of wireless audio systems, such as Bluetooth, truly facilitates the precision reproduction of the full spectrum of audio frequencies (20Hz – 22kHz) required for a genuine Hi-Fi sound experience.
apt-X makes Hi-Fi systems Bluetooth-friendly
Chord implements apt-X in four of nine new Chordette modules – PEACH, GEM, MAXX and TOUCAN BLUE – to guarantee both the stereo quality and signal integrity of wireless audio content streaming from diverse types of Bluetooth A2DP enabled media players such as Apple iPod, iPhone and Mac, as well as PCs, mobile phones and gaming consoles. Hi-Fi users typically prefer listening to music archived in high-definition uncompressed and “lossless” formats (eg, FLAC) rather than highly-compressed “lossy” formats (MP3, AAC).
Commenting on the deployment of apt-X in Chordette modules, John Franks, CEO of Chord Electronics said: “The PEACH – the next-generation DAC module in the Chordette range – is designed to interface Hi-Fi systems to digital audio sources streaming high-quality stereo audio via Bluetooth A2DP. For true Hi-Fi sound, Stereo Bluetooth really needs apt-X.”
Noel McKenna, CEO of APTX, said: “These are extraordinary times for apt-X in several respects. First, there’s the healthy uptake of apt-X by more and more consumer audio brands, both the mass-market types and niche pro-audio high-ends like Chord. Second, there’s the up-lift in brand awareness of apt-X thanks the growing number of CE products carrying with the apt-X logo now selling via major electronics retailers like Amazon and Apple Store. Third, and not least, there’s the turnaround in industry respect for Stereo Bluetooth as the go-to wireless technology for streaming high-quality audio.” Back in January, APTX, together with Creative, won the “Best of CES” Bluetooth SIG award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for the Inspire S2, a wireless 2.1 speaker system featuring apt-X.
The Chordette range comprises the following modules: the Chordette TOUCAN BLUE is an apt-X enabled Stereo Bluetooth headphone amplifier; MAXX is an apt-X enabled Stereo Bluetooth high-power amplifier; PEACH is a 4-input high-performance DAC (apt-X enabled Bluetooth, USB, coaxial SPDIF, optical TOS-link); and GEM, a standalone DAC featuring inputs for apt-X enabled Bluetooth and USB. The remaining modules in the identically-styled, frame-mountable Chordette line-up includes two high-spec power amplifiers (SCAMP and DUAL), a low-noise cartridge pre-amp (PRIME), a dual headphones amp (TOUCAN), and a compact Windows 7 media PC (MOGUL).