May 10

Fossil Meta Watch wrists-on at Google I/O (video)

Posted in: bluetooth, Google, hands-on, pre-order, smartphone, tablet, texas instruments, ti, Today's Chili, video, watch
Today at Google I/O we got a chance to play with Meta Watch, Fossil’s wearable development platform, which allows developers to extend the interfaces of devices and applications to the wrist. Both watches — one analog / digital with a traditional dial plus two small OLED displays, the other digital with a larger memory-in-pixel LCD (a highly reflective, always-on, ultra low-power screen) — feature Bluetooth for communication, along with a vibration motor, three-axis accelerometer, and ambient light sensor. The devices are built around Texas Instrument’s super efficient MSP430TM microcontroller and CC2560 Bluetooth radio and will run seven days on a charge. A set of contacts in the back allow the watches to interface with a debugging clip for charging and JTAG programming. The hardware is paired with an SDK which allows a tablet or smartphone running Android to register button presses and receive sensor data from the watches, and then respond by sending text or triggering the vibration motor. It’s also possible to design custom embedded wearable applications running directly on your wrist, and it will be up to developers to truly unleash the magical possibilities here.

Speaking of which, the Meta Watch is currently available to pre-order for $199 (see our source link), with availability pegged for June 30th. Based on what we heard today at Google I/O, the watch is being hawked to developers only, but it’s obvious that DIY-minded folks will be able to buy one as well. For now, just two of the models shown here will be sold, but there’s no telling what will happen once the platform builds up enough of a backbone to support an influx of actual customers. The company isn’t handing out a timeframe as to when it will be ready for the mass market, but we’d be shocked if it was still floundering around this time next year. Interested in having an early peek? Take a look at our gallery below and our hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: Fossil Meta Watch wrists-on at Google I/O

Continue reading Fossil Meta Watch wrists-on at Google I/O (video)

Fossil Meta Watch wrists-on at Google I/O (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 May 2011 20:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTexas Instruments  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
May 07

Snail concept rolls out Braille-to-speech translation

Posted in: bluetooth, concept, Today's Chili

A new concept that fits nicely in the things-you-never-knew-you-wanted category is determined to make speed readers out of the visually impaired. Snail — deceptive name aside — uses a pressure-sensitive touch pad to read patterns in a Braille passage, then translates them to speech, speeding up the reading process and allowing users to record audio passages for later playback. The user places his / her thumb, in the obvious opening and glides the device over a line of Braille. The translated audio is then played back either through a built-in speaker or over a connected Bluetooth headset. Snail was made with the blind in mind, but considering we’ve always been curious about what resides in those bumpy white lines, we wouldn’t mind rolling with one of these things ourselves. As is the case with so many concepts, however, there’s no telling when or if this Snail will slither on to the market.

Snail concept rolls out Braille-to-speech translation originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 May 2011 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Physorg  |  sourceYanko  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
May 06

Thumb Keyboard With Rear-Facing Trackpad

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, bluetooth, ipad, keyboard, Today's Chili, xbox

The Thumb Keyboard looks great for TVs, terrible for phones

The iTablet Thumb Keyboard is being marketed as an accessory for Android and iOS cellphones, and for the iPad. It might be better to focus on its ability to hook up to the Xbox 360 or media-center PC, though, as it is almost spectacularly ill-suited to mobile devices.

The keypad is similar in form to a console gamepad. You hold it in two hands and type on the QWERTY ‘board with two thumbs, as God intended (if God had been a teenager obsessed with texting). Round the back is a trackpad that you tickle with your fingers, and above that are the left and right mouse buttons. A function and caps-lock button on the front panel complete the lineup.

The Thumb Keyboard also has backlit keys and communicates via Bluetooth.

But even the greatest hater of on-screen keyboards would’t want to use this. First, you have to prop your phone up somewhere you can see the screen. Then you need to go back and forth between typing and touching the screen (the trackpad input obviously can’t be sent to a phone that lacks a mouse pointer). This is bad enough using an iPad at a desk with a proper stand and keyboard. Add in a device you have to hold and it becomes a nightmare.

For a media-center PC, though, it looks perfect, barely bigger than a regular remote and easy to just toss onto the sofa when you’re done. The marketing sure is ass-backwards on this one.

Should you require a Thumb Keyboard, you can have one for £80, or a ridiculous $131. Available now.

Thumb Keyboard product page [iTablet]

See Also:


No Comments | Tags: ,
May 05

Creative’s new Bluetooth speakers sound vaguely familiar

Posted in: bluetooth, speaker, speakers, Today's Chili
Creative’s family of Bluetooth speakers got a few more additions today. The company unveiled the wireless one-piece D80, which for most intents and purposes, is identical to its colorful sibling the D100, save for a lower price tag at $50 and a loss of battery power. The $300 ZiiSound D5x, meanwhile, looks an awful lot like 2010’s D5, though this one plays nice with the newly announced D3x modular speaker and DSx modular subwoofer, both of which are priced at $150 a pop. The D80 is hitting this month and the ZiiSound’s various components will be arriving this summer, so don’t throw out last year’s models just yet. Press info after the break.

Continue reading Creative’s new Bluetooth speakers sound vaguely familiar

Creative’s new Bluetooth speakers sound vaguely familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCreative  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
May 05

Bluetooth Thumb Keyboard apes Backflip, may or may not be shipping now

Posted in: accessories, bluetooth, keyboard, Today's Chili
iTablet Thumb Keyboard

iTablet has found itself on the pages of Engadget before, primarily for vaporware slates and cheap attempts to garner attention with its iMoniker. Now its parent company AHX Global is back with an actual product — a thumb-friendly Bluetooth keyboard. That’s right, no capacitive touch screens here, just backlit QWERTY keys and a “patented rear-facing touchpad” (oh, you mean like the Backflip). You can order the inventively named Thumb Keyboard now at the source link for £79.99 (about $132) but, having only seen renders and considering the company’s track record, we’re hedging our bets on whether this thing is actually shipping yet. Full PR is after the break.

Continue reading Bluetooth Thumb Keyboard apes Backflip, may or may not be shipping now

Bluetooth Thumb Keyboard apes Backflip, may or may not be shipping now originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 16:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiTablet  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
May 05

Creative debuts compact, Bluetooth-enabled Zen Style M300 PMP

Posted in: bluetooth, mp3 player, Mp3Player, PMP, Today's Chili
It may not be quite as convenient to wear as a watch, but Creative’s new Zen Style M300 PMP does have a leg up on the slightly smaller iPod nano in one key respect: it packs built-in Bluetooth 2.1 support so you can use wireless headphones with it. You can also expand the PMP’s memory beyond its basic 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB capacities thanks to its microSD card slot, although you won’t get a touchscreen here — the 1.45-inch display is simply complemented by a couple of touch buttons. Otherwise, you’ll get a built-in FM radio, a mic for voice recording, a promised 20 hours of battery life, and your choice of four different colors: black, white, red or yellow. Those that can do without Bluetooth can also opt for the slightly cheaper, and otherwise identical M100 model — look for both to be available in June, with prices running from $40 to $90. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Creative debuts compact, Bluetooth-enabled Zen Style M300 PMP

Creative debuts compact, Bluetooth-enabled Zen Style M300 PMP originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
May 04

Fossil Meta Watch shows you where you can put your fifth screen

Posted in: bluetooth, HP, sdk, Smartphones, tablets, texas instruments, ti, Today's Chili, watch

When he first showed off the original iPad, Steve Jobs talked up the “fourth screen.” But is four really enough? We mean, really? Could the fifth screen really have been on our wrists all along? Sure, we’ve seen plenty fall flat with smartwatches, including big names like Microsoft and Sony Ericsson, but that hasn’t stopped companies from trying. The Meta Watch certainly isn’t Fossil’s first connected wristwatch — nor is it the first watch SDK — but it does have a lot going for it, including a thumbs up from HP. The two models are built on Texas Instruments’ CC2560 Bluetooth platform, which allow them to receive push notifications from smartphones and tablets, so you can read e-mail, tweets, or Facebook updates — assuming the right developers get onboard. And since none of the apps actually live on the watches, they get solid battery life — seven full days on a charge, according to the company. You can pre-order the watches now, or wait until they officially go on sale in July for $200 a pop — make sure to set a reminder on your nano. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Fossil Meta Watch shows you where you can put your fifth screen

Fossil Meta Watch shows you where you can put your fifth screen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMeta Watch  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Apr 29

HP webOS keyboard passes FCC smell test, won’t zap you to death with radiation

Posted in: bluetooth, hewlett-packard, HP, keyboard, palm, Today's Chili, webos

We already got some hands-on time with HP’s sleek webOS keyboard, and now it’s the FCC’s turn. The skinny peripheral — that’s Bluetooth Keyboard KT-1087 to you — popped up on the Federal Communications Commission’s site, stripped naked for the government filing enthusiasts of the world to collectively ogle. That hopefully means the rest of us will see the wireless add-on for sale in the near future, AA batteries not included — it would sure go nicely with that HP TouchPad you’ve been eyeing. Those who get a perverse thrill watching unreleased products sprawled out, alien autopsy-style are encouraged to check out the gallery below.

Gallery: webOS Keyboard FCC Filing

webOS Keyboard FCC Filing

HP webOS keyboard passes FCC smell test, won’t zap you to death with radiation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Apr 21

iCade arcade cabinet for iPad starts selling at $100, already on backorder

Posted in: Apple, apple ipad, AppleIpad, availability, available, bluetooth, case, gaming, ipad, on sale, OnSale, pre-order, Retro, tablet, Today's Chili

Humans, they just love mixing the old with the new. To wit, the iCade gaming cabinet for the iPad, an April Fools’ joke that was just a fun idea this time last year, has gone and turned very real, replete with FCC certification and now a pre-order page. The Bluetooth-communicating iPad enclosure seems to have originally been on sale for immediate delivery, but ThinkGeek has burned through its first shipment of units faster than you can say “Atari’s Greatest Hits.” The second batch of $100 iCades is expected by May 20th at the very latest, although orders are being taken only from the US for now. The rest of the world needn’t despair, however — we hear building one of your own is a pleasurable and rewarding experience.

iCade arcade cabinet for iPad starts selling at $100, already on backorder originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CrunchGear  |  sourceThinkGeek  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , , ,
Apr 20

Honda Turns Deaf Ear to Safety, Leaves Bluetooth Off Most Civics

Posted in: bluetooth, Today's Chili

Honda_Civic_12_headon.jpgThe 2012 Honda Civic may be the best compact car ever made (see review), but a boneheaded marketing decision leaves the majority of Civic buyers unable to get Bluetooth, an important safety and convenience feature. The Bluetooth Handsfree Link feature is only on the Civic EX and EX-L models. It’s not on the barebones Civic DX that nobody cares about, but it’s also omitted from the next model up, the Civic LX, which has accounted for just over half of Civic sales. And it’s not on the Civic HF, the eco model sitting between the LX and EX designed to eke out a few more mpg.

No Comments | Tags: ,