File Expert Android app taps NFC to hasten your Bluetooth data transfers

What may seem like technology thought up for insert-some-Bond-flick-here, the File Expert Android app has added NFC functionality to its latest build — making single-tap transfers a new reality. Like the previous rendition, it uses Bluetooth to send data, but a friendly bump replaces the traditional pairing process, speeding up the exchange dramatically (like we said, perfect for overworked spies). We’ve seen magic like this before, and we’ll certainly see more like it as NFC becomes more ubiquitous, but what’s next? NFC-to-NFC file transfers, no middleman required. Fist bump to that.

[Thanks, Binoy]

File Expert Android app taps NFC to hasten your Bluetooth data transfers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crux360 iPad 2 keyboard case review

Yeah… we know. At this point you’re probably clutching your funds tightly, eagerly anticipating the release of the iPad 3. But for those of you who recently purchased version 2.0, or perhaps just discovered your need for a Bluetooth keyboard, allow us to shed some light on the Crux360. Sure this isn’t the first one of these we’ve seen, but the full range of motion in the hinge makes this a nice accessory for your Apple slate. We spent a couple weeks putting it through the wringer, so read on past the break to see what we discovered.

Continue reading Crux360 iPad 2 keyboard case review

Crux360 iPad 2 keyboard case review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jabra Sport bluetooth headset lets you work the Thigh Master during concalls

If you’re secretly wearing Spandex bicycle shorts underneath your suit for on-the-fly workouts between conference calls, then perhaps Jabra’s new Sport bluetooth headset is for you. Of course it allows you to answer calls, but what’s cooler is the built-in FM radio and A2DP technology for wirelessly connecting to your MP3 player — claiming to be the first headset to handle both. The company also threw in a free download of the Endomondo Sports Tracker for iPhone, Android or BlackBerry — which is kind of like the Nike+ app, tracking runs and giving speed and distance updates. This $99 device will be sold by Sprint, Apple and T-Mobile, and available sometime in September along with a corded version, aptly named the Jabra Sport-Corded, for $69. Get ready to tear away those wool trousers and check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Jabra Sport bluetooth headset lets you work the Thigh Master during concalls

Jabra Sport bluetooth headset lets you work the Thigh Master during concalls originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung i727 shows off at the FCC, confesses its AT&T LTE secrets

Looks like Sammy’s prepping to bring one of its big Galaxy guns to AT&T’s 4G race. The handset, bearing the same SGH-i727 model number as Rogers’ Galaxy S II LTE and the FCC ID A3LSGHi727, just popped up on the Commission’s databases giving us a glimpse into its guts and bolts. While there’s no clear indication of the phone’s screen size, it’s likely to follow suit with a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, adding to its beastly arsenal the orange-colored carrier’s 850 / 1900 WCDMA and HSPA bands, 700MHz LTE and (surprise) LTE AWS — helpful if that T-Mobile acquisition gets pushed through. Of course, there’s the usual WiFi and Bluetooth mention in the docs, with the device powered by a 1500mAh battery. Could this be one of the OEM’s recently announced wunderkind Galaxy R devices, or just a 4G update to its premiere S series? We’ll keep an eagle eye out for this one’s inevitable in-the-wild debut.

Samsung i727 shows off at the FCC, confesses its AT&T LTE secrets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s new A, E, and S series Walkmans to get Music Unlimited freebie

For those that haven’t yet gone down the iFaithful portable media player route, there’s always the Walkman. Sony officially unveiled updates to its A, S and E series line of players just last month, and now plans to dole out a free trial of Music Unlimited to owners of the NWZ-A860, S760BT and E460 when they go on sale this September. The streaming service, formerly known as Qriocity, brings with it a catalog of over 10 million songs and will be available gratis for 180 days, after which it’ll run you $3.99/mo for basic service and $9.99/mo for the premium offering. It might be too late in the game for the company to wrestle back the portable audio crown but, hey, you can’t fault it for trying to sweeten the MP3-playing pot. Official PR awaits you after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s new A, E, and S series Walkmans to get Music Unlimited freebie

Sony’s new A, E, and S series Walkmans to get Music Unlimited freebie originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wear Your Tunes With JawBone JamChain

Pimp your speaker with the JamChain

I’m not sure what I like the most about JawBone’s JamChain — the product itself or the promo video that goes with it. Starring Hasan Minhaj — comedian, actor, writer and alpha nerd — the spot is a geek parody of Ice Cube’s It Was a Good Day, with bikes instead of low-riders and a JamBox speaker instead of, erm, low-riders.

The JamChain is a piece of frivolous nonsense, a plastic chain with a cradle into which your punchy Bluetooth speaker slips, ready to be slung around your neck like Flava Flav’s clock. Best of all is that the JamChain is free to JamBox owners. Just sign into your MyTalk page (the place you go to make software updates and tweak settings), hit the “deals” tab and you’re there. You’ll have to pay shipping.

What I’m more interested in, though, is that handlebar mount for the speaker. I’d buy that in an instant.

Introducing the JamChain [JawBone]

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Cobra Tag review

Phone, keys, wallet. Discovering that you’re missing any of these three items could easily trigger a panic attack, yet they’re all so easy to misplace. How many times have you spent twenty minutes looking for keys that were buried between the couch cushions? The Cobra Tag may help you win that losing battle. Acting as a Bluetooth device that attaches to your key ring and connects to your phone, it gives you the opportunity to find the missing item if it’s less than 30 feet away. It can also send notifications when the two devices are out of range from each other. The concept sounds convenient, but how does it work in practice? Let’s find out.

Continue reading Cobra Tag review

Cobra Tag review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SUFFER ’11 farming robot plays a multitude of roles, takes commands via Wiimote (video)

So much for stereotypes, eh? The future of farming is being painted in a far different light here at NEXT Aarhus, where a team from the University of Southern Denmark brought in the largest Wiimote-controlled robot that we’ve ever seen. The heretofore unnamed beast (going by SUFFER ’11 for the time being) is a farming-centric machine that’s designed to take the load off of the landowners (while providing a bit of enjoyment all the while). Put simply, this modular bot can have various apparatuses swapped into its midsection — one pop-in attachment could pick potatoes, while another could disperse pesticide, for example. There’s even a module that’ll enable it to detect rows and plow down the obvious routes, making it that much easier for farmers of the next millennium to take time off. Of course, the standout feature from our perspective was the inbuilt Bluetooth and WiFi, which allowed the demonstrator to operate the ‘bot with a standard Wii remote. Per usual, the vid’s after the break.

Continue reading SUFFER ’11 farming robot plays a multitude of roles, takes commands via Wiimote (video)

SUFFER ’11 farming robot plays a multitude of roles, takes commands via Wiimote (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jawbone announces Icon HD headset with improved audio, ‘Nerd’ adapter for making PC-based VoIP calls

It’s been the better part of a year since we’ve seen a new Jawbone headset, and in that time the outfit’s clearly been focusing less on brainstorming cutesy names for its Bluetooth earpieces and more on tweaking the sound quality. The company just announced the Icon HD, whose wideband speaker is 25 percent larger than the original Icon’s, and which lets you pause and play songs and podcasts by pressing a button on the headset. The real story, though, isn’t the Icon HD, but The Nerd, a questionably named add-on that plugs into your computer’s USB port, allowing the headset to field VoIP calls from PCs and Macs, in addition to ones coming through to your cellphone. The hook here — aside from the added functionality — is that it’s a plug-n-play device that doesn’t require any software installation. It’s almost as if — wait for it — a nerd took the reins and set up wireless VoIP calling for you. The pair’s on sale as a bundle for $139, and will hit brick-and-mortar stores soon. In other news, Jawbone’s Companion for Android app, which displays headsets’ battery life among other vitals, is now out of the testing phase and ready for general consumption. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Jawbone announces Icon HD headset with improved audio, ‘Nerd’ adapter for making PC-based VoIP calls

Jawbone announces Icon HD headset with improved audio, ‘Nerd’ adapter for making PC-based VoIP calls originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: accessories

Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’ve got a slew of accessories — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

Fall’s slowly, but surely creeping back in, and we bet you’ve already started to gather up the necessary gear for your return to the residence hall. Sure, you’ve got the basics covered, with a computer, smartphone, MP3 player and even a tablet at the ready. But wouldn’t it be nice to start the school year off in style with some handy accoutrements to trick out those digital crutches? Let’s face it, you’re going to need a lapdesk buffer zone between you and your laptop’s scorching heat for those countless hours spent churning out term papers. Or, an external hard drive, so you can store those full seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and bring the late night funny to your stressed-out friends. However you manage to make it through the year and snag that 4.0 GPA, we’ve got a selection of accessorized aids to match your collegiate budget. Oh, and don’t forget, we’re giving away $3,000 worth of essential back to school gear to 15 readers, and you can be among the chosen few simply by dropping a comment below! Click on past the break to start browsing.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: accessories

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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