Hasta La Gadget!

Bluetooth accessories that let you keep tabs of your stuff aren’t exactly new, but few are as charming and well-designed as hippih’s hipKey, at least from our initial impressions. Created and designed in Denmark, the tiny crescent-shaped device made its US debut at CES 2013 after a couple of very successful months abroad — it apparently sold out just five days after it was available through Apple Online Europe. It connects to any iOS device with Bluetooth 4.0, where you can either use the hipKey to keep track of your iPhone or iPad or use a handy iOS app to keep track of the device itself. Just hook it up to your precious belongings and you’ll know where they are via vibrations or an alarm. You can also use “Child Mode” to record what a child was wearing in case you lose him/her in a crowd. Additionally, there’s a patent-pending Safe Zone feature that lets you create alarm-free locations so you don’t accidentally set it off when at home or the office.

We had chance to try the hipKey out in person, and were impressed by its small and discreet size. Made out of anodized aluminium, it’s incredibly pocket-friendly and only has a couple of buttons so the controls are easy to comprehend. The alarm goes as loud as 90db and the vibrations seems pretty easy to detect. We only had a second or two to try the app out, but that appeared quite intuitive as well. It’s difficult to say whether this will be that useful in real life, but we’ll need to test it out for an extended period to find that out. According to a hippih spokesperson, the hipKey will be available from the Apple store in the US starting January 15th for $90 each.

Continue reading hippih’s Bluetooth-powered hipKey keeps your iPhone close, your precious things closer (hands-on)

Filed under: Cellphones

Comments

Source: hippih

For those looking for awesome and unique accessories for their favorite devices we have another fun one to show you today. Here at CES 2013 we caught up with TYLT, an accessory manufacturer that had all sorts of fun new products on display this year. What we’re showing below is their all new TYLT Bluetooth speaker that doubles as a charger and even has NFC capabilities.

TYLT had tons of products on display here, and we’ll be showing off more all week long. Their brand new TYLT TUNZ Bluetooth speaker had a few unique features up its sleeve like bass reflex, NFC tag capabilities, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, and even acts as an external charger for those moments in need.

All of TYLT’s new products are fun and full of color. Who needs the boring and old white anyways right? The TYLT TUNZ includes three adjustable and interchangeable silicon bands of different colors so you can personalize the look whenever you’d like. Connectivity is as usual via Bluetooth, but also offers the usual 3.5mm audio in, as well as audio out to export sound to a nearby device or TV. Then we mentioned NFC. The TUNZ comes with a free NFC app by Tagstand for easy NFC tagging to instantly play your favorite music and more.

With 30 hours of playback, the 2,500 mAh battery inside also doubles as a portable charger via USB 2.0 to your favorite smartphone. For more details and information you’ll want to start by heading here, and TYLT told SlashGear to expect their new speaker to hit the streets in early Q2 of 2013. The expected retail price will be $149, so should compete nicely with other options such as the JAMBOX. Even though TYLT offers USB charging of 2,500 mAh when you’d rather not jam to music for up to 30 hours unlike most of the competition.

TYLT TUNZ Bluetooth NFC speaker and charger Hands-on is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

4iiii has announced the launch of its Viiiiva, the first heart rate monitor that can talk to iOS devices in real time in addition to the proprietary ANT+ technology. It achieves this using an ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart bridge, enabling interaction with the HRM via an iPhone or iPod Touch. Users can nab the device now from certain retailers, or from 4iiii.com for $79.

In addition to working with the iPhone/iPod Touch, the Viiiiva can also display hear rate information to ANT+ displays, such as Garmin and TIMEX. The unit can pull the data coming from various ANT+ sensors, such as bike speed sensors, and feed it to the mobile device via the Bluetooth Smart bridge. This removes the need for separate adapters to get HRM details on the iPhone.

In addition to displaying heart rate monitor information on an iOS mobile device in real time, the Viiiiva also allows athletes to change settings, get performance feedback, and review summaries via an iPhone/iPod Touch. There’s support for many iOS fitness apps, including RunKeeper, Training Peaks, Runtastic, and Endomondo. When used with the accompanying sensors, the device will provide the apps with an array of information, including speed, power, and cadence.

4iiii Innovations’ Product Manager Alana Baxter offered this statement. “The Liiiink technology inside Viiiiva turns the iPhone/iPod touch into a cycling computer or running monitor, making performance monitoring smarter, faster and safer. As a group of triathletes we need a system that connects all our devices to our iPhone/iPod providing us with on-the-go monitoring, file saving, and performance review. It was through recognizing this need that we came up with the idea of Viiiiva and created our unique Liiiink technology.”

4iiii announces Viiiiva heart rate monitor with real-time iPhone connectivity is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With Sony’s CES press conference literally just starting, we’re pleased to be able to give you an early look at the latest sound pushers from its Personal Audio Division. The company is still aiming for that classicly subtle retro-futuristic look on these new devices, so you might not be swayed if you’ve never been a fan of the aesthetic in the past. That said, we’re pretty impressed with what’s inside of ’em. To start, there’s a duo of new NFC-packing speaker bars intended for use in and around the house — think of them as wireless replacements for your old docking speaker. Monikered as the not-so catchy SRS-BTX500 and BTX300, both can handle AAC and apt-X streaming over Bluetooth and stay charged for eight and six hours, respectively. Naturally, NFC handles pairing and powering the devices on for seamless tap-to-start playback.

Both systems will house “damperless” drivers, which Sony’s claims reduces vibration and increases clarity. Each also features a USB port that’ll charge your devices and speakerphone capabilities, as these are becoming the norm. While the bars we handled were dummies, we aren’t fond of the fragile kickstand found on the smaller 300. We managed to easily knock the speaker over trying to fiddle with it’s clumsily locking switch. Otherwise, these might make a nice addition around the house if the sound matches up to the $300 (BTX500, in black) and $200 (BTX300, in white or black) price points in March. Beyond those, Sony’s announcing US availability during the same month for its smaller — also NFC and Bluetooth-packing — SRS-BTM8 ($99, in black) and BTM5 ($69, in black, white and pink) speakers. The BTM8 is begging to be taken on your next picnic thanks to its carrying handle, while the BTM5 is palmable orb with one up-firing speaker for when you need a speakerphone in a pinch.

Lastly, the company is highlighting it’s newest Walkman-branded MP3 fitness headphones, the NZW-W270. While the Bluetooth in-ears look similar to previous models, Sony’s made them completely waterproof this time around (previous models were only water resistant). You’ll get 4GB of non-expandable onboard storage, as well as up to eight hours from its internal battery. Better yet, a three-minute quick charge from a dead battery will yield up to an hour of run-time in a pinch. Expect it to hit shelves in black, white, pink and blue this March for 100 bones. Check out the galleries above for a closer look in the meantime — bonus points if you manage to recall the product names after you move on to more of our CES coverage.

Continue reading Sony unveils NFC-enabled Bluetooth speakers, waterproof Walkman MP3 headphones at CES (eyes-on)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, Wearables, Sony

Comments

Philips isn’t showing off anything too groundbreaking at CES in the in the audio department, but it looks to be a solid offering all-around nonetheless. Whether you’re eyeing the likes of a new soundbar for your home theater system or portable wireless speaker, the company should have you covered with latest Fidelio offerings — and of course that’s not all. We’ve got a quick breakdown of all the goods being shown off after the break, along with an eyes-on galleries so you can get up-close look for yourself. As always, you’ll find the full press releases below it all for more info.

Continue reading Philips showcases its 2013 Fidelio audio lineup at CES, we go eyes-on

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, HD

Comments