Hasta La Gadget!

The majority of the wireless music options we’ve seen rocking Kleer have, to this point, been of the ear bud variety — nice, but not if you’re more of a can man. For those who like a little more heft, welcome to TDK’s TH-WR700 wireless headphones, a $190 set that still looks to be too small if you’re going for the completely immersive over-the-ear style, but are said to provide less noise than comparable Bluetooth units and pledge to perform with 32Ω impedance, 20Hz-20kHz frequency response, and 108 dB/mW sensitivity. That price also nabs you the Kleer transmitter adapter, which has a 3.5mm input and just so happens to be fit perfectly on an iPhone. Coincidence? Don’t bet on it.

TDK’s TH-WR700 cans do wireless over Kleer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As the Year of the Tiger approaches (February 14th this year), Chinese workers look forward to their week-long holiday — a nightmarish time for foreign vendors who’ll struggle to get hold of anyone in the country. Sadly, this wasn’t the case for Wintek — screen supplier for Nokia, Huawei and Apple. The Taiwanese company’s East China factory ground to a halt last Friday morning, while about 2,000 of its 10,000 workers went on a five-hour protest over a rumored bonus cancellation for the second year in a row. On top of that, workers also criticized Wintek for using n-hexane — a banned substance used for cleaning LCDs — which they claim caused the death and paralyzation of several workers last year. Factory officials and Chinese health authorities don’t deny that n-hexane was used, but they say it wasn’t responsible for either the deaths or the paralyzations. Now, the good news: Wintek has promised that workers will get their bonuses, and further said that the factory hasn’t used n-hexane since August — complete with proof that current n-hexane levels are lower than safety regulations require. Let’s hope things get better between management and workers from now on. One more picture and video of the protest after the break.

Continue reading 2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production

2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turns out that leak we saw of the Jawbone Icon was for real after all, but it was only one of the six designs straight out of Aliph’s oven: (clockwise from top left) The Thinker, The Rogue, The Hero, The Ace, The Catch and — our favorite — The Bombshell. While these are the smallest and lightest Jawbones ever, Aliph has managed to cram in an allegedly improved NoiseAssassin and simultaneous dual-phone linkage, along with an onboard ‘AudioApp’ which vocally broadcasts battery level and caller ID. If you prefer a visual indication, the Icon also does a battery gauge on the iPhone — a first on a non-Apple Bluetooth headset — and apparently “Apple’s aware of this” so a firmware update shouldn’t kill this Palm Pre-style. We’re digging the MyTALK website — currently in beta — where you can pick and install other AudioApps and DialApps (for the multifunction button; e.g. voice dialing, free directory assistance and voice-to-SMS) onto the Icon, and both will be free except for some DialApps which require subscription. Oh, and there are seven earbud sizes plus an earloop to keep everyone happy too. When you’re done with picking, hit the Verizon stores for the initial launch today and pony up $99.99. Press release and video walkthrough of the MyTALK website after the break.

Continue reading Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset launched in six lush flavors (Update: video!)

Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset launched in six lush flavors (Update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good news, everyone! Our very own iPhone / iPod touch app is finally really available in Apple’s much talked about and critically acclaimed App Store! That’s right, all the excitement and info you’ve come to know and love from Engadget is now bottled in an easy to digest and delicious iPhone form. The application — easily downloadable from your device or iTunes — features a whole bunch of useful features such as offline viewing, built in streaming for The Engadget Show, in-app tipping (you know, for when you see the next iPhone), and all kinds of customization options. You can download the app right here, or click on the image above.

Even better than this? We’ve got more apps on the way! Before CES (fingers crossed), you should see both a BlackBerry and webOS version of the Engadget application, and plans for the Android version are already in motion.

Lastly, a big, big, big thanks to the team at AOL that actually made this thing a reality: Sun Sachs, Andy Averbuch, Hareesh P, Anibal Rosado, Rajesh Kumar, Rich Foster, Claudeland Louis, Mike Wolstat, Eric Wedge, Vikas B R, Milissa Tarquini, Asha Indira and Bob Gurwin. You guys rule.

Engadget for iPhone / iPod touch: available now! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vodafone has decided if it can’t give us the iPhone for the holidays, it’ll do the next best thing and spill details of its launch and pricing of Apple’s finest. Available from January 14, the iPhone will be yours for £30 ($48) per month on two-year contracts, though up-front charges will set you back £239 ($386) for the 32GB 3GS variety. A monthly 1GB of 3G data is permitted, alongside unlimited WiFi, but what might be most interesting here is that Vodafone will allow you to use the iPhone as a modem. Such use will not be covered by your allowance of course, and will cost £5 ($8) for each 500MB downloaded, but we’re happy to see a carrier offering the option. Furthermore, though Vodafone’s agreement to carry the iPhone seemed a rushed defensive move, the company now claims it has been preparing its network for over a year to handle the increased traffic it expects.

iPhone and Vodafone UK set the date: January 14 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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