Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re in the market for a new Bluetooth headset, Sony Mobile has announced the SBH50 which was announced alongside the Xperia ZR just yesterday. The headset is essentially a sequel to the company’s Smart Wireless Headset Pro, and as […]

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This week the folks at Runtastic have made it clear that their ability to track and bring together a community of runners and fitness fanatics is not limited to software. The company has today shown a Bluetooth heart rate monitor, a GPS watch, a “Runtastic Sports Armband” for holding your iPhone or similarly-sized Android phone, and a receiver and chest strap – for heart rate, altitude, distance ran, and more – each of these then fed wirelessly into your smartphone with a Runtastic app. While Runtastic has offered hardware like these accessory bits and pieces before in a more limited way, this week they’ve made their move to the USA.

The company has spoken up about how well they’re doing for downloads, noting their main app to be at a point where it’s downloaded once per second – though when and for how long this happened is not exactly clear. On the other hand, it can be noted that Runtastic’s community of users is above 25 million counting mobile app users and up to 10 million in registered users on their website.

The Runtastic hardware family has also been expanded with a bike mount for iPhone and Android smartphones. The full collection of hardware accessories offered by Runtastic this week have been entered into an exclusive agreement with Amazon.com – so you might not be seeing them available in your local corner shop any time soon. A Runtastic Speed and Cadence Bike Sensor rounds off the family, turning your bike into what the company says will be a “cycling computer” with Bluetooth capabilities.

“By offering hardware, apps and services that are all developed in-house, Runtastic creates an integrated experience that is easy and fun.” – Runtastic CEO Florian Gschwandtner

The company is banking on the idea of creating and offering all software and hardware in their workout ecosystem themselves. With control over all elements from top to bottom, Runtastic enters a place where they’ve got the ability to make changes to software in app form and in updates to the software embedded in each device – if need be.

Such a system has worked well for larger companies in the past – and though businesses such as this don’t often start with the software and work out to the hardware from there, Runtastic seems to be doing just that, in a big way.

Runtastic accessories bring hardware in-house: GPS and Bluetooth on-deck is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Sony is releasing 3 new multi channel integrated amplifier models: STR-DN1040, STR-DN840 and STR-DH740.

“STR-DN1040″ and “STR-DN840″ have Wi-Fi, cable LAN, Bluetooth, Airplay, and USB terminal built-in. “STR-DN1040″ has an MHL compliant HDMI terminal. By connecting an MHL compliant mobile device with a dedicated cable, you can play a movie or photos, etc. saved in the mobile device on a TV screen with full HD (1080p) and maximum 192kHz 24bit 7.1ch high quality sound.

All models have Sony’s unique technology “D.C.A.C.” (Digital Cinema Auto Calibration) that measures acoustic characteristics in a room and corrects and maximizes them.

All models feature newly-developed “Linear large-bandwidth power amp” technology and make 20% wider bandwidth than in previous models.

STR-DN1040
Release date: July 20
Price: 68,250 yen

STR-DN840
Release date: June 25
Price: 54,600 yen

STR-DH740
Release date: June 10
Price: 42,000 yen

It’s been a while since we’ve looked at enhanced PA speakers, and one of the last big hitters in the category was a little ostentatious. Samson’s new Expedition Express keeps things a little lower-key. The one-piece system will take both Bluetooth audio as well as quarter-inch and XLR instrument inputs, but it’s subtle enough to feel at home at both the beach and the boardroom. It’s also more portable than others — the small, 10-pound box should be easier to shlep around and lasts a reasonable eight hours on its rechargeable battery. The Expedition Express won’t be cheap when it ships this month for $200, and it certainly won’t make up for our ham-fisted guitar skills. It might, however, be a solid choice for a backyard party soundtrack.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video

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Source: Samson

It’s not the first time that Kwikset‘s dabbled in wireless locks, but today the company’s introducing Kēvo, a smartphone- (and tablet-) friendly lock powered by UniKey. The concept is pretty simple: pair a handset (running a special app) with Kēvo via Bluetooth, and simply touch the deadbolt to lock or unlock your door. A keychain fob is also available for those who have not yet joined the smartphone revolution. Kēvo only responds to touch when an authorized device or fob is detected nearby. A triple tap lets anyone lock your door, which is useful if a visitor leaves after you. The deadbolt is battery-powered using four AA cells that last more than a year with normal operation. It features a ring of RGB LEDs for feedback and a standard physical key for backup.

Most of the magic is made possible by tech developed by UniKey. The key (natch) to the entire system is the Kēvo app which lets you manage eKeys. Once logged into the app, you can send and delete eKeys, or transfer them to another device (this also deletes the eKeys associated with a lost handset, for example) — you can even create eKeys that only work once. Currently, the app is only available for iOS, which is a major limitation, but it supports push, email and SMS notifications and keeps a detailed log of which eKeys have accessed Kēvo and when. Pricing and availability remain a mystery, but all in all the system looks pretty clever. Stay tuned for more details, and check out the link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Household, Tablets, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Kwikset