Hasta La Gadget!

Ever wondered whether it’s worth shelling out the extra cash for a Bang & Olufsen system rather than cheaper rivals? B&O’s free Lightning upgrade deal for the BeoPlay A8 might convince you; the company has confirmed that all existing and new owners of the eye-catching iPhone and iPod speaker-dock will get a free Lighting adapter that seamlessly switches over with the legacy 30-pin Dock Connector.

Apple’s justification for the new Lightning connector is that it’s significantly smaller than the old port – which dated back to 2003 – and is all-digital. It can also be plugged in both ways around, though that’s probably not so useful for a speaker-dock where you’re more than likely going to want to see the screen.

B&O’s dock section is interchangeable, useful foresight when the A8 itself is a hefty $1,149 to begin with. Alternatively, if you’re living in Apple’s wireless world and don’t want to physically dock your device at all, the connector can be removed altogether.

The A8 Dock Upgrade Program is currently taking pre-registration details, with B&O saying the company will be in touch with owners when it knows more on the dock adapter’s availability. There’s more on the new iPhone 5 here, meanwhile, while we also have hands-on with the 5th-gen iPod touch which has also been upgraded to Lightning, and the 7th-gen iPod nano, which also bears the new port.

B&O offers free iPhone 5 Lighting upgrade for pricy BeoPlay A8 dock is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

You might remember Pear, a recent Insert Coin debutant that connects your favorite iDevice dock to (almost) any Bluetooth-connected smartphone. However, you probably didn’t notice its swift disappearance from Kickstarter just before the weekend. The people behind the project have contacted us, explaining that the crowdfunding site was hit with a cease and desist order for the dock converter, centering around a “trademark infringement issue.” With its funding page down, Pear says it had no way to tell its supporters that product development would continue, albeit under a new name. Anyone that funded the project is advised to register at the source link below to keep up-to-date. The founders aim to return to Kickstarter in around 3-6 weeks, with several as-yet unannounced enhancements coming alongside a new logo and moniker — something that it’s going to task its backers with deciding.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Bluetooth dock adapter Pear disappears from Kickstarter, founders promise return under new name originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 04:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“Music,” the wise Madonna once sang, “makes the people come together,” and although it may look like the tail-end of a Pagani Zonda, the Philips FWP3200D DJ-Dock attempts to do just that. A combination speaker system and dual-deck docking station, the DJ-Dock takes two iPhones or iPods in its rotatable bays – which can be swiveled for either a user standing behind, or positioned for communal control at a party – and includes integrated lighting effects.

The flashing speaker rings can be user-selected to glow either red, blue or purple, or indeed an alternating combination, and they pulse in time to the beat of the music. A matching FWP1000 speaker kit can be daisy-chained too, adding a further 240W of amplification and matching lighting.

Connectivity includes USB and and aux-in port, for use with non-Apple media players, and there’s an included remote control which can be used to switch between the lighting modes. A microphone input is also supplied, and there’s support for the Algoriddim djay app for iPhone and iPod touch. T

he usual DJ controller buttons and sliders are present and correct, including a channel fader for switching between the sources, treble/bass controls, and a “power boosting” MAX Sound mode for getting the thumpiest audio from the 300W amplification. Speakers consist of 2-inch tweeters and 5.25-inch woofers, and there’s an FM tuner if you’ve got nothing worth listening to on your phone.

The Philips FWP3200D DJ-Dock is available in the UK now, priced at £299.99 ($470). The FWP1000 speaker kit is also available, priced at £199.99 ($314).

Philips FWP3200D DJ-Dock makes you the communal deadmau5 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

What a lovely set of speakers. Let me just dock my smartphone right th…

Or perhaps you happen to own one of the thousands of devices not equipped with a proprietary Apple dock connector. Well, when it comes time to slide your Android or Windows Phone into place, the only sound you’re likely to hear is the screech of a 30-pin plug scratching up the case. If the speaker rig packs Bluetooth, you can use that instead, but if you own one of many that don’t, you’ll probably want Pear. Drawing some name and design inspiration from an arguably more popular fruit, Pear brings Bluetooth connectivity to any dock connector-equipped speaker set, drawing power from the port so it can pair with virtually any smartphone or tablet, letting you play your tunes while keeping your handset in hand. It offers a range of 30 feet indoors or up to 75-feet outside (there’s a video proving the feat at the source link below), and works with any apps and devices that offer Bluetooth output.

The wireless gadget’s designer is turning to Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to launch Pear into production. The team has already developed a working prototype, so there’s proof that you’re not backing vaporware, and a $30 pledge can net you one of 250 early bird devices. After that initial run, you’ll need to hand over 40 bucks (which also happens to be the expected retail place) for an arctic white or jet black Pear. The developers are hoping to raise $40,000, to cover their prior investments and push the device to the manufacturing stage (no, it won’t be “made in the USA“), so if you want to see Pear pop up in a speaker dock near you, hit up our source link below to make your pledge. You can also jump past the break for a quick intro video, and an update on a previous Insert Coin project.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Pear brings Bluetooth to your Apple-compatible speaker dock

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household, Wireless

Insert Coin: Pear brings Bluetooth to your Apple-compatible speaker dock originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another day, another speaker dock. We initially dismissed Gear4‘s latest accessory at Google I/O 2012 until we noticed that the attached Nexus 7 was playing audio digitally via the USB port instead of simply through the headphone jack (or wirelessly over Bluetooth for that matter). It turns out that Jelly Bean supports USB audio, a software feature that’s bound to spearhead a whole new generation of accessories for Android devices. Gear4’s universal speaker dock with alarm clock radio is the first to handle USB audio. While the sound for any app can be routed to the USB port in Jelly Bean, the functionality is missing from older versions of Android. Thankfully, Gear4 includes an app with its accessory that can be used to set alarms, sync time, tune the radio and play media over the USB port on legacy versions of Android. Want to know more? You’ll find our gallery below and our hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Gear4 speaker dock supports USB audio for Jelly Bean at Google I/O 2012 (hands-on video)

Gear4 speaker dock supports USB audio for Jelly Bean at Google I/O 2012 (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 09:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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