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Tag Archives: Bluetooth

Logitech’s Bluetooth Tablet Keyboard Is A Slick Alternative To Apple’s Own

By Andrew Liszewski on 07/12/11 • 3 Comments

Logitech Tablet Keyboard for iPad (Image courtesy Logitech)
By Andrew Liszewski

Until a few minutes ago I had never considered using something other than Apple’s own sleek, wireless Bluetooth keyboard with my iOS devices. But Logitech’s wireless Tablet Keyboard immediately caught my eye. Its design looks like it borrows a lot from Apple’s keyboard, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. From the bulge at the top which houses its 4xAAA batteries, to its low-profile Chiclet-style keys. It’s even got a set of double-duty media playback/number keys along the top row, and the included carrying case not only protects it when stashed away, but also serves as an adjustable stand for your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

It’s even just a touch smaller than Apple’s keyboard, except when it comes to price. Logitech is asking $79.99 for theirs, which is $10 more than Apple’s. (There’s also a separate version available for Android 3.0+ tablets, though I can’t seem to discern a difference between the two.)

[ Logitech Tablet Keyboard for iPad ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

Nokia Play 360° Makes Connecting To A Wireless Speaker Easier With NFC

By Andrew Liszewski on 06/21/11 • Leave a comment!

Nokia Play 360° (Image courtesy Nokia)
By Andrew Liszewski

Today Nokia announced a new smartphone, the N9, which quite frankly is probably not going to make much of a dent in the marketplace, as sleek and svelte as it looks. But they also announced a few new accessories for the phone, like the Nokia Play 360° wireless speaker, which is a bit more exciting. It’s yet another Bluetooth equipped speaker that lets you wirelessly stream music from your smartphone, but manages to stand out in a crowded market with a few notable features.

Unlike the way Microsoft uses it, ’360′ here refers to the speakers omnidirectional sound that is better suited to filling an entire room in all directions. And thanks to a built-in NFC (near field communication) chip all you have to do is tap an NFC-equipped phone with it to automatically initiate Bluetooth pairing. If you’ve got a second Nokia Play 360° on hand, the two will even work together to play stereo sound. Like all wireless speakers there’s a 3.5mm line-in port for connecting any audio source, but unlike most it has an impressive 20 hours of battery life. And it’s expected to ship sometime in the 3rd quarter for ~$214 (€149).

[ PR - Nokia - Nokia steps it up a gear, with new accessories ] VIA [ designboom ]

OhGizmo! Review – Sony Ericsson LiveView

By Andrew Liszewski on 06/17/11 • 3 Comments

Sony Ericsson LiveView (Image property OhGizmo!)
By Andrew Liszewski

Whipping your smartphone out every time it vibrates at an incoming email, text message or app notification is not always considered proper etiquette, particularly when you’re with a group of people. But the fear of missing even one hilarious tweet, or being out of the loop on the next internet meme, keeps us compelled to keep checking our phones at every opportunity. One solution to this so-called ‘problem’ is to simply realize that somehow life went on before the advent of social media and wireless communications, and to just leave our phones hidden away. But the more realistic solution, at least according to Sony Ericsson, is to find a more subtle way to stay on top of things.

Their LiveView is like having a secondary display for your Android-based smartphone, but one that’s considerably smaller, subtler, and easier to pass off as a high-tech wristwatch. What looks to friends or family like you’re checking the time, is actually you staying on top of calls, RSS feeds, tweets and a seemingly never ending list of info you can probably survive an evening without knowing. But you know you can’t. So does the LiveView serve as an adequate alternative to keeping your smartphone in hand all hours of the day? For that answer and more check out our full review after the jump.

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OhGizmo! Review – Verbatim Wireless Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard

By Andrew Liszewski on 05/20/11 • 1 Comment

Verbatim Wireless Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard (Image property OhGizmo!)
By Andrew Liszewski

The reason I hear most often from people who don’t have or want a touchscreen based smartphone is that they can’t get used to typing out messages with just an on-screen keyboard. They prefer the tactile feedback of a real keyboard or a thumbpad, which I can understand. On the iPhone, where my typing never really goes longer than the 140 character limit of a tweet, I never have any issues. But on the iPad, which I occasionally use as a laptop replacement for taking notes, the on-screen keyboard can get a little annoying. So much so that I usually always bring along Apple’s own wireless keyboard for long typing sessions, which unfortunately really isn’t designed for traveling.

But the only way you can make a full-sized keyboard travel-friendly is to introduce some sort of folding mechanism, and that’s exactly what Verbatim has done with their new Wireless Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard. It folds in half making it easier to transport, and while it doesn’t necessarily get small enough to carry in your pocket, it’s certainly compact enough to stash away in a bag or briefcase. But does it work as well as the keyboard permanently fused to your laptop or tethered to your PC? Check out our full review after the jump to find out.

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itablet Bluetooth Thumb Keyboard Sports A Rear-Facing Touchpad

By Andrew Liszewski on 05/05/11 • 1 Comment

itablet Thumb Keyboard (Image courtesy AHX Global)
By Andrew Liszewski

The rise of HTPCs and touchscreen devices lacking a physical keyboard has created a real market for external wireless keyboards. Designed for use with everything from Windows, Android and Apple tablets to tucked away computers connected to a big-screen display to even gaming consoles, the itablet features a compact keyboard layout primarily designed to be used with your two thumbs.

And if the device you happen to be using it with also features a cursor-driven UI, on the back of the itablet you’ll find a rear-facing touchpad. Logistically it would probably take some time for me to get used to using a reverse touchpad, but by placing it on the back the itablet does end up with a smaller overall footprint which makes it smaller to hold and easier to travel with. It’s available now in black or white with US & UK keyboard layouts for ~$132 (£79.99), with other commonly used keyboard layouts becoming available in Q3 of this year.

[ itablet ]

OhGizmo! Review – Sony Ericsson MW600 Hi-Fi Wireless Headset

By Andrew Liszewski on 05/03/11 • 6 Comments

Sony Ericsson MW600 Hi-Fi Wireless Headset (Image property OhGizmo!)
By Andrew Liszewski

I like the idea of a wireless pair of headphones and finally being able to cut that cord that seems to have a knack for getting tangled in subway turnstiles. But while there are certainly plenty of wireless options already on the market, I’m particularly picky when it comes to the type of headphones and earbuds I use. So for me, the next best thing is a wireless adapter that lets me just plug in my own pair. And thankfully with the flood of multimedia-capable and Bluetooth-equipped smartphones on the market, these have become far more prevalent as of late. I recently had the opportunity to take Sony’s MW600 Hi-Fi Wireless Headset for a spin, and you can find my full review of it after the jump.

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Bluetrek Carbon Bluetooth Headset – Because Everything’s Better With Carbon Fiber

By Andrew Liszewski on 04/12/11 • Leave a comment!

Bluetrek Carbon Bluetooth Headset (Images courtesy Bluetrek)
By Andrew Liszewski

Forget gold or platinum, the real bling these days is carbon fiber. It makes everything from high performance sports cars to even wallets seem infinitely more awesome. And now Bluetrek is capitalizing on its inherent cool factor, and other benefits, with their new Carbon Bluetooth headset.

Looking like it was mocked up with a couple of toothpicks and a mini marshmallow, the Carbon weighs in at just 5.9 grams but still manages to squeeze in all the important features one would expect to find in a moderately capable BT headset these days. Including Bluetooth 3.0 support, the ability to pair with 2 devices at once, a mechanical on/off switch (yay!), the company’s Noise Lock noise cancelling technology, simplified pairing and a 4.5 hour talk time with an on-screen battery status indicator when used with the iPhone. Available now, directly from Bluetrek, for $69.99.

[ Bluetrek Carbon Bluetooth Headset ]

OhGizmo! Review – Jawbone ERA

By Andrew Liszewski on 04/04/11 • 3 Comments

Jawbone ERA (Image property OhGizmo!)
By Andrew Liszewski

Unless you’re trying to save a few bucks by picking up an older model, no one wants to buy a gadget that will be outdated or replaced sooner rather than later. So while Jawbone’s new ERA Bluetooth headset doesn’t appear to be a giant leap forward over their previous model, the ICON, it’s one of those rare gadgets that has the potential to be something even more useful and functional down the road, even if out of the box it doesn’t blow you away right now.

While groundbreaking and innovative, the original iPhone didn’t really live up to its full potential until the App Store was up and running, at which point people saw what the phone could really do. And I think a similar situation exists with the ERA. It’s obviously a brilliant Bluetooth headset as Jawbone has already proven themselves to be experts in that field time and time again, but their latest model packs just enough new technology to make you excited about what else it can do, even if you have no idea what that is right now. More after the jump.

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Samsung Slim Stick Type Bluetooth Headset

By Andrew Liszewski on 03/29/11 • Leave a comment!

Samsung Slim Stick Type Bluetooth Headset (Images courtesy Pocket-Lint)
By Andrew Liszewski

No matter what you’ve told or tried to convince yourself, I’m afraid that no one walking around with a Bluetooth headset in their ear looks cool. But we all suck it up for the sake of convenience, because as cellphones have gotten smarter, they’ve also gotten bigger and heavier to hold. So I’m going to assume that’s what Samsung realized when they created this slim stick type Bluetooth headset that almost looks like a fancy fountain pen when carried in a jacket pocket.

Pocket-lint had a chance to play with a prototype recently, which as far as I can tell has the exact same functionality as a Bluetooth headset, except that it doesn’t hang off your ear. When a call comes in you hold and use the slim stick like the more svelte and lighter cellphones of yesteryear. It also means it’s pretty much useless when driving, and believe it or not, doesn’t even include a pen. But given its size there’s probably a pretty hefty battery in there, which should appeal to heavy and/or image conscious talkers.

[ Pocket-lint - Samsung Slim Stick Type Bluetooth Headset hands-on ]

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