By Andrew Liszewski

While its current aesthetics leave something to be desired, Casio is definitely on to something with their prototype Bluetooth Low Energy watch designed to communicate with smartphones. It’s not the first watch on the market designed with such functionality, but its BLE technology means that on a single CR2032 cell button battery you’ll get about 2 years of life, assuming it’s communicating with your phone ~12 hours a day. Other wrist-worn devices, while sporting lovely full color LCD displays, require you to charge them on a weekly basis which is simply annoying.

Of course functionality is a bit limited as a result, but I think the watch strikes a good balance between battery life and capabilities. A scrolling dot-matrix LCD display provides information on who’s calling, who txt’d or who emailed, and the watch can control or silence alarms and notifications on a smartphone in your pocket by simply tapping its face. There’s even a locator and/or security function that can let you know if your phone has been left behind, or simply help you find it by sounding an alarm.

However, as you can see the prototype being demo’d at Casio’s booth was communicating with an Android-based phone since the current limitations with the iPhone and Bluetooth connectivity when it comes to third-party apps once again means that Apple’s offerings might not be able to play nice with these devices that Casio is hoping to get to the market sometime in 2011.

[ PR - Casio Develops Watch That Communicates with Smartphones VIA Bluetooth Low Energy Link ]

By Andrew Liszewski

We’ve written about Bluetooth-based personal alarm systems designed to stop you from leaving your smartphone behind, but the Ty system is designed to work the other way. The thin, poker-chip sized discs attach to your personal accessories like briefcases, laptops, jackets and even family members, while a downloadable app on your smartphone will let you know when you’ve become separated from them.

They have a decent range of about 50 feet, though in the Ty app you can specify different ranges for up to 7 different discs at once. So for example you may always prefer to keep your wallet no farther than an arm’s length away, but you don’t want the alarm going off when you’ve gone to the bathroom at a restaurant and left your coat on the back of your chair. The app is also GPS location aware allowing you to setup safe zones, so no alarms will sound when you’re at home or at the office and things get separated. The discs will be available in March of this year for ~$70 each, with accessories like clips selling for between $5 to $30. The only downside, it won’t work with the iPhone because third-party apps apparently can’t constantly run in the background as needed for this to work.

[ Ty Personal Loss Prevention Device ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Last weekend I spent more time than I would have liked trying to get an AirPort Express to play nicely with my parent’s non-Apple wireless network. I concluded that they would not be enjoying the benefits of AirPlay anytime soon, and if you find yourself in the same boat, here’s an alternative.

The uPlay Puck from QED connects to your home stereo system and streams music from a Bluetooth equipped source like your iPhone or other smartphone. It uses the apt-X audio codec which is supposed to sound as good as CDs, and you can pair up to 4 different BT devices to the uPlay at one time, though I’m not sure how it decides which one has playback priority. It’s available now for ~$102 (£64.95) but since it’s a UK-based company and product you’ll need to pick up a power adapter to use it elsewhere.

[ QED uPlay Puck ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I can understand why Apple left the numerical keypad off their Bluetooth wireless keyboard. Most of the time I use mine on the road, and that extra few inches would make stashing it in my bag kind of difficult. But admittedly I do use it at home from time to time, and that’s when I wouldn’t mind having those missing keys. LMP apparently feels the same way, and that’s exactly what their new extension Keypad, which just passed through the FCC, provides.

It’s also powered by 2xAA batteries and connects to your PC via Bluetooth, and even comes with a special sleeve adapter that lets you marry it to your Apple wireless keyboard. It can also be used as a standalone device if you just want a slick, brushed aluminum numerical keypad. As for pricing and availability? Those details are hopefully coming soon.

[ Wireless Goodness - Finally, a number pad for Apple’s Wireless Keyboard ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Native Union, still hell bent on keeping the telephone handset dream alive, has created a new version of their Moshi Moshi cordless BT handset called the MM03i which now features an iPhone dock integrated into its base. You still need to connect your iPhone to the handset via Bluetooth so the dock just seems like a way to keep your phone conveniently charged (and moored) while using it.

The Moshi Moshi has seen some tech upgrades as well though, with the use of Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR (enhanced data rate) and BT Multi-point which allows the handset to be connected to multiple devices at the same time like the iPhone and a PC for use with Skype. Fully charged the handset is good for 6 hours of talk time and 120 hours of standby, and is available in white or black for a small king’s ransom, ~$180 (£115.00).

[ Moshi Moshi MM03i Bluetooth Handset ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There’s not a whole heck of a lot to get super excited over with these new ActionFit Bluetooth headphones from Philips, unless you intend to use them while building up a sweat. Tech-wise they’re A2DP, AVRCP and Handsfree Headset compatible so you can use them as headphones or for answering/making calls. And a set of mics allows for noise cancelling technologies to do their thing so you can be heard no matter the conditions.

Its built-in lithium-polymer rechargeable battery is good for about 4 1/2 hours of music playback or talk time, with 200 hours of standby time. But the real reason most people will opt for this particular set of Bluetooth headphones is the fact that they’re waterproof and can be rinsed under the tap if you happened to work up a real sweat while wearing them. Headphones, particularly the in-ear variety, can get kind of gross at times, so being able to just dunk the whole kit and caboodle instead of having to carefully remove and clean the silicon caps separately is a real convenience. $129.95, available from Apple or your favorite headphone retailer.

[ Philips ActionFit Bluetooth Headphones ] VIA [ Chip Chick ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Yesterday we showed you a gadget that could essentially turn your iPad into a netbook by giving it a sleek case with a built-in keyboard. It looked rather fancy, and gave the appearance that it actually was a netbook or laptop. Unfortunately, for the $150 price tag, one could actually buy a netbook.

ThinkGeek has just announced their own iPad Bluetooth Keyboard Case, for a fraction of the cost. It has a nice black silicone cover, which folds out to reveal a Bluetooth keyboard, and a stand for the iPad. It can also be flipped around so that the flap sits behind the device, letting you hold it just as you normally would. The rechargeable lithium ion battery lasts up to 90 hours, and is recharged via USB.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not particularly worried about cellphone radiation given how many amazing superpowers have been attributed to being exposed, but based on how many studies about mobile phones and radiation get funded, I assume some users are. But even if I was worried, I would probably just suck it up if this was the only alternative. The details are lacking to say the least, but the Zip Earzee is essentially a Bluetooth earpiece you wear as a wristband.

Presumably it’s got a built-in mic you speak into, but in order to hear an incoming call you have to pull out a small tethered speaker and hold it up to your ear, kind of like those old-timey wall-mounted phones of yesteryear. Why this is a better alternative to just popping in a small Bluetooth earpiece as needed is beyond me, though I guess it does keep those evil Bluetooth rays away from your brain.

[ Zip Earzee ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A lot of people are predicting that tablets are the next battleground in the tech world, but it seems that another war is brewing over what consumers strap to their wrists. Now it’s easy to point at Sony Ericsson and shout “j’accuse!” that their new LiveView is nothing more than a copy of Apple’s latest gen Nano, but given how close the two were announced it’s obvious that Sony Ericsson has had this in development for a while.

And instead of serving as a standalone MP3 player, the LiveView is designed as a sort of Bluetooth micro remote for Android 2.x devices, allowing users to answer or make calls, view Facebook or Twitter updates, receiver calendar notifications, monitor RSS feeds and even control their music. It’s got a 1.3-inch OLED display but unlike the Nano’s it’s not touch-friendly. Instead it looks like the screen itself serves as a 4-way controller, requiring users to click the edges to navigate the UI, in conjunction with a set of buttons located on top. There’s no word on pricing at the moment, but the LiveView is supposed to be available sometime before the year is out.

[ Sony Ericsson LiveView ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]