Hasta La Gadget!

Although Bose has been using Bluetooth in its Aviation headsets, SoundLink portable speakers and earpieces for cellphones, wireless headphones have been lacking from the company’s roster. That’s changing today, with the company email-blasting US customers about its just-released AE2w Bluetooth headphones. Think of these as a pair of AE2 (roughly $150) over-ear cans with an A2DP-enabled Bluetooth dongle tacked on. This protrusion (which is removeable) provides access to a multi-function button, volume controls, power switch and micro-USB port for charging. Battery life is seven hours, with 200-hours of standby, which is about the norm for this type of kit. The Bluetooth unit enables actively-equalized audio, but can be swapped for a 3.5mm cable (included) — this is ideal for long trips away from power. If you’re interested, the AE2w are available in the US directly from Bose today for $250 — pinning it as a competitor to cans like the apt-X-enabled Klipsch Image One Bluetooth. Our EU-based readers will also be pleased to know that sites like Tom’s Hardware Guide (Italian) have them pegged to arrive May 14th for 250 euros.

[Thanks, Motty]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Wearables

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Source: Bose

If it never occurred to you to plug all kinds of peripherals into your ear cans — including the media player making the sound — a new patent from Redmond’s brain trust might give you pause. The headphones are shown as a catch-all, with receiving spaces for snapping in devices like rechargeable battery packs, storage, Bluetooth or WiFi reception modules and media players — such as the Zune-like one sketched in above. The headset could also have controls to operate those peripherals, as well as an optional boom mic and USB ports, according to the document. All this is claimed to allow for numerous configurations, letting you pimp your headset to fit your own needs, and interface with games, movies or music in various ways. If they ever get to market, you might start thinking of humble headphones as full-blown entertainment centers instead of mere accessories.

Microsoft patent imagines headphones as accessory docking motherships originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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