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Sleek Audio SA1 (and Kleer W-1) earbud impressions
Sleek Audio has been trumpeting its "tunable acoustics" for years now, but up until the advent of the SA1, most every set of customizable earbuds from the outfit was only in the realm of feasibility for those with a copious amount of disposable income. Beyond that, the company was one of the few utilizing Kleer's wireless technology in order to cut the cable between your ears and your media player, but again, the lofty price tag acted as a serious barrier to entry. Enter the SA1, which serves as Sleek's first mainstream 'buds that fall well within the "impulse buy" region for anyone on the hunt for a mid-range set. These just started shipping a few weeks back for $79.99, and if the Siam rosewood body didn't turn you on already, maybe the litany of ear tip choices and promise of audiophile quality in a sub-$100 package will. Hop on past the break to see how we felt about our most intimate moments with the SA1 (and the optional Kleer W-1 wireless dongle). %Gallery-80260%
Vodafone's Otello draws a blank on Chancellor Angela Merkel query
If there's one person at CeBIT you don't want to not recognize, it's German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, we can only assume that Vodafone booth workers were left with their tails stuck between their legs after said figure gave its recently announced picture-based search engine a go. Upon Otella returning nothing after a picture was presumably snapped of Merkel, she quickly asserted: "I am not in the database." Better still, she continued by proclaiming: "That's a major gap." Heck, maybe she should be happy -- after all, Vodafone's set to trial the service with Europe's "best selling tabloid," and not being in there would most certainly be a good thing.
Vodafone's Otello search engine uses images, not text
We've certainly seen some clever methods of searching from one's mobile, but Vodafone's latest idea is quite the stroke of genius. Showcased at CeBIT, the Otello search engine simply uses images as input; in other words, handset owners just snap a picture of anything -- a landmark, DVD case, unidentified flying object, etc. -- and Otello then "returns information relevant to the picture to the mobile phone." Reportedly, Vodafone is expected to conduct a trial with German paper Bild in which readers can "find out more about specially-marked articles by photographing them with their mobile's camera and sending the image to [the aforementioned paper]." Unfortunately, the carrier is being tight-lipped with its plans for Otello beyond the trial, but if this stuff functions as advertised, we can't see it remaining a secret for long.[Via Pocket-lint]
