Wireless Tech Chat

Darren Murph of Engadget has this tidbit of news to share:

We’ve seen no official word from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, but phonescoop has it that the Bluetooth 3.0 specification is just about ready for prime time. Reportedly, the spec will feature “dramatically increased speeds, allowing for the transfer of large video files, music collections and photo libraries wirelessly within seconds.” BT 3.0 should also include a newfangled ability called Enhanced Power Control (EPC), which will supposedly “reduce the occurrence of disconnects that can be caused by actions such as putting a phone in a pocket, backpack, briefcase or purse.” We’re told to expect a whole boatload of details, along with a list of chip makers already lined up to provide support, on April 21st.

Crutchfield.com explains all about Bluetoot 3.0:

The future of Bluetooth
It is estimated that there are more than one billion devices in use that utilize Bluetooth wireless technology. You can expect that number to rise sharply when Bluetooth 3.0 hits the market.

Bluetooth 3.0
Bluetooth 3.0 is the new Bluetooth wireless standard currently in development by the Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Media Alliance. The new standard is reportedly up to 160 times as fast as Bluetooth 2.1, and builds upon the previous standards. With such a rapid jump in transfer speeds, the technology has the potential to revolutionize the consumer electronics industry.

It’s FAST
Bluetooth 3.0 will reportedly transfer files at rates of 480 megabits (60 Megabytes) per second in close proximity, and 100 megabits (12.5 Megabytes) per second at 10 meters. At those speeds, high-quality streaming video is a definite possibility, along with a host of other applications that are simply impractical with the current transfer rates.

Picture this…
With Bluetooth 3.0, camcorders will stream video footage or still photos to Bluetooth enabled televisions and computers; digital cameras will stream photo slideshows to cell phones, and laptops will have the ability to transfer presentations wirelessly to a projector. Use your imagination — the possibilities are really exciting.

High bandwidth mitigates interference
Bluetooth 3.0 will operate in the 6-9 GHz range rather than the current 2.4 GHz range, eliminating the concern of interference from wireless networks and other devices that use the 2.4 GHz range.

Backwards compatibility
Best of all, Bluetooth 3.0 will be backwards-compatible, so all of your old devices will be able to communicate with the new ones and vice versa. New devices will feature a 2.4 GHz Bluetooth radio on the same radio chip, or its own separate chip. But bear in mind that transfer speeds are only as fast as the slowest device, meaning that the two will exchange data at the slower, 3-megabit rate of Bluetooth 2.1.

From CNET:Jabra introduced two new devices today at CTIA 2009, and neither of them are traditional mono-Bluetooth headsets. They are the Jabra HALO stereo headset and the Jabra SP200 speakerphone.

The Jabra HALO stereo headset uses stereo Bluetooth or A2DP to stream music wirelessly from a stereo Bluetooth-compatible handset or MP3 player. It also has a wired option if your device only has a 3.5-mm headset jack and no Bluetooth. Like other stereo headsets, you can also use the HALO to make and receive calls; the music will fade out whenever there are incoming calls, for example. It boasts Zirene Power Bass for better audio quality and Noise Blackout for background-noise reduction

The HALO represents a more grown-up headset, answering users’ cries for a more discrete Bluetooth experience: the status LEDs are hidden on the inside of the headband, and the controls are zero-profile touch sensitive.

Sound quality seemed reasonable - as much as we could tell from the noisy show floor - but we’ll need to spend more time with the Jabra HALO to see if the company’s inclusion of Zirene Power Bass makes a significant difference. Still, they’re comfortable and flexible: a 3.5mm input and supplied cable means you can still use the HALO headset with non-Bluetooth mediaplayers. It’ll go on sale on May 1st, with an MRSP of $129.99.

If anyone has this or is contemplating getting a pair, would love to hear from you. Send your comments via comment button or email above.

IPEVO’s Kaleido R7 wireless digital photo frame — which we first caught sight of at CES — is now officially available, for all those out there who were waiting expectantly. If you’ve already forgotten, the 7-inch frames (800 x 480 resolution) has 512MB of memory plus an SD card slot, and it’s just dying to sync up with your PC, Mac, or your cell phone to obtain your precious, precious memories for display.

Combining form and function, the Kaleido R7 features a raised ‘floating’ display mounted on a special bi-directional hinge with orientation sensors allowing the 7-inch screen to rotate and tilt for optimal viewing in landscape or portrait positions. The backlit, 800 x 480 resolution screen offers auto-rotation and smart-zoom / fill-in options, to enhance the viewing experience. Furthermore, the front-facing touchpad control base and included remote control provide for easy and convenient information and menu navigation.

IPEVO’s marketing executive Caroline introduces me to an LCD picture frame that does more than just show great photos, the IPEVO’s Kaleido R7

The Kaleido R7 comes as a 7-inch, 800 x 480 LCD display, with 512MB internal memory as well as an SD card slot. This glossy looking networked picture frame comes in both wired ($169?) and wifi ($199) versions, auto-senses landscape/portrait modes, and grabs online content through RSS feeds, including photos from Flickr and Picasa. Best of all, it runs a bunch of Internet widgets which elegantly displays all kinds of information, from weather to blogs. There’s even an Eyestage iPhone app for syncing and controlling the picture frame.

For the hardcore geeks out there, you could use the Kaleido R7 as an “ambient display”, to keep track of things that matter to you without clogging up your regular computer display.

Look mom, no buttons!

The fine folks at Endgadget found a unique headset from Phillips.

Bluetooth headsets are convenient, and their continually dwindling size gives us the hope that some day you could wear one without anyone noticing. But, smaller size equals smaller buttons, an issue Philips is looking to dodge entirely with its latest stereo Bluetooth headset, the Tapster. It relies on touch inputs, not moving ones (other than a wee power button), meaning you’ll be able to administer a gentle stroke to adjust volume or a light tap to answer a call.

From Phillips’ site:

FullSound enhanced music
What is music without heart and soul? During the recording and compression of digital music details and dynamics of the live music get lost. FullSound is a smart algorithm, running on a powerful chip inside the headset. It improves the quality of your music and restores the music’s original dynamics, stereo effects, bass and treble to reveal previously unheard detail without distortion. FullSound is enabled out of the box, and can be turned off and on.

Angled Acoustics design provides exceptional noise isolation
Derived from a thorough understanding of the anatomy of a human ear canal, the Angled Acoustic design adjusts the angle of the speaker tube and ear bud to individual ear canal shapes. Besides delivering sound directly to your ears, it also creates a perfect seal from ambient noise that enables you to listen to your music at lower volume levels.

If you like that sort of thing in a headset.

JK on the RUN posted a great new free program from Microsoft called Microsoft Tag. Here’s a video he posted.

What is it?

Instant information and entertainment.
Microsoft Tag creates unlimited possibilities for making interactive communications an instant, entertaining part of life. They tranform physical media (print advertising, billboards,product packages, information signs, in-store merchandising, or even video images)—into live links for accessing information and entertainment online.

With the Microsoft Tag application, just aim your camera phone at a Tag and instantly access mobile content, videos, music, contact information, maps, social networks, promotions, and more. Nothing to type, no browsers to launch!

What if you could use the camera in your phone as an entry system for long URLs, detailed contact information and more? Wonder no more because you can do just that with Microsoft Tag. It’s a free application in beta for Windows Mobile, J2ME, Symbian S60, BlackBerry and iPhone.

Too bad I have Symbian S80. Although, for those of you out of the stone ages, this looks to be a great little program. If you have downloaded it or use it, let us know how it works fo ryou.

The Lowrance Outback, Safari, and Sierra, these each boast 2.7-inch LCDs, along with a microSD card slot, all the usual outdoor-friendly GPS features, and some nifty additions like a barometric altimeter and 3D electronic compass on the higher end models. Look for them to be available in May for between $230 and $550.

Sierra: Designed for versatility, Sierra provides never before seen expansion capabilities. The device contains 4GB of internal memory and provides a micro SD expansion slot supporting up to an additional 32GB of storage for mapping, pictures and MP3 audio files.

Safari: Fully functional right out of the box, the feature-packed Safari is the ideal all-purpose outdoor handheld GPS. The device includes a large color transflective touch-screen for easy viewing and enhanced functionality. It incorporates a high-performance processor and high-speed memory for quick map redraw and panning; a trip computer that records trails, trip times and distance; pre-loaded mapping content with detailed hill shading,

Outback: Smartly designed for easy, out-of-the-box use, the Outback’s straightforward menu makes navigation simple. Its large color transflective touch-screen allows for easy viewing and operation, and its pre-loaded mapping content with detailed hill shading, topographic contours, primary roads and key Points of Interest (POI) provides accurate and realistic situational awareness. Outback is also easy to customize, including a recording option that saves trails and routes allowing quick recall or sharing, a geocaching application compatible with Geocaching.com

Help make history with President Elect Obama’s whistlestop tour by uploading pictures to Photosynth.

Using techniques from the field of computer vision, Photosynth examines images for similarities to each other and uses that information to estimate the shape of the subject and the vantage point each photo was taken from. With this information, we recreate the space and use it as a canvas to display and navigate through the photos. Photosynth was inspired by the breakthrough research on Photo Tourism from the University of Washington and Microsoft Research. This work pioneered the use of photogrammetry to power a cinematic and immersive experience

System requirements: Personal Computer running WindowsX86 or x64 500-megahertz (MHz) or higher processor with 128-megabytes (MB) of RAM

Mac OS 10.4.8+ (Intel-based)Intel Core Duo 1.83-gigahertz (GHz) or higher processor with 128-MB of RAM

See Silverlight Requirements page for compatible operating systems and browsers

Read more HERE.

Brought to you from the good folks at Engadget, Trispecs introduces their new line of bluetooth sunglasses.

With specifications like:

TriSpecs sunglasses are now available with a variety of features, styles, and colors.
• Power turns on by extending the in-ear speakers
• Voice prompts and voice dialing for easy, hands-free use
• Instant, dynamic volume to compensate for noise changes in the environment
• Retractable standard earbud speakers or upgrade with in-ear barrel speakers
• One-touch activation of phone calls
• MP3 and call control buttons on the arms of the glasses
• Available in black, white, and metallic with optional designs and style elements

More:

Product Specifications
􀁸 Bluetooth Specification Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, backward compatible with 1.2
􀁸 Bluetooth Profiles Handsfree, Stereo Headset, A2DP, AVRCP, GAVDP
􀁸 Music Frequency Response 20 Hz – 20000Hz
􀁸 Telephony Frequency Response 00 Hz – 3000Hz
􀁸 Battery Type Integrated rechargeable Li-Ion Polymer
􀁸 Battery life when fully charged Talk Time - 7 hrs
􀁸 Battery life when fully charged Music Playing - 5 hrs
􀁸 Battery life when fully charged Standby Time - 70 hrs
􀁸 Charging Time Fast charge (to 80% capacity) in 1.5 hrs; Full charge in 2.5 hours
􀁸 Connectivity Built in port for USB (Micro) cable connection
􀁸 Additional Feature Firmware upgradeable via USB
􀁸 Radio Frequency 2.4GHz, GFSK
􀁸 Weight 52 g (1.8 oz)
􀁸 Operation / Storage environment -10ºC to 50ºC; 5% to 90% relative humidity
􀁸 Charging environment 0ºC to 45ºC

Hello, my name is Brick, I’ve been blogging for 451 Press for almost two years now. My first blog for 451 Press was Encouraging Health (still going strong!) and now i’m writing on eight blogs for 451 Press.

Wireless Technology and electronics have always held a fascination for me and I enjoy reading about new and emerging technology. Currently, I have a TC1100 Slate Tablet PC (that’s my main–and only–computer), a Nokia 9500 Communicator, a Nokia 7380 (just for fun and a secondary cell phone), a Planon Pen Scanner and various health related technology that I can carry around when I travel, most of then have wireless capability, in one form or another, either Bluetooth or Ird (infrared).

Both my TC1100 and Nokia 9500 have the capability of communicating wirelessly with each other. I’ve transferred files back and forth using either bluetooth or Ird and both can print wirelessly. That’s a goal for this year, to obtain a wireless printer. It would be so nice to be able to print from anywhere without cables (that my cats love to chew on, for some Godforsaken reason).

Also this year, i’m going to get a docking station for my TC1100 and get a Wireless Illuminated Super Tiny Keyboard. Many days I’m up at 5 am to start my writing and blogging day and it’s pitch dark in my apt (as well as outside). Not really liking to turn on the overhead light or lamp, so this illumated keyboard would be just the ticket.

What’s your wireless setup?