Hasta La Gadget!

The ZAGGMate iPad case comes in two flavors, both of which look like aluminum tea-trays, only smaller. The cases protect just the screen of the iPad, clipping on like an iPhone shell-style case, only in the front instead of on the back.

Both cases also double as stands, with a neat, hinged plastic wedge that flips out of the interior and pushes at the back of the tablet while the case’s lip stops it from slipping forward.

Then things part ways. The ZAGGmate keyboard-case contains an hardware QWERTY keyboard on its inner surface. Once the iPad is propped into place, the Bluetooth keyboard can be used for typing, and has the full-complement of media keys for volume, home, starting a slideshow and adjusting the brightness. A 510 mAh rechargeable lithium polymer battery provides juice for a couple weeks of normal use (and charges via USB).

I scoffed for a while at these keyboard cases, thinking that the iPad’s on-screen keyboard was plenty good enough. It’s surprising still just how fast I can type on it, but with iOS 4.2 and all its fancy multitasking ways, the iPad just got a lot better at doing work, and even the simple addition of cursor keys and keyboard shortcuts for copy-and-paste make a huge difference.

The ZAGGmate costs $100 in its keyboard form, and $70 case-only. Available soon.

ZaggMate product page [ZAGGmate]

See Also:

• IPad Keyboard Dock Works with iOS4
• iPad Keyboard: Pricey and Awkward, But a Must-Have for …
• Video: Neo Keyboard Hooked up to iPad
• Resize, Split and Rotate iPad Keyboard? There's an App for That …
• Gates On iPad: Needs Pen, Keyboard, Voice
• ClamCase Turns iPad into Laptop

My, what a difference a couple years makes. As we suspected, Sony is updating its old Bluetooth headset design with a decidedly more elegant model. Here’s what we’ve got: dual mics, USB pairing, in-game status indicator, a charge cradle that doubles as a desktop mic, and of course, a giant mute button for when you have only moments to smack yourself in the ear and curse loudly about your good-for-nothing teammates. It’s also smaller and glossier — and rocking the same $49.99 price tag. When’s it arriving? Soon, later this month. When is that, exactly? Have patience.

PlayStation 3’s Bluetooth headset slims down, shines on, adorns ears later this month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smartphones make great navigation devices (where still allowed by law), but trying to read the things while they slide about on the dash or peek out of a cupholder is hardly ideal. Universal windshield holders help, but none are as smart as the Parrot‘s latest. How smart is it? Why, it’s right there in the title. The Minikit Smart will hold smartphones “whatever their size” — so long as that size is between 56 and 70mm in width. It has an integrated speaker and telescoping microphone that connects to your phone over Bluetooth, boosting your celly’s paltry internal speaker so that you can better hear directions and, of course, make hands-free calls. There’s also a USB pass-through, so that you can not only charge this unit while driving but charge your phone. Imagine how happy and secure your phone would feel when being spooned like this, but at $129 it had better be over the moon.

Continue reading Parrot Minikit Smart windshield mount cradles your phone, caresses its Bluetooth, charges its battery

Parrot Minikit Smart windshield mount cradles your phone, caresses its Bluetooth, charges its battery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Since 2006, Jawbone’s been making noise-canceling bluetooth headsets boasting modern design and military-grade sound. This is not one of those. This is the Jawbone Jambox — a wireless bluetooth speaker — and it’s what happened when the company decided to let the music out. Functionally it’s almost exactly the same as a Jawbone Icon, down to the pairing process, three-button controls and MyTALK upgradable software platform, but instead of a tiny mono earpiece you’re getting a stylish portable speakerphone with a 3.5mm input jack and some serious stereo potential. We’ve had it playing for several hours now, and while it’s not going to be the life of a large party even at maximum volume, it pumps out a terribly impressive amount of clear, room-filling sound for its size. If you pick it up or set it down on a table, you’ll feel the vibrations nearby.

You can’t quite tell from this angle, but that stainless steel grill wraps around an airtight enclosure made of polycarbonate infused with glass, which houses a pair of full-range drivers and a microphone up front and a “moving-wall passive bass radiator” around back for some extra low-end goodness. We’re told this last was quite the innovation, which didn’t impress us much until we were told what Jawbone put inside the radiator to ensure mass and rigidity: the unit’s 800mAh lithium-ion battery. Speaking of juice, Jawbone tells us the unit’s good for about eight hours of continuous playback at 75 percent volume. You’ll be paying a good bit to get this designer toy pumping out your jams, as any of the black, red, blue or silver units will run $200 at Best Buy and the Apple Store when they hit November 16th, but if you’ve been aching for a modern, handheld ghetto blaster, this is definitely one way to go. PR after the break.

Update: As some have pointed out in comments, a number of the ideas here aren’t actually new — you can find a very similar portable Bluetooth speaker (down to a patent-pending “BassBattery” and a $200 price) in the Soundmatters foxL v2 with Bluetooth.

Update 2: As it turns out, the foxL v2 isn’t exactly a competitor, it’s an ally of sorts, because the Jambox is a collaboration with the same Dr. Godehard Guenther who invented the original device. “JAMBOX leverages the core analog acoustics that made FoxL great,” says a representative, but with numerous improvements: Jawbone’s noise cancellation and Bluetooth know-how, a thicker, stiffer speaker enclosure and a Yves Behar design.

Continue reading Jawbone intros Jambox portable bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (update)

Jawbone intros Jambox portable bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are many things to like about the SuperTooth speaker: Its name, which conjures images of a superhero baby that got his powers by sucking on a radioactive lollipop, leaving one all-conquering SuperTooth in his mouth. Or the sound, which is a beefy 28 Watts, much more than usual in the market of Bluetooth speakers.

Or we could point to the battery life, which stretches from 3-10 hours depending on just how high you crank the volume, the DC-in jack for home use (and charging) and the standard minijack to hook up any audio device whether Bluetooth or not.

All those are fine reasons to check out this $150 stereo-speaker, but the thing that really gets my wallet-hand twitching is the looks. The SuperTooth has style, looking more like a guitar-amp with its metal grille, laid-back angle and big, retro-styled volume knob. Even the remote controls which let you skip and play/pause the audio from the source device are stylishly tucked in around this main dial.

For those less shallow than me, here are some specs: The SuperTooth contains a subwoofer, with its own 12 Watt amp, plus left and right speakers (2 x 8 Watts) and, well, that’s all you need. If this thing sounds as good as it looks, the the Bluetooth part is just icing. I’m certainly going to check one out.

Available now.

SuperTooth product page [SuperTooth. Thanks, Tanya!]

See Also:

• SonyEricsson Reveals Ball Shaped Bluetooth Speaker
• Bike Speakers Rock Your Commute
• Review: Yamaha Blutooth Speaker Will Sock It To Ya Without Wires …
• New iPod Touch Has Bluetooth Inside
• Suicidal Bluetooth Headset Looks Like Gun