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Motorola's latest wireless earbuds don't live up to expectations
In June, Motorola unveiled its VerveLife line of "lifestyle" products, with the VerveOnes+ wireless earbuds being the first to go on sale. These are truly wireless, existing as two independent pods that you wedge into your ear holes, with no wires or headband to be found. Needless to say, I was excited at the prospect of ultracompact Bluetooth earbuds -- especially after reading about the Bragi Dash, a similar device. Sure, these headphones will be easy to lose (something the company addresses), but having a semi-smart audio system without tangles that's easy to stow in your pocket ... that seemed like the future. Sadly, while there are some useful features and the sound quality is indeed respectable, the form factor itself still has some lingering issues -- most notably, drops in earpiece-to-earpiece syncing. That's a problem, given the $250/£230 price tag.
Binatone's Brick phone was acceptable in the '80s (hands-on)
"If you're an '80s guy like me, then you know it's important to be a shark. That means getting up, choking down a double espresso and listening to Huey Lewis. Then it's time to hit the trading floor and make a cool hundred mil or something before dinner. Lunch? Lunch is for wimps. Talking about wimps, those hipsters who use Native Union's Pop retro smartphone handset are scum. Me? I'm all about the Binatone Brick. Cram in a SIM card and you can make calls on this thing AND play Snake (I mean, we are living in the future) even while riding the elevator. But pair it over Bluetooth to your smartphone, and you'll impress everyone when you're walking and talking. It'll launch soon for you mere mortals, priced at £50 in the UK with a 1,000mAh battery, but for a big-shot like me who's always making deals, I'm holding out for the 2,000mAh version that'll come later for £80. Oh, and one more thing -- in the time it took you to read this, I just bought San Marino." -G. Gekko Mr. Gekko's views are entirely his own and do not reflect those of Engadget or AOL. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub! Dana Wollman learned during this report that greed, for want of a better word, is good.
Motorola HS1001 cordless Android phone hands-on
Well this is a bit different -- it looks as if the big M is looking to put a little Android (v1.6, if you must know) in the home with this DECT 6.0 phone. Though the device is made by Binatone, the Hong Kong-based company will be selling a $150 Motorola branded version of its cordless phone in the US come this summer. While this isn't the first time we've seen an Android desk phone, this particular one packs WiFi so you can use the 2.8-inch touch display on its back to not only dial up mom, but also surf the web or check email. We did ask if you could make Skype calls on WiFi, but the app won't be preloaded and the phone won't have Marketplace support. That's not to say it doesn't have some intriguing tricks up its sleeve, though -- we were duly impressed with the speaker-equipped charging station, which enables it to blast out your favorite jams from the 70s while docked. It's no Droid or Devour, but it may not be a bad home calling option if you just can't cut ties with your landline. We've got some more pictures in the gallery below as well as some shots of Binatone's future Android tablet, so go on, indulge. %Gallery-87164%
Binatone's Carrera S350 navigator is nail friendly
We're not exactly sure what makes a navigator one that women swoon over, but hooking it up with a pink or zebra striped faceplate is probably a good start. The Carrera S350 is pretty neutral right out of the box, sporting just a white frame, a 3.5-inch LCD, integrated MP3 player, camera alerts and 2D / 3D maps of the UK and Ireland. But this piece gets all kinds of wild when the aforementioned fascias take over. Furthermore, Binatone even asserts that a stylus is included "for those with nails to protect," and just in case you aren't up to speed on your technobabble, the firm informs you that a stylus is simply "a wand for pressing the screen." Don't be too insulted, ladies -- it's only £99.99 ($197).[Via Pocket-lint]
Binatone announces first CAT-iq compliant phone
The recently-announced CAT-iq standard doesn't exactly have the greatest name recognition just yet, but Hong Kong-based Binatone looks to be doing its part to help get it off the ground, announcing its first CAT-iq compliant phone at CeBIT. CAT-iq, for those not up to speed, is a new standard for VoIP cordless phones developed by the DECT Forum, which promises to deliver "high definition" sound quality in addition to an array of Internet-based services. Binatone's phone looks to bring all those newly-standardized options into the conference room, with a cordless handset complimented by a wireless, full-duplex speakerphone. When not chatting it up, you'll also be able to use the handset to check news, stocks, weather, and other information, as well as listen to Internet radio stations with "stunning sound quality." Unfortunately, there's no word on what it'll cost, although it looks like it'll be available sometime in the third quarter of this year.
