WirelessMicrophone
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FCC to test white space database at its own pace
See that faint silhouette lurking on the horizon? That'd be a wave of white space internet, and it's inching ever closer to the US. On Wednesday, the FCC confirmed that it will begin testing a new database that will enable gadgets to operate on white space airwaves, nearly a year after first ratifying its "super WiFi" initiative. The Spectrum Bridge database, as outlined last year, will map out all channels that aren't being used by radio or TV services, thereby preventing broadband devices from interfering with broadcasts. The system will be tested over a 45-day period beginning on September 19th and ending on November 2nd, in order to make sure that it correctly distinguishes available channels from those currently in use. Cable operators and wireless mic users are invited to register with the database to test its accuracy, but this trial period could easily be extended if the Commission determines that further tests are in order. And, though there's still no indication that unlicensed broadband devices will be hitting the market anytime soon, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski seems confident that this white space spectrum could drastically change the industry. "Unleashing white spaces spectrum will enable a new wave of wireless innovation," Genachowski explained. "It has the potential to exceed the billions of dollars in economic benefit from WiFi, the last significant release of unlicensed spectrum, and drive private investment and job creation." You can read the FCC's full public notice, after the break.
Verbalizer: the open-source wireless microphone of your Arduino-loving dreams
Google's Voice Search for desktop is nifty and all, but what it's really been lacking is a worthy way to trigger it into action. The Verbalizer is an open-source dev board made specifically to be used with the search giant's new tools from up to ten meters away. This microphone-shaped piece of circuitry was made with Arduino compatibility in mind, which means that voice search is just the beginning. The company (who happens to be the same folks behind the brilliant Instaprint) will be distributing schematics and source code through its website, and promises to give away a "limited run" of kits for free in a drawing starting today. Head on over to the source link if you feel like testing your luck, but not before checking after the break for one more shot of these mini masterpieces on display as well as the nitty gritty PR.
The Aepel Phone is a product
Um, ok look... we're not sure what the Aepel Phone is exactly. We know it's for girls because the t-shirt says so and we know it's a phone because it's right there in the product name. However, "phone" seems to be a whacky mistranslation of the "binary CDMA" tech used in the wireless mic. If we had to guess, we'd say it's a battery-powered compact speaker for fetishists ensnarled by their desire to read Canon service manuals to bespectacled teddy bears. It's more common than you think. Check the whole mangled press release after the break.
Scosche freedomMIC for Flip Video cameras is the wireless microphone add-on for Real Americans
Freedom. Justice. Microphones. We're pretty sure you can find all of those in the constitution, or inside the pure essence of eagle tears, or in Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" played backwards. Scosche understands, and that's why they're unveiling the freedomMIC add-on for Flip Video cameras. It's one of those new FlipPort-compatible accessories that we're sure we'll be seeing plenty of now that Cisco's new wave of cameras are out for public consumption. The mic itself offers a pretty neat solution to the perennial problem of sucky Flip audio: you plug the receiver base into the bottom of the Flip and hand the wireless lapel mic to your subject. Conveniently, you can start and stop recording with the microphone itself, and a 4 hour rechargeable battery should get you through the most trying of interviews or impassioned YouTube monologues. The mic will be out in "late December" for $100.
Xbox 360 Wireless Microphone ships this fall for $49.99
Remember that microphone that we peeked just before Lips hit and (subsequently fell off) the scene? Microsoft has just announced that a standalone version will soon be available sans a tether, giving owners of the aforesaid title, Guitar Hero Metallica, Rock Band 2, Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year and The Beatles: Rock Band the ability to carry a tune in a bucket right in the comfort of their living room. Too bad it'll run you $49.99 when it ships in the fall, but who knows, maybe there's some sweet Sennheiser diaphragm in there that we're not aware of.[Via Joystiq]
