Bluetooth

I think it's fair to say that many music loving mobile device users are left somewhat wanting when it comes to built-in speakers. Listening to audio either involves having to wear cumbersome earphones or sacrificing device usability to plonk it in a dedicated docking station. You can, of course, just dock your device in Soundfreaq's new Sound Step speaker and top up the battery while listening or you could keep your mobile device where it should be - in your hands. Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, users can stream audio directly to the speaker while enjoying lots of multitasking action on the device itself. Read More

There’s no denying that listening to some motivating tunes can help make the time fly by, when you’re working out or going for a run. Probably just about everyone who has ever worn a personal music device when doing so, however, has had this happen at least once: you go to move your arm, and it catches on your earphone cord, causing your earphones to be violently yanked out. JayBird’s new JF3 Freedom Bluetooth Buds are designed to keep that from happening. Read More

OEM/ODM specialist Dayton Industrial is set to commence volume production of a low energy Bluetooth 4.0 heart-rate chest belt using Nordic Semiconductor's new µBlue nRF8001 chip. That might not seem all that ground breaking at first glance, but it’s a significant event likely to kickstart a whole new genre of health and fitness related smartphone apps which use the wireless heart-rate (HR) belt to monitor, display and analyse heart rate data. Indeed, I can see a whole new and exciting range of training apps which use social networking to support and share one's progress. Read More

The Nuu MiniKey case that adds a physical sliding QWERTY Bluetooth keypad – and some bulk – to an iPhone 4 that first reared its head in prototype form at IFA last year is now available in the U.S. The device is aimed at users who prefer some tactile feedback with their typing and now features keys that are flush against each other instead of the chiclet style seen on the prototype. The keys are now also backlit and the backspace key has also been moved to the more traditional upper right corner instead of directly above the enter key. Read More

With smaller keys and a lack of tactile feedback, onscreen keyboards found on mobile devices can make inputting anything longer than a search term a real chore. Portable physical keyboards such as the Jorno folding keyboard provide a solution if you're lucky enough to have a desktop or similar flat surface at hand, but if you're taking full advantage of portability and need to enter text while out and about, then a handheld keyboard might be worth considering. The itablet Thumb Keyboard not only puts a physical QWERTY keyboard at your fingertips – well, thumbtips – but also boasts a rear-facing touchpad that lets users provide touch inputs without taking their hands off the device. Read More

Even though tablet computers are flying off the shelves at quite a pace, less-than-satisfying onscreen keyboard input can lead many to seek a more comfortable alternative. Scosche Industries has released a water-resistant, wireless solution which can be rolled-up so that, like the folding Bluetooth keyboards we've seen, it can easily be taken along for the ride. Read More

Around the time I was hoping to swap my Olivetti typewriter for one of those new-fangled Apple Macintosh things, Seiko also created the UC-2000 wrist computer. The images of the device docked onto a QWERTY keyboard strapped to someone's arm still raise a smile even now. That was decades ago, and the industry has moved forward at an incredible pace, but Eurotech's new Zypad WL1500 definitely has the look of the Seiko. Happily, the technology in the new Zypad is much more up-to-date. Eurotech says that it's faster and lighter than other members of its wearable range, and also benefits from a longer battery life and numerous communication options. Read More

Portable Bluetooth speakerphones that provide a hands-free way for drivers to stay in touch while on the road are nothing new. Nor are voice-controlled Bluetooth speakerphones with text-to-speech capabilities to read out the name of a caller. But the new SuperTooth HD adds a something new for social networking tragics on the go in the form of a SuperTooth Handsfree Assistant feature that allows drivers to compose and send Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and SMS messages, all without taking their hands off the wheel. Read More

The LMP wireless numerical keypad for the Apple Wireless Keyboard that made its way through the FCC last November is now available for purchase. Now called the Cropmark LMP Bluetooth Keypad it integrates with the Apple Wireless Keyboard by way of a linkage bar or can be used as a standalone unit to provide an extra 28 keys of number-oriented typing goodness to any Bluetooth enabled Mac. Read More