Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I know, a lot of you have probably given up your landline phone in favor of just using a cellphone, but those of you who haven’t will be happy to hear that traditional phones are getting a bit more useful. Panasonic’s new KX-TG9382T two-line phone for example comes with Bluetooth which not only allows you to use it with a Bluetooth headset for handsfree operation, but also allows you to wirelessly transfer up to 600 contacts from a Bluetooth equipped cellphone to its own phonebook directory.

It also features a 40-minute digital answering machine so you don’t have to pay for voicemail, three-line conferencing capabilities and a Silent Mode allowing you to turn off the ringer at preset times of day, like when you’re trying to sleep at night. $169.95 for a single handset unit and $229.95 for a double.

[ Panasonic KX-TG9382T ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There, was that so difficult? I can’t tell you how long I’ve been hunting for a simple Bluetooth headphone adapter that will let me use my OWN headphones, not some crappy bundled pair. Well the Sony DRC-BT30P appears to do just that, complete with buttons for answering calls as well as volume and playback controls given the device you’re paired with supports those features. And if for some reason you don’t choose the black model, white, pink and blue color options are also provided.

[ Akihabara News - New Bluetooth Headphones from Sony ]

By David Ponce

If there’s one thing that’s stayed quite analog during the digital revolution, it’s been the stethoscope. Not to miss an opportunity to reinvent the wheel, 3M and Zargis Medical have partnered to infuse some actually useful tech into the Littmann 3200 Bluetooth Stethoscope. The device will be able to communicate with nearby computers and offload any data it collects (through Bluetooth, natch), to be analyzed later with included software. They’ve also included what looks like active noise reduction, eliminating up to 85% background noise without eliminating critical body sounds.

Heck, there’s a whole bunch of features into this high-tech stethoscope, and you should keep reading to find out about all of them. Out here you get the more than reasonable price (considering how expensive regular stethoscopes already are): $379.

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By David Ponce

Every now and then you see a product and you just assume that it’s a concept. I mean, heck, it’s just too smart for anyone to be producing it! And every now and then you’d be entirely wrong, like now. The Orb is an actual Bluetooth headset that transforms into a ring and vice-versa. Wear it like a ring and its Flexible OLED (in the Deluxe edition) will display caller info, calendar items and voice-to-text info. Feel like answering? Twist it off and hang it on your ear. Sound is transmitted through bone conduction, so there’s no need to even insert it in your ear. It’s really just brilliant.

The best part is that it’s supposed to be available for purchase in early 2010 for $129 for the regular edition, $175 for Deluxe and going up from there depending on what gemstones people might choose to have embedded into it. It is after all, also a ring.

It’s being developed in partnership between Hybra Advanced Technology and AbsolutelyNew. There’s no product page quite yet.

A close-up picture if you keep reading.

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By Shane McGlaun

A few weeks back I bought a new car. I figured my kids were old enough that they only need booster seats, so I would go ahead and get the convertible Mustang GT with a 5-speed. The problem is that you can’t drive the car and talk on the phone in traffic and most of the Bluetooth headsets I have tried don’t work with the top down at highway speeds.

Motorola has announced a new Bluetooth headset called the Endeavor HX1 that promises to allow the user to talk and be heard in even the most extreme environment. I think the top down at 70mph on the highway is pretty extreme as far as wind noise goes.

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By Shane McGlaun

Bluetooth headsets can be convenient when you are driving and can prevent you from getting a ticket in many states. The issue for some users is that most Bluetooth headsets are expensive devices. Jabra has unveiled a new Bluetooth headset called the BT2080 that is cheap.

The BT2080 headset sells for $39, which is much cheaper than many high-end headsets sell for. To prevent users from accidentally turning the headset off it has a dedicated power button. Support for Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR and eSCO is built-in.

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By Shane McGlaun

I am not a big fan of Bluetooth headsets. I think they have their place, like when you are trying to drive in a manual transmission car. However, if you use one while say walking in the mall you should be kicked in the balls (or punched in the ovaries if more appropriate).

If you are into music on your phone, most go for ear buds because they are compact and don’t look as strange on your head as say your massive headphones from 1984. Nokia has announced a new Bluetooth headset called the BH-905 that is quite large. The massive size looks like something you would see with a home stereo rather than a mobile phone or MP3 player.

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By Chris Scott Barr

Talking on the phone while driving can be something of a hassle when you don’t have any sort of handsfree device. I have had the opportunity to check out one of the latest offerings from Parrot in this department. The Minikit Chic is a sleek little device that clips to your sun visor and offers a little more than some similar products on the market.

The first thing you’ll notice (other than the floral pattern) is that there really isn’t much to this little device. It’s roughly the size of my iPhone, only a bit thicker. You’ll find two buttons, a knob, a USB port and a clip. The clip is obviously for attaching it to your visor, while the USB port is used for charging and interfacing with your computer if needed. All of the functions you’ll use are controlled by the knob and two buttons, which seems rather simple for all it can do.

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By Chris Scott Barr

You know what I hate? Pushing buttons. Sure, pressing one might save me the effort of doing a task that would otherwise require strenuous amounts of work, but it’s just damn annoying. Take my garage door opener for example. When I’m pulling in my driveway, I have to press the button on my remote two, sometimes three times while still focusing on my very slow driving. It’s so bad that I’ve been tempted just to park outside and go through the front door, but then I’d have to use a key. Don’t even get me started on keys.

The Blueguard Self-opening Door is a handy little contraption that uses a Bluetooth signal from your cell phone to open up the door when you’re approaching. This eliminates the need for one of those little garage door clickers that you’ve got attached to your sun vizor. My first obvious concern was that every time I walked to the kitchen my garage would open, but apparently it’s smart enough to detect whether or not you are approaching in a vehicle. Unfortunately there is no information on pricing. Oh, and just so we’re clear, despite the fact that I was extremely sarcastic in my opening paragraph, I would totally buy one of these if the price was right.

[ EMX ] VIA [ Coolest-Gadgets ]