handsfree
Latest
Livio Radio outs Bluetooth Internet Radio Kit for iPod, iPhone, but you can just call it 'The Kit'
Livio Radio's Bluetooth Internet Radio Car Kit may not be the most mellifluous product name we've ever heard, but it's certainly an apt one. Known as "The Kit" for short, this plug-and-play device allows drivers to stream music from their iPhone or iPod Touch, directly through their car's FM radio. The system also boasts hands-free Bluetooth calling capabilities and a set buttons that let you control Livio's Car Internet Radio application, providing access to over 45,000 radio stations with no monthly fees. Interested parties can grab their own Kit at the source link below, for $120. Otherwise, just steer past the break for an espresso shot of PR.
ContourRoam waterproof camera takes hands-free filmmaking underwater
Contour has already produced a handful of imagers for football players and cyclists, but the company has now come out with a solution for underwater explorers, as well, with its first waterproof camera -- the ContourRoam. This hands-free device boasts a super wide-angle, 170-degree rotating lens, capable of capturing HD video in three different resolutions (1080p, 960p, and 720p) at 30fps. Its lens can also rotate up to 270 degrees, and projects a horizontal laser to help you align your shots. The camera's instant on-record option, meanwhile, allows you to start recording as soon as you turn it on, while its waterproof aluminum body lets you shoot video at underwater depths of up to one meter for up to 30 minutes at a time -- meaning you can leave that old ContourHD case at home. Aspiring Steve Zissous can buy one now for $200, at the source link below. Otherwise, just wade past the break for more information, in the full presser.
TomTom announces Go Live 1535M in all its app-wielding glory, offers dashboard tweeting
If you're a fan of TomTom's Go Live series of nav units, you'll get a kick out of what the company announced today. Hitting retail and online stores in October is "the world's first portable navigation device with a suite of popular travel apps," the Go Live 1535M. That's right folks, this piece of dashboard flair will allow you to use Yelp, TripAdvisor, Expedia and Twitter all from the comfort of its 5-inch touchscreen. In addition to the new application integration, the GPS juggernaut's classic features will be available as well: hands-free calling, real-time traffic info, local search, fuel prices and weather forecasts. Sounds great, right? But what's that... you already sprung for the 2535M model? No worries, mates -- you'll be able to download the new features this fall via software update. Pricing for these app-enabled navigators will start at $250 which includes a free 12-month subscription to TomTom Live services. Pretty soon, you'll be able to make that dinner reservation while TomTom tells you how to get there, seconds before you tweet about it.
Kinect integration in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, hands-off (video)
Microsoft's E3 keynote may have exploded with deeper Kinect support, but nothing caught our eyes quite as sharply as Ghost Recon: Future Soldier's rifle-exploding Gunsmith demo. A Ubisoft representative showed us how it's done: separating your arms separates your deadly firearm into a gorgeous display of floating screws, components, and accessories, which can be effortlessly modified, swapped, and replaced with gesture and voice commands. Too picky to decide for yourself? Then don't: just tell Gunsmith what you're looking for. For instance, saying "Optimize for range" produces a weapon any sniper should be proud of -- even better, we found that commanding Gunsmith to "optimize for awesome" birthed a rifle (pictured above) sporting an underbarrel shotgun attachment. A gun attached to a gun? Yeah, that works. Weapons can be tested in Gunsmith's gesture-controlled firing range, an engaging shooting mode exclusive to the Gunsmith weapon editor and not usable in regular gameplay. Head past the break for a hands-on (figuratively speaking) video.
Microsoft motion controller concept kicks sand in Kinect's puny face
Think your body's a temple? Turns out it's actually just the antenna the temple's staff uses to watch football when they're done praying. A group of engineers from Microsoft Research showcased a technology at Vancouver's Conference on Human Factors in Computing that offers gesture-based control on a scale that could make the company's Kinect controller downright laughable. The team demonstrated how it could harness the human body's reception of electromagnetic noise to create gesture-based computer interaction that does away with the need for a camera -- though a receiver is worn on the body (the neck, in this case). The system uses the unique signals given off in different parts of the home to help measure the interaction, effectively turning one's walls into giant control pads, which can regulate things like lighting and the thermostat. Hopefully games, too, because we can't wait to play Pac-Man with our bedrooms.
Pioneer HDJ-500T-K cans uncoil, answer your phone calls
That stretchy, coiled headphone cord might be cool for the club, but sometimes you need to straighten up, fly right, and answer a few phone calls. Enter Pioneer's HDJ-500T-K DJ headphones. These cans are effectively a standard re-issue of the regular HDJ-500 series, but adding a new swappable straight cord with a microphone and answer button. DJ with the (also included) extendable coiled leash, or enjoy leisure listening and hands-free calling with the straight cord. Pretty simple. Look for these in May for $145, and hit the break for the full press release.
Motorola's Droid CommandOne Bluetooth headset gets pictured
Motorola's CommandOne Bluetooth headset made a rather uneventful entry at CES this year, but toss a Droid badge onto it, and you've got something else entirely. To our knowledge, this is the first Bluetooth headset to get its own dedicated ticket to the ongoing Droid party, and according to Moto and Verizon's marketing material, it's a "headset so smart, it texts handsfree." There's no word yet on when it'll be splashing down (nor for how much), but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we find out.
Sprint announces Drive First app to stop distracted driving, expects you to pay $2/month for it
Driving whilst distracted is becoming enough of a problem for our various government agencies to start looking into ways to proactively prevent it, rather than just pass laws against it, but Sprint is being more proactive than most. It's announced an app called Drive First, developed by Location Labs, which won't be available until sometime in the third quarter. The app runs on Android and basically puts your phone into lock-down mode "when driving is detected," automatically sending incoming calls to voicemail, auto-replying to texts that you're unavailable, and preventing you from using much of any applications outside mainstream navigation fare. As always with these apps we're not sure just how they'll differentiate between driving and, say, sitting on a train, and we're guessing they'll be just as effective at locking out those riding shotgun, but for parents worrying about whether Junior is texting when he should be driving home from band practice it could be a good solution. That solution, however, will cost those 'rents $2 per month -- and certainly won't earn them any love from their angsty teen.
Transportation secretary Ray LaHood: no restrictions (yet) on in-car information
Worried that the fancy-schmancy SYNC system you just ordered up in your Mustang will soon be outlawed? Fret not, speed demon. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will reportedly not push for restrictions on handsfree phones or in-car technology until "the government conducts further research." There are generally two prevailing trains of thought: one feels that any type of calling -- be it handsfree or otherwise -- is a terrible distraction to the driver, while the other feels that properly integrated technology is safe enough for use on the road. As the story goes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating whether systems like SYNC post a "cognitive distraction," while some automakers suggest that motorists are going to goof off with their phone anyway -- might as well make it as safe as possible for 'em. Of course, things could change in short order once this so-called "research" gets finalized, but for now, feel free to request that your OnStar system read on to the next post. Your OnStar system can read Engadget, right?
Evigroup Paddle Pro's steamy demo gives you head tracking, hot flashes
We've been waiting to see the Paddle Pro in action since Evigroup announced the hands-free tablet last year, but we never imagined our introduction would be this, well... titillating. We previously announced that the tablet would utilize a front-facing webcam to track head movements for cursor control, and as far as we can tell, the system follows through on its promises: the cursor follows the motion of the user's head with fluidity, and -- it seems -- staring at any point on the screen more than a half-second equates to a click of the mouse. Frankly, we're still stumped on the double-click, though. A Paddle Pro sporting Windows 7 runs €990 ($1300), while the same tablet sans the software costs €890 ($1169). We're still jonesing to see its moves in person, but if you're looking for a little tablet eye-candy to spice up your day, check out the unashamedly racy demo after the jump. [Thanks, WMax]
The Vyne: Adorkable, wearable iPhone mount
If you enjoy wearing your gadgets instead of merely holding them, then you need to check out the the Vyne. One of many inventions to help you wear your portable device, the Vyne is a belt-like flexible plastic strip with a holder at one end for your iPhone, iPod touch or other similarly sized device. The other end has a smooth curve designed to wrap gently around your neck. Place the Vyne around your neck, attach your iPhone and you can watch movies hands-free while you walk into oncoming traffic or rest on the couch. Pricing and availability is not yet known but one thing is for sure- there is little doubt that you will turn heads when you don the accessory in public. You may also notice an alarming increase in the number of friends who now wear an "I'm with Stupid" T-shirt in your presence. Then again, if you are an influencer, you may just kick off the hottest trend of 2011.
NOX Audio Scout headset review
Earbuds: love 'em or hate 'em it's hard to argue with their eminent practicality if you're the sort who finds him or herself going from point A to point B on a regular basis. They fit comfortably in a pocket, don't screw up your 'do and, if you get a decent pair, offer some surprisingly good sound. The $80 Scout headset from NOX Audio promises to do all that and act as a hands-free microphone for your phone. Plus it has a cable that looks so much like an al dente piece of linguini we couldn't resist trying it. How does it taste in a white clam sauce and, more importantly, how does it act as a headset? Read on to find out. %Gallery-111577%
Parrot Minikit Smart windshield mount cradles your phone, caresses its Bluetooth, charges its battery
Smartphones make great navigation devices (where still allowed by law), but trying to read the things while they slide about on the dash or peek out of a cupholder is hardly ideal. Universal windshield holders help, but none are as smart as the Parrot's latest. How smart is it? Why, it's right there in the title. The Minikit Smart will hold smartphones "whatever their size" -- so long as that size is between 56 and 70mm in width. It has an integrated speaker and telescoping microphone that connects to your phone over Bluetooth, boosting your celly's paltry internal speaker so that you can better hear directions and, of course, make hands-free calls. There's also a USB pass-through, so that you can not only charge this unit while driving but charge your phone. Imagine how happy and secure your phone would feel when being spooned like this, but at $129 it had better be over the moon.
Scosche MotorMouth II brings handsfree calling to any aux input-equipped vehicle
Nah, it's not the second coming of the Jupiter Jack. In fact, it's not a lackluster FM transmitter at all. Instead of pumping yet another one of those, Scosche has decided to take the high road here with the MotorMouth II, a Bluetooth streaming device that's designed for use in any vehicle with a 3.5mm auxiliary input. The idea here is to pair your Bluetooth handset with the adapter, then plug the adapter into your head unit; once you start a handsfree conversation on your mobile, the caller's voice can be heard loud and clear over your car's stereo. Of course, you may want to avoid this critter if you're planning on taking to your part-time lover while your full-time partner in life is riding shotgun, but for the faithful ones out there, it's available now for $79.99.
Intuitfocus HF-IF1 enables 'handsfree' follow-focus on DSLRs
Given that even the professionals are swapping in DSLRs for those bulky, pricey camcorders, it's about time Intuitfocus solved a century-old problem: touching the focus ring to focus. In an effort to eliminate the focus puller from your payroll while also placing more control of a shot in the hands of a single filmmaker, the HF-IF1 handsfree, electro-mechanical follow-focus system enables DSLR focus to be altered by simply thumbing through a wheel. The rig can be used to dictate focus, zoom or aperture on all DSLRs with lenses from 14mm to 600mm, though the company does mention that not every single lens will play nice. As you'd expect, this essentially eliminates shake introduced by having to touch the focus ring, and it ships with a foursome of various rubber belt sizes for various lens diameters. It's scheduled to ship next month at an undisclosed amount, and we're desperately hoping that the company chooses Dancing Pigeons to showcase its magic. A boy can dream, right? Promo clip follows the break, should you find yourself interested.
Novero's Bluetooth headset doubles as neckwear, savings destroyer
Can't say we've ever heard of Novero before today, but after watching the undoubtedly mesmerizing homescreen loop linked there in the source, we can safely say we'll never (ever) forget about 'em. From what we can gather, this company specializes in overpriced jewelry, and given that Bluetooth headset use is rising stratospherically, seeing a new necklace-slash-BT headset hit the market just makes perfect sense. All sarcasm aside, the new Victoria line actually is fairly edgy, and if the light hits you right, it's actually palatable. The collection consists of the Victoria Lapis, Pearl, Stripes, Wave and Victor, all of which purportedly boast the same innards but different exteriors. Specifications are unsurprisingly hard to come by, but considering some of the more blinged out models are priced at around $120,000, it's not likely to matter. Video's past the break, richy.
RIM converts BMW's iDrive into 'a remote control for your BlackBerry' (video)
If there's one thing business types love more than their BlackBerry, it's their BMW -- or so we're told. It makes all sorts of sense, therefore, that the two companies would partner up to help the things they sell communicate with each other more effortlessly. Using Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile), BlackBerry devices can now beam emails and contacts over to BMW's iDrive dash system, where the driver can listen to his messages via a text-to-speech option or make calls using the car's speakerphone. The first supported handset is the newly minted Pearl 3G, and we're told this functionality will come as an integrated part of BlackBerry 6. To see how it works on a 335is, click past the break for the video. [Thanks, Horatiu]
Cell-Mate headset provides hands-free calling, removes dignity
When it comes to testing out new and exotic technologies, nobody holds a candle to Team Engadget. Good thing, too, because that candle, held too close to the Cell-Mate headset, might set your hair on fire while you talk on the phone -- and nobody wants that. Yes, for $14.99 you too can own the iPhone accessory demoed at CTIA that some describe as "Velcro, a curved wire and a plastic pad," and make handsfree calls at will. Bluetooth, shmootooth -- those little chatty thingamabobs are hard to pair, battery life is a joke, and they make you look like a crazy person when you're talking on them. The Cell-Mate doesn't make you look crazy; it makes you look like MacGyver's not-so-bright nephew. The video is embedded in the continuation of the post. Once you see it, I think you'll agree that the Cell-Mate is, in fact, Velcro, curved wire and a plastic pad... plus a little thing we like to call "comedy gold." Thanks to Paul & Sean at Engadget for taking one for the team.
Lip reading mobiles are wunderbar, still at the prototype stage (video)
We came across this lip reading prototype during our exploration of the CeBIT 2010 halls, and while we're a bit tardy in bringing it to your attention, there's a certain timeless quality to strapping your face with wired sensors that transcends conventional restrictions of timeliness. That's our story anyway. Devised by researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, it picks up the motion of speech (via electromyography) without requiring the sound, and then translates it into audible communication via a delightfully cold and robotic voice. The purposes of such a project are obvious -- from helping people who've lost their speech to making private telephone conversations actually private -- but the fun is in seeing someone use the thing in its current unrefined form. You'll be able to do that just past the break.
MagiTact hands-free phone control makes multitouch seem absolutely passe
Are you sick of your needy cellphone, always asking that you pick it up in order to perform essential tasks? Well, the brain wizards at Deutsche Telekom (pictured above) have just the thing for you: MagiTact is an app that uses your phone's compass (provided your phone has a compass) to track changes in the magnetic field around the device. This creates the possibility of a whole host of gesture-based commands, such as silencing a ringing phone or terminating a call, without having physical contact with the device -- as long as you're wearing magnetic rings on your fingers. Another interesting possibility is a pinch-to-zoom function that takes place behind the phone, so your fingers don't obscure the map as you speed away from that ill-fated bank heist -- but seeing as how the technology still only works about ninety percent of the time, we wouldn't recommend using it to make your getaway. [Warning: source link requires subscription] [Thanks, Ernesto]
