HTC Bravo pictured more lucidly (Update: coming to US in January as HTC Passion)

We realize we might have overfed you a little with that plentiful leak of HTC’s 2010 plans, so here’s a chance to better ogle and digest HTC’s “Performance” flagship to be: the Bravo. Pairing Android with Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon and presenting a 3.7-inch AMOLED facade, this certainly ticks the headline boxes, and the addition of a five megapixel AF cam capable of 720p video capture gives it an extra sheen of 2010 newness. The picture above is accompanied by less solid info indicating a 1,400mAh battery, which will be joined by the mandatory WiFi, Bluetooth and MicroUSB connectivity, plus MicroSD expansion, FM radio tuner, digital compass, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Then again, the source is the same bunch of heroes responsible for our extra early — and accurate — info on the HD2, so those specs may be considered pretty reliable. Oh, if you’re wondering about the touchscreen, it’s capacitive, like it should be.

Update: If you were wondering about the difference between the Bravo and the recently leaked Passion, there is none other than the branding apparently. We’re also hearing that the above handset will be available in the US in January, a cool three months ahead of the expected European release.

HTC Bravo pictured more lucidly (Update: coming to US in January as HTC Passion) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan Debuts $400 In-Car Navigation Option

Nissan_Navigation_GPS.jpg

Low-cost, in-car navigation systems may finally be on the horizon. Mazda unveiled a $500 nav option for the 2010 Mazda 3 sedan a while back, and Suzuki is also selling a (very poorly integrated) one. Now Nissan is planning to make available a $400 option for the Sentra, and possibly other vehicles, as early as January.

Detroit News reports that the system will feature a 5-inch touch screen, an intuitive interface, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and XM satellite and XM Traffic NavTraffic. It also charges iPods and iPhones.

Once you get into the $400 and under range, it becomes much more appealing to have the unit integrated neatly in the dashboard–especially since Nissan’s unit works with an optional backup camera. Try that with a standalone PND.

Soundmatters’ foxL v2 portable Bluetooth speaker rocks the suburbs

Soundmatters made a few (sine) waves last year with the introduction of its awfully cute foxL Bluetooth speaker, but for those preoccupied with other matters, there’s nothing wrong with snagging v2 in order to catch up. The pocket-sized (5.6- x 2.2- x 1.4-inches) speaker sports new BT circuitry that allows for 3x better reception than the prior version, and it also automatically pairs and searches for Bluetooth devices. Users can now answer and terminate a call from the speaker itself, and as expected, you’ll also get a bit more volume out of this one compared to the original. The rechargeable battery will keep the jams spinning for five hours on a full charge, and if the international charging prongs weren’t enough, there’s also the option to regenerate over USB. It’s set to ship later this month to jet-setting music junkies for $199, while a wired (read: non-BT) variant will go for $30 less.

Soundmatters’ foxL v2 portable Bluetooth speaker rocks the suburbs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Maximus III Extreme mobo lets Bluetooth cellphones tweak settings

ASUS has been giving its motherboard owners ways to tinker with their wares for years now, but it sounds like things are about to get seriously amped up with the Maximus III Extreme. The P55-based board, which falls into the growing Republic of Gamers lineup, adds a new feature to the existing ROG Connect overclocking system: Bluetooth control. You heard right — ASUS claims that this mainboard actually “enables users to tweak system settings wirelessly over Bluetooth via a mobile phone.” More specifically, RC Bluetooth allows users to “review the status of their systems’ hardware and tweak parameters wirelessly from a Bluetooth-enabled PDA phone,” with examples like controlling music playback and dealing with Skype conversations given. There’s no specific mention of a price or release date, but you can bet we’ll be digging for specifics on the limits and functionality baked in here.

ASUS Maximus III Extreme mobo lets Bluetooth cellphones tweak settings originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cignias NAO Symphony iPod speaker enables WiFi control with iPhone and BlackBerry

You know what’s annoying? Having to get up and walk all the way to your iPod dock to pick a song. Sure, there’s the good old remote control these days, but you’d still need to squint at the tiny screen from afar if you want any modicum of song control. The couch potatoes at Cignias probably felt the same pain and thus came up with the free MusicNAO app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and BlackBerry, allowing you to control and browse content over WiFi on the iPod docked on NAO Symphony speakers. It doesn’t end there: you can also stream music from the latest iPhone OS devices over Bluetooth, and the same goes for BlackBerry phones but with the addition of WiFi streaming. There’s no word on the sound quality yet, but the adventurous among you can pre-order a NAO Symphony for $249 ahead of its December 1st launch.

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Cignias NAO Symphony iPod speaker enables WiFi control with iPhone and BlackBerry originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Make your own Bluetooth Star Trek Communicator (video)

If you’re looking for a project for the weekend and the Knock Lock seems a little naff, why not try building your own Bluetooth Star Trek communicator? This is definitely not a project for the faint of heart — expect to custom cut a circuit-board, drill some holes, add a serial port, a Bluetooth module, and a microcontroller. That said, when it’s all said and done you’ll be placing (and answering) calls the same way they do in the 23rd century: by speaking through a small, distorted speaker. If this is your thing, hit up that read link to get the full step-by-step. But before you go that route, be sure to peep the video demo after the break.

Continue reading Make your own Bluetooth Star Trek Communicator (video)

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Make your own Bluetooth Star Trek Communicator (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Send your ‘Hiro P’ BUGbase back, get a BUGbase WiFi for $99

If you classify yourself as a hardcore DIYer, you probably sprung for Bug Labs’ ‘Hiro P’ BUGbase way back in the day. You’ve also likely been weeping since the entirely more awesome BUGbase WiFi was announced last month. Thankfully, you can now empty your current bucket of tears and stash it away for good, as a wicked good deal has just arrived to turn that frown upside-down. Bug Labs is offering the $449 BUGbase WiFi for just $99 if you send your original BUGbase back to the company before November ends. If you’d like to take advantage, feel free to hit up Bug and mention the offer being emailed out to existing users after the break.

Continue reading Send your ‘Hiro P’ BUGbase back, get a BUGbase WiFi for $99

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Send your ‘Hiro P’ BUGbase back, get a BUGbase WiFi for $99 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin EcoRoutes ESP module turns your GPS into car sentinel

Get ready to tech up your driving experience, as Garmin has unveiled a new accessory for its nuvi line of GPS devices that lets you add a number of customizable gauges and monitoring utilities. The new ESP module tucks into the OBD-II diagnostics port on your car and communicates (via Bluetooth) all-important data like intake air temperatures and the fuel efficiency of your driving to the nuvi up top. Yea, it’s been done before, but Garmin is (for the time being) a major force in navigation devices and could truly popularize this should there be enough interest. For our money, it’s both a neat and geeky way to expand the functionality of the now threatened satnav species. The full dish on price and availability can be expected at CES 2010 this coming January.

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Garmin EcoRoutes ESP module turns your GPS into car sentinel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EOps i24R3Portable speaker is mad, bad, and waterproof

Think of a soundbar rolled into a circular, battery-powered body and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what we’re looking at here. The product’s name — EOps i24R3Portable Wireless Waterproof Digital Speaker Platform — should tidy up any further queries you may have. Michael Young’s latest design for EOps, whose appearance only hints at its i24R3 heritage, is a fully sealed noisemaker that can communicate via wireless USB or Bluetooth, depending on the model. You should pick your poison with care as there are no options for wired hook-ups. With a Li-Pol battery pack and an array of flat panel speakers and passive radiators inside, this could well be the ultimate in portable weatherproof speaker design, but even if it isn’t, we’d still consider mounting it on a wall and worshipping it as our Sun God.

[Via Design Spotter]

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EOps i24R3Portable speaker is mad, bad, and waterproof originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Healthcare-friendly Bluetooth revision is four times faster, still seems slow

Healthcare-friendly Bluetooth revision is four times faster, still seems slowBluetooth may be good for rocking tunes or dropping calls, but transmitting high-res medical imagery seems like something of a stretch. Nevertheless, that’s what a team at the PSG College of Technology Peelamedu in India has worked up, dubbed PACS: Picture Archiving and Communication Systems. It’s built on Bluetooth spec and so offers similar range and reliability of transmission, but at higher speeds. Only anecdotal bandwidth levels have been provided thus far, indicating a 1.5MB image can be transmitted in 120 seconds compared to the 400 standard Bluetooth would require; a nice boost for sure, but two minutes per picture still seems awfully slow when a good ‘ol 802.11a WiFi could beam it in seconds — and at greater range.

Update: As many commenters have pointed out, PACS is an existing infrastructure for storing and sharing medical imagery. This is an extension of that system to allow Bluetoothy communication.

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Healthcare-friendly Bluetooth revision is four times faster, still seems slow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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