Hasta La Gadget!

Ever forget your phone at a restaurant, coffee shop, or bar? Then it might be time to look into getting a ZOMM, a wireless Bluetooth leash that lights up and beeps if it gets too far from your phone. The newly announced product will be launching this week at CES.

ZOMM pairs with any Bluetooth-enabled phone. It features a button for answering calls, a speakerphone, a panic alarm, and a feature that can call for emergency assistance from any locale. The poker-chip-sized device can be attached to your key ring or simply placed in your pocket. The ZOMM company expects to begin selling its device in the second quarter of 2010.

Yeah, we’re a little too young to claim full enjoyment of this modern design icon, outside of a few film cameos and its spot at the MoMA, but Ericsson’s Ericofon (pictured), originally released in the 50s, is certainly a design worthy of the Bluetooth treatment. In a well-documented hack done up by Santiago Q., the handset can be set up to use the rotary dial, pump out the original Ericotone ring, and even offer up a dial tone when ready for input. Santiago has the software and instructions freely available on his project blog, and there’s video demonstrating the handset in action after the break.

Continue reading Bluetooth Ericofon hack reminds us of that time we saw an Ericofon on TV once

Bluetooth Ericofon hack reminds us of that time we saw an Ericofon on TV once originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Even though you probably still can’t figure out what good the ability to connect your Bluetooth keyboard to your iPhone will do, the BTstack project is steaming ahead with this demo of a connected Magic Mouse twirling its pointer all over Apple’s handset. The driver code is still unreleased, but we get to see some nice lag-free interaction between the two devices, suggesting it shouldn’t be too far away from public consumption. As if to answer your earlier quandary, the video also features a Celluon CL800BT virtual keyboard, which projects onto and responds to your touch of any flat surface. A gimmick most likely, but a fun journey into the dream of nomadic computing nonetheless. Check out all the action after the break.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Continue reading iPhone and Magic Mouse linked up by BTstack (video)

iPhone and Magic Mouse linked up by BTstack (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Should you be the sort of person who doesn’t mind fiddling around with alpha level software, you’ll definitely want to know about the BlueMaemo Bluetooth emulator. Available via the Extras-Devel repository on your N900, this app allows the device to mimic other Bluetooth gadgets, such as keyboards, mice, and yes indeedy, gaming controllers. Its developer Valério Domingos humbly points out that the purpose of connecting up to a PS3 is purely for menu navigation and easier text input, though we’ve no doubt a few hardcore Nokia loyalists will try using this in an action game to prove the N900’s superiority. You may follow Valério and his ongoing refinement of the app in the Maemo.org link below, or you can jump past the break to see the full controller layout and an instructional video on how to hook things up — it’s in Italian, but you should be able to grasp what’s going on senza problemi.

[Thanks, shellshock]

Continue reading N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator

N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The wait has been long, but now there’s finally a means by which to connect your dear, yet almost buttonless, iPhone or iPod touch to a Bluetooth keyboard for some more intense finger tapping action. The project that delivered us this teasing video back in February has at long last reached the application stage, where simple commoners like us can use it to synergize our gear — provided we’ve had the wherewithal to free it from Cupertino’s overbearing clutches first. The BTstack Keyboard app is now available in exchange for $5 at the Cydia store, so if you want to be the first to write a bestseller on his or her iDevice, there’s no time like the present.

Update: We’ve done the inevitable and had a quick play with the app ourselves. Pairing our iPhone and keyboard was a veritable cinch, and we were met by delightfully rapid responsiveness throughout, whether using it in Safari, composing text missives, or jotting those novella notes down. You should note that command, cut, copy, paste, and highlighting functions are not yet active, and then hurry along past the break to see a video demo.

Continue reading Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There’s a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!)

Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There’s a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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