Oct 28

Escort’s SmartCord Live brings radar detection, KRS-One to your smartphone (video)

Posted in: Android, app, application, bluetooth, car, cloud, iPhone, mobilepostmini, smartphone, Today's Chili, video
Evading the long arm of the law, as we all know, is infinitely easier with a radar detector onboard — and even easier if said detector is hooked up to a cloud. That’s the idea behind the SmartCord Live, a new power cord from the eagle-eyed folks at Escort. Once connected to your car’s radar detector and lighter socket, this Bluetooth-enabled bundle will communicate with your iPhone or Android handset through a specialized app. Once that’s taken care of, you’ll be hooked up to Escort Live — a so-called “social network for the road.” There, you’ll find access to Escort’s Defender database, full of real-time geographic information on verified speed traps, red light cameras and other roadway surveillance systems. Once your detector picks up a threat, you can press a “report” button on the cord or app to instantly send out a big “five-oh” to all other Escort users in the area, while boosting your Karma quotient, in the process. Find out more about the cord and its corollary system, after the break.

Continue reading Escort’s SmartCord Live brings radar detection, KRS-One to your smartphone (video)

Escort’s SmartCord Live brings radar detection, KRS-One to your smartphone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 27

Nokia’s N9 gets its tap-to-pair on with the Play 360 Bluetooth speaker (video)

Posted in: bluetooth, meego, mobilepostmini, Music, nfc, nokia, speaker, Today's Chili, video

Oh, Meego, we barely knew ye. Yet, the Finnish OS that could continues to shower us with glimpses of what might’ve been… more widespread, that is. At least we have the consolation prize of seeing your host hardware, the N9, effortlessly display its untapped powers of NFC. Shown off here in a demo taken at the just wrapped Nokia World, that tap-to-pair functionality we’d previously seen in HP’s webOS devices and, more recently as ICS’ Android Beam, bridges the blue polycarbonate slab to a Play 360 speaker by a mere gentle swipe. That’s all it takes to send tracks from Nokia’s Music app direct to the Bluetooth peripheral’s curvature continuous form. Like what you see? Then hopefully these tricked out features will make their way to identical twin Lumia’s Mango-fied line. Full video awaits you just after the break.

Continue reading Nokia’s N9 gets its tap-to-pair on with the Play 360 Bluetooth speaker (video)

Nokia’s N9 gets its tap-to-pair on with the Play 360 Bluetooth speaker (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 25

Mosoro Bluetooth LE iOS accessories improve your golf, if the weather’s right

Posted in: app, apps, bluetooth, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod, mobilepostcross, Sports, Today's Chili

So far the appcessories — yeah we said it, APPcessories — we’ve seen include some good ideas, and some less so. The Bluetooth LE 3D-Sport and Weather offerings from Mosoro fall into the former category (if they make their way into a shipping product that is). The 3D-Sport is a motion capture device you attach to sports equipment. The on-board accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer beam motion data to your iOS device, where it can be analyzed by Rocky-style Russian coaches to see where your throw or golf swing is going wrong. The latter is a mini weather station that reads temperature, humidity, elevation, and barometric pressure to tell you the conditions where you are right now. More usefully, it nabs your GPS location and uploads it all to Mosoro’s aptly named “Cloud” Server that presumably maps out some crazy real-time crowdsourced weather report. Both also use Bluetooth 4.0’s low energy technology so they won’t need to see a charger for a long time. Now we just need a company that likes collating personal data, perhaps with a weather service, to snap this one up… any takers?

Continue reading Mosoro Bluetooth LE iOS accessories improve your golf, if the weather’s right

Mosoro Bluetooth LE iOS accessories improve your golf, if the weather’s right originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 25

Bluetooth SIG unveils Smart Marks, explains v4.0 compatibility with unnecessary complexity

Posted in: bluetooth, minipost, Today's Chili, Wireless

Bluetooth has been through bevy of official versions to date, and now its eponymous Special Interest Group is announcing Smart Marks to differentiate device types in v4.0. Products will now fall under three brands including Bluetooth Smart Ready, Bluetooth Smart and the original itself. According to Bluetooth SIG, the new visuals are intended to help gauge device compatibility and also denote what form of radios they have. Essentially, Smart Ready refers to any electronics that feature Bluetooth v4.0 with a dual radio, like the iPhone 4S, while the Smart tag covers “devices like heart-rate monitors or pedometers that run on button-cell batteries and were built to collect a specific piece of information.” In terms of compatibility, Smart Ready devices can interface with themselves and both of the others, while standard Bluetooth lacks compatibility with Smart, which can only hookup with Smart Ready-enabled gadgets. If you ask us, it’s all a bit confusing at the moment, but at least there’s a chart for memorizing it all. Hit the source link below for all the details.

Continue reading Bluetooth SIG unveils Smart Marks, explains v4.0 compatibility with unnecessary complexity

Bluetooth SIG unveils Smart Marks, explains v4.0 compatibility with unnecessary complexity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 18

Ford brings Bluetooth text message readouts to more SYNC vehicles

Posted in: bluetooth, Ford, minipost, sync, Today's Chili, update

Got a SYNC-tastic Ford from 2011 onwards? Then you’ll find that the latest update (G1 V3.2.2) to the dash software will let you listen to your smartphone’s incoming emails and SMS messages via the car’s audio system, thanks to the inclusion of Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile). We’ve already seen the tech running in BMW’s iDrive dash system and in MyFord Touch-equipped cars too, so the news here is just a wider roll-out to a bigger range of vehicles — but we’ll welcome anything that keeps more eyes on the prize. Read the full PR after the break and then enter your VIN at the More Coverage link below to see if you’re eligible.

Continue reading Ford brings Bluetooth text message readouts to more SYNC vehicles

Ford brings Bluetooth text message readouts to more SYNC vehicles originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 17

Nokia Essence promises 99.8 percent noise cancellation, lets you listen to Ke$ha in peace

Posted in: bluetooth, headphones, nfc, nokia, Today's Chili

In-ear headphones that cancel out almost all of the background noise? Yes, please. The Nokia Essence is the latest stereo Bluetooth to hit the market, and it’s poised to eliminate as much of the world around you as possible — 99.8 percent of it, at least. As many earbuds impel the user to turn up the volume level just to hear more bass, the idea with the Essence is to zap out low-frequency background noises (such as traffic) to provide a deeper bass sound without having to crank up the knob to 11. The Essence is also equipped with NFC for easy tap-to-pair functionality. Scroll down below to see a video showing a guy who’s getting the most out of his new headphones.

Continue reading Nokia Essence promises 99.8 percent noise cancellation, lets you listen to Ke$ha in peace

Nokia Essence promises 99.8 percent noise cancellation, lets you listen to Ke$ha in peace originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 17

BlueSLR dongle arrives for BlackBerry and (some) Android phones

Posted in: Android, AndroidOs, Apple, BlackBerry, bluetooth, camera, digital camera, DigitalCamera, dslr, gps, HTC, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, minipost, nikon, remote, remote control, RemoteControl, samsung, Today's Chili

Offering to play matchmaker between your high-end camera and smartphone, XEquals has extended support for its BlueSLR remote control beyond iOS. Yes, Blackberry and Android users can now download their respective app and pair this Bluetooth dongle to their (still Nikon-only) DSLR. The compatible dongle and free app will land later this month, but before you lay down the requisite $149, it’s worth checking that both your camera and phone models are supported. As it stands, compatible Android phones are limited to some HTC or Samsung models. While Android support is likely to expand in the future, there’s no word on a Pre 3 version.

Continue reading BlueSLR dongle arrives for BlackBerry and (some) Android phones

BlueSLR dongle arrives for BlackBerry and (some) Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 17

Motorola intros Elite Sliver and Elite Flip Bluetooth headsets with NFC pairing (video)

Posted in: app, bluetooth, headset, mobilepostcross, mobilepostmini, motorola, nfc, Today's Chili, video
Bluetooth headsets are normally the province of businesspeople so important they can’t spare the energy to hold a phone to their ears or, perhaps, folks who just want to play CIA agent. If you find yourself in either category, Motorola’s newest offerings will put what passes for a smile on your serious businessperson face. The outfit just took the wraps off two Elite series headsets, both equipped with NFC pairing, so one tap ‘twixt phone and earpiece will have you ready to simultaneously drive and talk. You’ll also get integration with MyMotospeak, now capable of dictating text messages as well as hearing them read to you, HD-Audio, CrystalTalk noise cancellation and a roaming distance of 300 feet. While the Flip looks the part of your typical earpiece, the Sliver (pictured above) has decidedly more futuristic digs. Both will be available on October 24th with the Flip costing $100 and the Sliver fetching an extra $30 for its avant-garde design.We’ve got PR after the break along with a demo video — because who doesn’t love watching cartoon characters explain how NFC works?

Continue reading Motorola intros Elite Sliver and Elite Flip Bluetooth headsets with NFC pairing (video)

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Motorola intros Elite Sliver and Elite Flip Bluetooth headsets with NFC pairing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 13

Nokia outs colorful 603 handset, coupled with NFC-equipped Luna Bluetooth headset

Posted in: availability, bluetooth, camera, headset, mobilepostmini, nfc, nokia, os, price, processor, smartphone, Today's Chili
The leaves in your yard may be transitioning to the more subdued hues of autumn, but Nokia’s new 603 smartphone certainly isn’t. Available in six different back cover colors, this new Symbian Belle handset is powered by a 1GHz processor and boasts a 3.5-inch, capacitive touchscreen with 640 x 360 resolution. It also comes with 2GB of internal memory, a 32GB microSD slot and five megapixel camera, along with full NFC and Bluetooth 3.0 capabilities. Speaking of which, the folks in Espoo have also taken this opportunity to unveil their new Luna Bluetooth headset — an NFC-enabled, in-ear accessory that delivers up to eight hours of extended talk time, as well as a rainbow of colors (see an image after the break). As far as pricing goes, the 603 will set you back €200 (about $275), with the Luna headset sitting at €70 (around $96). Neither will hit the market until Q4 of this year, but you can find more information in the full PR, looming after the break.

Continue reading Nokia outs colorful 603 handset, coupled with NFC-equipped Luna Bluetooth headset

Nokia outs colorful 603 handset, coupled with NFC-equipped Luna Bluetooth headset originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 12

iPhone 4S claims title of first Bluetooth 4.0 smartphone, ready to stream data from your cat

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, bluetooth, iPhone, iphone 4s, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili
iPhone 4S

The Bluetooth 4.0 specification may have been finalized in July of last year, but smartphones supporting the standard are just starting to hit the market. In fact, the first such handset is the iPhone 4S. That the 4S is the first to deliver its 4.0 wares to the American public is something that got lost in all the hubbub surrounding its launch. One of the biggest selling points of the latest version of the PAN standard is its low-power mode, though that wont have much of an impact on Apple’s device. What it will enable the latest iGadget to do however, is act as a hub — collecting data from multiple sensors and accessories simultaneously, such as heart rate monitors and cats. Don’t expect this to be alone on the market for long, other manufacturers will certainly be squeezing support for the specification into their next flagship device.

iPhone 4S claims title of first Bluetooth 4.0 smartphone, ready to stream data from your cat originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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