Jul 26

New Sony Walkman pops up on UK retail site

Posted in: bluetooth, leak, mp3 player, Mp3Player, Music, sony, streaming, Today's Chili

The portable cassette players once nearly universally identified as the Walkman may have seen better days, but their spirit is still alive, so far as Sony is concerned. The company is apparently set to release the latest entry in the line, the slick-looking NWZA865B, a 16GB portable media player with wireless file sharing and music streaming capabilities. CNET points out that the device likely won’t have built-in WiFi, due to evidence from the FCC, which does seem to limit the aforementioned streaming options. The 16GB model is also likely one of a number of capacities to be offered, ranging from 8GB to 64GB. The device is available for viewing on UK retailer Play.com with a £150 ($246) price tag and a July 31st release date.

New Sony Walkman pops up on UK retail site originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 26

The New, Awesomer Xbox 360 Headset Doubles As a Legit Bluetooth Headset (But Please Don’t Wear It in Public)

Posted in: accessories, bluetooth, Gadgets, gaming, Microsoft, remote, Today's Chili, top, xbox, xbox 360

The old Xbox 360 headset is gigantic and expensive, considering it only worked with the Xbox 360. The new Xbox 360 headset? Not only is it much, much better promises Senior Director of Xbox Accessories, Zulfi Alam, it’s a Bluetooth headset. More »

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Jul 25

Casio’s Bluetooth 4.0 G-Shock is water and shock-resistant, FCC-approved

Posted in: bluetooth, Today's Chili, watch

The latest G-Shock watch from Casio boasts the usual array of shock and water-resistant claims, and now it can add FCC acceptance to the list, having passed through that government agency’s approval process. So, why did this wristwatch hit the FCC in the first place? Well, the rugged little timekeeper is packing Bluetooth 4.0 in its bag of tricks, which lets the wearable gadget communicate with your smartphone. No word on a release date, but Casio did mention a fairly broad “some time in 2011” window when it was first announced back in March. Here’s hoping that its FCC debut will speed the shock-filled process along.

Casio’s Bluetooth 4.0 G-Shock is water and shock-resistant, FCC-approved originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 21

iFixit tears down new MacBook Air, beholds the miracle of backlighting

Posted in: Apple, bluetooth, keyboard, macbook, macbook air, MacbookAir, teardown, Today's Chili

Warranties be damned, iFixit got its hands on the newly announced MacBook Air and immediately did its thing, digging into the super-thin laptop like a kid at Christmas. Not all that much to see from the outside of the device, save for that new Thunderbolt port and some shiny new keyboard backlighting. Things are a bit different inside, however, including an Intel Core i5 processor, a Bluetooth 4.0 chip, and a general lack of thermal paste. As for putting the thing back together again — the Air scores a four out of ten for repairability, so maybe don’t try this at home.

iFixit tears down new MacBook Air, beholds the miracle of backlighting originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 19

Turtle Beach unveils limited edition Modern Warfare 3 headsets, Simon Riley would’ve approved

Posted in: bluetooth, earphones, game, headset, Today's Chili, Wireless, xbox live, XboxLive
Listen up, soldier. Engadget HQ was dismayed when lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley — along with his skull balaclava and mondo communications headset — saw an arguably unjust demise in Modern Warfare 2. That being said, if he could play the upcoming installment we’d bet it’d be with one of the four limited edition offerings from Turtle Beach and Activision. The headsets all sport the same night vision-esque design, but offer varying specialties. On the front line is the $300 Ear Force Delta; based on the XP500 programmable virtual 7.1 headset, it adds a custom travel-case and MW3 specific sound presets. Next up is the $150 Ear Force Bravo, a variant of the PX3, which offers the same presets as the former in wireless stereo. Following close in formation is the $130 Ear Force Charlie, a take on the PC oriented Z6A; it delivers discrete 5.1 with a grand total of eight drivers. Rounding out the reserves is the $100 Ear Force Foxtrot; a PX21 universal stereo headset that’s also just received a fresh coat of battle paint.

All of the gear will be available in October along with “bonus content,” which gives you time to set aside extra funds for the game’s November 8th release. You’ll find photo-based intel below and more details in the PR past the break. At ease, soldier.

Gallery: Turtle Beach Modern Warfare 3 gaming headsets

Continue reading Turtle Beach unveils limited edition Modern Warfare 3 headsets, Simon Riley would’ve approved

Turtle Beach unveils limited edition Modern Warfare 3 headsets, Simon Riley would’ve approved originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 19

OnStar FMV available at Best Buy July 24th for $300

Posted in: BestBuy, bluetooth, navigation, phone, safety, security, Today's Chili

Perhaps you recall hearing, back at CES, about GM’s aftermarket mirror that would make the OnStar service available to most cars, including those from its most hated rival in Dearborn. No? Don’t worry, here’s the skinny: the OnStar FMV will let you have the company’s popular blue button technology in over 90 million automobiles. Meaning that almost anyone can now reap the benefits of features like automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation and hands-free calling. You know… unless you’re cruising in the General Lee, or something. Selling for $299.99, plus a $75 installation charge and $18.95 per month ($199 yearly) subscription, the high tech rear-view mirror will be on shelves at Best Buy starting July 24th and is now available for pre-order. Before you throw down the Benjamins for this automotive security blanket, you might want to double check that your car is compatible — check the full PR to find out how.

Continue reading OnStar FMV available at Best Buy July 24th for $300

OnStar FMV available at Best Buy July 24th for $300 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 06:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 13

Apple TV to score Bluetooth support with iOS 5, make search slightly less painful?

Posted in: Apple, apple tv, bluetooth, ios, ios 5, Ios5, rumor, rumors, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Today's Chili, update
Apple TV Bluetooth code

Did you know that your second-gen Apple TV has a Bluetooth radio hidden inside it? Well it does but, until now, the only way to access it was with a little jailbreaking and some command line chops. That could all be changing though, with the release of iOS 5 this fall. 9to5Mac pulled some interesting code from the latest developer beta of iOS indicating that support for Bluetooth keyboards is coming to the Apple TV and, potentially, the ability pair other devices as well. In addition to making search without the iPhone remote app far less painful, a keyboard is an essential part of bringing apps to the tiny media box — something that has been rumored would happen for quite sometime. It’s possible these capabilities will only be unlocked on some unannounced third-gen streaming device, but we’re hoping this will bring a little life to our still reasonably new iTunes boxes.

Apple TV to score Bluetooth support with iOS 5, make search slightly less painful? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 11

Fossil won’t ship the Meta Watch until August, Dick Tracy wannabes get antsy

Posted in: android tablet, AndroidTablet, bluetooth, delay, smartphone, Smartphones, tablet, tablets, texas instruments, ti, Today's Chili, watch
Some of you with a James Bond complex might have been waiting on Fossil’s Meta Watches, a duo of wristpieces that use Texas Instrument’s CC2560 Bluetooth radio to pull in emails, Facebook updates, weather forecasts, and more — depending on what else developers cook up for it, that is. On top of that, the SDK allows Android smartphones and tablets to register button presses and receive sensor data from the watches, and then respond by sending text or triggering the vibration motor. If you already set aside $200 when they went up for pre-order two months back, you’re going to have to twiddle your thumbs a bit longer. In response to a tweet from a curious customer, Bill Geiser, vice president of Fossil Watch Technology, said that thanks to some part delays, the two are now on track to ship in August, not July. If this is all new to you, that means you’ve got some time to ponder whether you’d rather have the analog / digital version or the fully digital one with a larger memory-in-pixel LCD. Decisions, decisions, folks.

[Thanks, Alex]

Fossil won’t ship the Meta Watch until August, Dick Tracy wannabes get antsy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 08

Turtle Beach Xbox Chat Adapter gets the hands-on treatment, admirably untethers talkative gamers

Posted in: bluetooth, earphones, hands-on, headset, Music, preview, Today's Chili, Wireless, xbox live, XboxLive
Turtle Beach Xbox Chat Adapter
Back at E3, Turtle Beach unveiled its wire-ridding Xbox 360 Bluetooth Chat Adapter bundled with its XP500 headset (a re-badged PX5), but there were no accounts of how the dongle performed. That’s now changed thanks to Joystiq, who’ve gotten their lucky mitts on one of ten prototypes. Spoiler: they’re really enjoying the little guy. Voice quality was reported as being “excellent” and the device easily paired with headsets. There’s no annoying charging cable required either as the XBA juices off the controller, but only time will tell how that impacts battery life. The big quirk critics found was that its single button, which operates as a muting / pairing and on / off switch, was oft-engaged accidentally — obviously not ideal for newb trash-talking. Sure, it’s not totally seamless like Tritton’s official digs, but Xbox aficionados should certainly be stoked about soon having options to ditch those chat cables for good.

Turtle Beach Xbox Chat Adapter gets the hands-on treatment, admirably untethers talkative gamers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 06

Soundfreaq unleashes Sound Step wireless speakers for audio-loving multitaskers

Posted in: Android, audio, BlackBerry, bluetooth, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod, speakers, Today's Chili, usb
Soundfreaq made quite the first impression last year with its Sound Platform SFQ-01 audio system, which is why our ears perked up when we heard about the company’s newest creations — the Sound Step and Sound Step Recharge compact wireless speakers. Compatible with all iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices, these Bluetooth-enabled docks allow users to remotely stream audio directly to their speakers, which feature a set of 2.75-inch, Kevlar-reinforced balanced drivers, a dedicated sub-woofer and a UQ3 spatial enhancement processor. There’s also a 3.5 millimeter line-in jack and a USB charging port, meaning you’ll be able to juice up multiple gadgets as you kick out multiple jams. And, since these guys are just 3.6-inches tall, you probably won’t have to freaq out about making space for them, either. If your appetite’s already whetted, you can grab the Sound Step for $139, or opt for the Recharge (with its six hours of rechargeable battery life) for $159. Otherwise, you can find more details in the full PR, after the break.

Update: We’ve just received a bit of clarification from the company here. A “grey” colored model actually won’t be on the docket, and as for the speakers, there’s a pair of 2-inch drivers + a single 3-incher.

Continue reading Soundfreaq unleashes Sound Step wireless speakers for audio-loving multitaskers

Soundfreaq unleashes Sound Step wireless speakers for audio-loving multitaskers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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