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Jabra's CES 2011 extravaganza: Extreme, Cruiser2, Speak 410, and more (hands-on)
With all the madness going on here at CES 2011, we somehow managed to find Jabra's booth and got a hands-on look at its new gear. As you recall from just yesterday, Jabra debuted its line of Skype-certified Bluetooth headsets and speakers. The Extreme (99.99), Easy Go ($59.99), Speak 410 ($159.99) and Chill for PC headphones all play nicely with Skype -- all that's standing between you and VoIP nirvana is a quick and easy install of software preloaded on the USB dongle. Be warned though, the devices only work with Windows PCs, and we didn't get the impression that said fact is apt to change in the near future. The Cruiser2, for $99.99, is a speakerphone system for your automobile that -- surprise, surprise! -- acts as a Bluetooth speakerphone, allows you to play tunes on your connected device via an FM transmitter and even talks to your smartphone's contacts and tells you who's calling. In addition to all the BT goodness, we got to see its new line of wired headphones; Chill, Rhythm, and Active will be priced at $24.99, $34.99 and $49.99, respectively. All of Jabra's gadgets are available now save for the Speak 410, which'll be here in Q1. Head past the fold for the pics! %Gallery-112886%
Yamaha's PSG-01S is the speakerphone version of a mullet
Following in ASUS' hot sweaty footsteps today comes Yamaha with a pair of Skype-certified USB speakerphones. The PSG-01S 'SoundGadget' (pictured) aspires to be everything to everyone, by automagically switching between an all-party speaker mode and dressed-up speakerphone duty, depending on its vertical orientation. The PJP-25URS, on the other hand, seems pretty well identical to its predecessor, the PJP-25UR, but for its support for Vista (and presumably Windows 7) machines. That means you still get a crazy twelve mic array and those fetching swing-out mic arms that corporate types must be simply in love with, given the distinct lack of changes. Both are powered via the USB connector, sport dedicated Skype controls, echo cancellation, and noise reduction, and are expected in Europe and the US this month. %Gallery-73419%
USRobotics releases two Skype-certified handsets
USRobotics has just released two new Nokia-esque Skype-certified handsets for the Internet telephony lover on a budget, with the USR9601 USB Internet Phone retailing for just $50, and the USR9602 USB Internet Mini Phone (pictured) going for a mere $25. Both models feature a numeric keypad (duh) for speed dialing your Skype contacts or utilizing the SkypeOut feature if that's your thing, with the 9601 also sporting a back-lit LCD for call status and the all-important Skype caller ID. Also part of the package is some whiz-bang technology that promises to cancel out the echoing and tunnel effect that apparently plague lower-quality handsets; we're not quite sure what they're referring to, though, as every VoIP call we've ever made has been crystal clear and of the highest possible sound quality.
