Samsung’s QWERTY flip Smart TV remote is official along with new TV apps and Megamind Blu-ray 3D pack-in (updated: hands-on!)

Samsung’s 2011 product showcase is underway in New York City and while most of these products we got a peek at during CES, it’s only finally ready to show off the new QWERTY flip remote for its smart TVs. The QWERTY TV remote is looking a lot sleeker in its glamour shot than it did in the FCC tests weeks ago, and is available in the box with all D7000 and D8000 model HDTVs, or as an add-on compatible with the D6300 line and above (no mention of the Smart Touch remote or Google TV devices in the press release we received.) Samsung’s also putting a lot of stock in its new lighter 3D glasses and officially announced the new 3D Starter Kit that includes two pairs along with a copy of Megamind and all the Shrek movies on Blu-ray 3D, along with prescription-ready models for kids and adults. Finally, an app market is nothing without apps, and there’s two new ones to announce today with HBO GO making its debut on the TV and MTV Music Meter. Check the details (Update: now including MSRPs!) in the press release after the break and the gallery for a few pictures.

Updated: We got a few minutes to play around with the new QWERTY flip remote after Samsung’s NYC press event today. It’s not exactly the most glamorous handheld keyboard remote control out there with its monochrome screen, although we do like that the center of the D-pad can me morphed into a touch sensitive mouse-like control. Okay, so this thing isn’t exactly ground breaking, but check out the shots below for a closer look.

Continue reading Samsung’s QWERTY flip Smart TV remote is official along with new TV apps and Megamind Blu-ray 3D pack-in (updated: hands-on!)

Samsung’s QWERTY flip Smart TV remote is official along with new TV apps and Megamind Blu-ray 3D pack-in (updated: hands-on!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Harman AKG K830 BT and K840 KL wireless headsets review

Great wireless headphones are tough to do right. There are so many problems in the way, most notably that there are no wires involved. AKG’s K840 KL 2.4GHz and K830 Bluetooth on-ear headphones offer the promise of something a little nicer than the poor reception and sound quality we usually hear from untethered products. Do they do to the “premium” label justice? Read on, righteous spectrum surfer, for our full review of the ‘phones.

Continue reading Harman AKG K830 BT and K840 KL wireless headsets review

Harman AKG K830 BT and K840 KL wireless headsets review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Konect USB watch concept is awe-inspiring, hard to tell time on (video)

We’ve seen some pretty interesting and insanely unique watches in our time, and just when we thought we’d seen it all, artist Olivier Demange whips up this timepiece concept — dubbed Konect — that packs a wide range of features and looks futuristic while doing so. Embedded in this Tron-esque gadget watch is a Bluetooth radio that’ll act as a receiver — yes, you can finally fulfill your lifelong dream of using your watch to communicate (only if you’ve strapped a paired BT headset to your skull). You’ll also find proper controls for music playback, a button to answer and end calls, a removable USB stick, and well, a way to tell the time. Judging by the renders, we’d say finding out when it is might take more than a second or two, but you can be sure that we hope to see this thing on our wrists sometime. Check out the concept in video form below the fold — and yes, we know, House!

Continue reading Konect USB watch concept is awe-inspiring, hard to tell time on (video)

Konect USB watch concept is awe-inspiring, hard to tell time on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teachers-in-training to get pointers, CIA updates via wireless headsets

Okay, so maybe there’s no actual guarantee that headset-wearing teachers will be able to tune into top secret broadcasts from the nation’s capitol, but once the infrastructure is in place, it’s just a matter of time before everyone’s moonlighting as an operative. As the story goes, a gaggle of teachers are volunteering to take part in a Teach for America campaign that puts a bug into their ear and a mentor on the other end. The idea would be to rapidly bring a teacher up to speed by correcting and shaping their technique as it happens, and the potential implications and applications are both vast and numerous. For example, PhDs in foreign nations could one day remotely tutor rural math teachers if Obama’s national broadband plan takes hold, and if they’re feeling a bit comical, they could throw question marks onto the end of each pointer à la Anchorman. The trial is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Teachers-in-training to get pointers, CIA updates via wireless headsets originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 01:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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inPulse Bluetooth smartwatch gets Facebook Places check-in app for Android (video)

Ever since Allerta released an SDK for its well-hyped inPulse smartwatch, it was only a matter of time before we start seeing more practical applications that take this Bluetooth peripheral beyond the BlackBerry ecosystem. For instance, the latest example comes from the inPulse’s very own Lead Designer Eric Migicovsky, who happens to be a fan of Facebook Places and possibly an Android convert. Rather than having to pull out his Nexus One for every check-in, Migicovsky can now use his simple app on his inPulse to grab a list of nearby locations off the phone, and then check in with just a click of a button. Pretty neat, eh? For those interested, you can grab the project code off inPulse’s website and get programming.

inPulse Bluetooth smartwatch gets Facebook Places check-in app for Android (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: best (non-ugly) noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset for drowning out office noise?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Simon, who seems to be not-so-secretly hoping to drown out his entire office. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I need a headset which can block out the background from a busy office. I’m talking repetitive noises such as drilling, background chatter, keyboard clattering, computer fan whirring and the endless static from our building’s air conditioner. I would love if this headset had a fair to good quality of sound for MP3s, and it would of course have to have a good microphone for IP phone telephony and Skype. If it didn’t look like something from Radio Shack that would be a bonus, and if the microphone was a bit discreet for street and airplane use that would be an added benefit. Lastly the connection to a workstation could be both USB and Bluetooth, with a preference for wireless. Thanks!”

Bluetooth headsets have evolved quite a bit since the last time we had this discussion, so we’re curious what you’re currently using to make work a wee bit more bearable? No need in keeping secrets, right? Speak out in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best (non-ugly) noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset for drowning out office noise? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Nunchuk Goes Wireless With A Hack

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The wireless Wii Remote is a pretty useful gadget. It has all kinds of sensors, works over Bluetooth and can connect to computers for projects and hacks. But what about the part that isn’t wireless? The Wii Nunchuk control is about to get some built-in wireless functionality thanks to a clever Bluetooth hack by [Rousselmanu]. By connecting a Bluetooth module to the device, he was able to view the information that it would have otherwise communicated over its wired connection, including accelerometer, button and joystick position data.

[via 8P-Tech, Hack-A-Day]

inPulse smartwatch turns programmable, and it can almost play Doom (video) (update)

Once upon a time the inPulse was a BlackBerry peripheral, but no more — now, it’s a fully programmable device-agnostic Bluetooth wrist computer. That’s because its manufacturer Allerta released an SDK this week, which lets the 52Mhz ARM7 processor and 8Kb of RAM within display whatever you’d like on the 1.3-inch, 96 x 128 pixel screen. Like the time of day… or this tiny, practically unplayable 3D game. Yours for $149.

Update: Sounds like reports of the demise of BlackBerry support for InPulse were greatly exaggerated! The new developer support for the device is very much as described above, but the company assures us that Blackberry connectivity is still a huge part of inPulse, and that the Blackberry Main App is currently available from the company.

inPulse smartwatch turns programmable, and it can almost play Doom (video) (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Latest Android Gingerbread release brings NFC and Bluetooth together for tappable sharing

Latest Android Gingerbread release brings NFC and Bluetooth together for tappable sharing
Sending a webpage from an HP Pre 3 to a Touchpad is as easy as tapping them together, a technique we’ve not previously seen — but something that’s now possible in the latest flavor of Gingerbread: Android 2.3.3. This adds some expanded functionality for working with the NFC chip found in the Nexus S (and, presumably, others soon) enabling, among other things, NFC to work with Bluetooth. As demonstrated a few weeks ago, the NFC chip can be used to send networking and establish a connection when the two phones touch, so no more manual pairing required, just sweet tapping and sharing.

Latest Android Gingerbread release brings NFC and Bluetooth together for tappable sharing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Better Late Than Never Dep’t: Chevy MyLink Answers Ford Sync

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GM has an answer for the Ford Sync infotainment package. It’s called Chevrolet MyLink and it delivers a seamless connection for smartphones and services such as Pandora, Stitcher Internet Radio, and Gracenote. Other cellphones and music players work, too. MyLink arrives later this year in a very limited rollout on the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and Chevrolet Equinox SUV, three-plus years after Ford Sync.