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Teachers-in-training to get pointers, CIA updates via wireless headsets
Okay, so maybe there's no actual guarantee that headset-wearing teachers will be able to tune into top secret broadcasts from the nation's capitol, but once the infrastructure is in place, it's just a matter of time before everyone's moonlighting as an operative. As the story goes, a gaggle of teachers are volunteering to take part in a Teach for America campaign that puts a bug into their ear and a mentor on the other end. The idea would be to rapidly bring a teacher up to speed by correcting and shaping their technique as it happens, and the potential implications and applications are both vast and numerous. For example, PhDs in foreign nations could one day remotely tutor rural math teachers if Obama's national broadband plan takes hold, and if they're feeling a bit comical, they could throw question marks onto the end of each pointer à la Anchorman. The trial is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ask Engadget: best (non-ugly) noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset for drowning out office noise?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Simon, who seems to be not-so-secretly hoping to drown out his entire office. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I need a headset which can block out the background from a busy office. I'm talking repetitive noises such as drilling, background chatter, keyboard clattering, computer fan whirring and the endless static from our building's air conditioner. I would love if this headset had a fair to good quality of sound for MP3s, and it would of course have to have a good microphone for IP phone telephony and Skype. If it didn't look like something from Radio Shack that would be a bonus, and if the microphone was a bit discreet for street and airplane use that would be an added benefit. Lastly the connection to a workstation could be both USB and Bluetooth, with a preference for wireless. Thanks!" Bluetooth headsets have evolved quite a bit since the last time we had this discussion, so we're curious what you're currently using to make work a wee bit more bearable? No need in keeping secrets, right? Speak out in comments below!
Jawbone Era sticks an accelerometer in your noise-canceling headset, we go hands-on
With a fantastic Bluetooth headset on the market and a pumpin' portable speaker to blast out jams, how could Jawbone improve their product lineup? Well, we still think a stereo headset might be swell... but that's not what the company delivered today. No, this is the Jawbone Era, the world's first Bluetooth earpiece with a built-in accelerometer for motion-sensing apps, and plenty more improvements where that came from. There's a new version of the company's NoiseAssassin noise-canceling algorithms that adjusts inbound volume and equalization to let you hear better, an extra-large 10mm cone speaker with a larger range of frequencies, two processors, more memory, and an hour of extra battery life compared to the Jawbone Icon, to be specific. With only two motions currently recognized -- a double-tap to begin / end / switch calls and a rapid shake to pair -- the accelerometer's a bit of a gimmick for now, but Jawbone suggests more gestures are probably on the way. In the meanwhile, the other advancements might make the Era worth the price of entry -- which is $130, by the by. We've spent about five hours with the headset already, listening to music and taking calls, and while the accelerometer seems almost wasted at present, there's no discounting that new 10mm driver and the audio it can pump out. While no substitute for a set of quality dedicated earbuds, it sounded worlds better than the Jawbone Icon's tiny, tinny drum, and playing Pandora tracks we no longer felt an overpowering desire to take it out of our ear -- making a cyborg existence all the more bearable, we suppose. We'll bring you a full review soon, but if you're already sold, you'll find four different Era designs on sale at Jawbone's online store... oh, right about now. PR after the break. %Gallery-114734%
Early Venue Pro adopters get free Bluetooth headsets, the infinitely rewarding lesson of patience
Still bummed to be waiting for your Venue Pro? Dell's amended its December 14th shipping update -- henceforth known as (this time only, and then never again) as "VP Day" -- to let yearning customers know that, if they had ordered the device before that day, a present was coming in due course. Nay, not a present, a Thank You in the form of a free Plantronics Explorer 240 Bluetooth headset. That's shipping in four to six weeks, excusing any ironic bouts of delay of its own. Let's just hope it doesn't beat your Windows Phone 7 device to the doorstep. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple buys Wi-Gear, branded Bluetooth headset coming?
It appears that Apple is spending at least a few dollars out of that US$51 billion cache of cash. 9to5Mac reports that the company has purchased a small Bay Area Bluetooth headset design firm named Wi-Gear. Wi-Gear's products included three generations of the iMuffs A2DP Bluetooth stereo headset (seen above), which worked with a rather unsightly dongle for those devices that didn't have built-in support for Bluetooth 2.0 and without the dongle for newer iDevices. The story posits that Apple picked up Wi-Gear to design an as-yet-unannounced stereo headphone product for iOS devices and MacBooks. Apple's previous foray into this market was the highly unsuccessful mono Bluetooth headset, so it appears that the company decided to just buy the expertise needed to field a competitive product. One of the co-founders of Wi-Gear, MIchael Kim, now lists his current position on LinkedIn as an iOS Bluetooth Engineer at Apple. The About page on Wi-Gear's website now shows the following message: "Notice: Wi-Gear has ceased operations and is no longer in business. We will be unable to respond to any inquiries." 9to5Mac seems pretty certain that the end result of the acquisition will be a new Apple-branded stereo Bluetooth headset. I'm personally hoping that Apple lets Kim and the other Bluetooth Engineers design the internals, and gives the external design to Jony Ive's team. [via Engadget]
Sony's PS3 Bluetooth headset sheds a few ounces and gets a slinky new outfit
The official Bluetooth headset for the PS3 has been around for a few years, still rocking the same $49.99 price point, still wearing the same "Wow, look at me, I'm a Bluetooth headset" design while others have gotten fancier, artsier and, well, better. Now Sony looks to finally be making an update, whittling the sides down make the new model look a bit more modern -- while not actually going too far. The price is said to stay the same and overall the design looks much the same too, just pointier and featuring a daintier clip that should be somewhat less taxing on your ear as you spend hour after hour screaming at your SVER teammates who insist on staying back and sniping while you throw yourself at the Valor lines. If only they could see your cool new headset, maybe then they'd listen.
Bose enters single-ear Bluetooth headset market with expected swagger and price tag
"It's not every day you see a company release a Bluetooth headset" is something we'd like to say, but alas, it was not meant to be. Bose is the latest, launching what it claims is its first single-ear Bluetooth headset. The aural implant carries the family name and touted audio quality / proprietary technology, but functionality-wise, it's not much different than your run-of-the-mill earpiece. Of course, that branding carries a lot of weight with some folks, and for them, plan on paying just shy of $150 (before tax) when it comes out late November. Your weekly dose of bravado can be found in the press release after the break. %Gallery-105317%
Motorola sneaks out Roadster in-car speakerphone, Finiti and CommandOne BT headsets
Nah, this trio isn't nearly as flashy as Motorola's spate of new smartphones, but those still rockin' the earpiece (or trying to avoid a 'talking-while-driving' ticket) may be interested in the outfit's newest line of peripherals. Here at Fall CTIA 2010, Moto unveiled the Roadster in-car speakerphone alongside the Finiti and CommandOne Bluetooth headsets. From top to bottom, the Roadster is a clip-on device that goes on your visor, boasting dual-microphone noise cancellation technology and MotoSpeak -- a technology that reads your texts allows and accepts voice replies. There's an integrated battery that can withstand up to 20 hours of yapping (or three weeks of nothingness), and there's even an FM transmitter thrown in for good measure. The Finiti BT headset was engineered with "extreme conditions" in mind, adding to the Elite series with a trifecta of microphones and the aforesaid MotoSpeak read-back technology. It can supposedly let you carry on a conversion with 40 mile per hour winds whirling around you, but we're hoping you'd never actually be able to put it to the test. Finally, the CommandOne -- for all intents and purposes -- is simply a less rugged, differently styled version. The whole lot lands in Q4, but mum's the word on pricing. %Gallery-104422%
Jawbone Icon for Cisco is the for-business Bluetooth headset compatible with VoIP phones
Got a workplace fancy enough to warrant $500 video conferencing VoIP phones? Then Aliph's got a Bluetooth headset you might like to own. From what we can tell from the press release, the Jawbone Icon for Cisco doesn't have anything new in terms of audio quality or styling -- the old adage of don't fix what ain't broke -- but instead adds upgradable firmware and allegedly seamless switching between a Cisco Unified IP Phone (or that Cius tablet) and your personal cell. The idea is that you could walk around all day untethered, and never need to bend over to pick up calls from either phone. The headset's already shipping in the US and Canada with top-tier Cisco phones. Hear that? That's the sound of the last vestiges of humanity fading away as the Bluetooth cyborgs take over. PR after the break.
Jabra Go 660 Bluetooth headset 'solution' pairs an Extreme with a USB adapter
Jabra certainly loves to trumpet the noise cancellation abilities of its Bluetooth headsets, and while our own experiences haven't quite lived up to the hype, we always look forward to the company's latest name for its noise cancellation tech. Disappointing, then, that the new Jabra Go 660 "headset solution" (with its Extreme ear jewelry) is said to be the company's "first Bluetooth headset with Noise Blackout Extreme." That's despite the Stone shipping with tech that went by the same name this time last year. Hopefully that system has been improved since then and will now actually live up to its name, putting background noise in a headlock and rendering it completely unconscious. In addition to the headset you get a USB Bluetooth adapter for a computer so that you can quickly go from VOIP to voicemail. The Go 660 is available now for $110, including the adapter -- which of course you won't need if your system is already down with the Bluetooth.
Motorola's wraparound S10-HD Bluetooth headphones: for the Usain Bolt in all of us
Clearly, introducing one Bluetooth headset in a single day just isn't enough for Motorola. In addition to the Oasis, the outfit has also let loose the new S10-HD, a wraparound set that is marketed as Bluetooth headphones rather than a BT headset (though it's fully capable of acting as either / both). As expected, these guys are designed to withstand all sorts of sweat beads, enabling fitness junkies to keep on rockin' in the free world regardless of how steamy the conditions may be. We're also told that the speakers are recessed in their housing with a new ear cushion interface and hydrophobic acoustic mesh (fancy!), and silicon seals are in place around all of the electrical components. Should you receive a call while streaming tunes, it'll gently pause the music until your call is done, and afterwards it'll resume automatically. The S9-HD's proper successor will be landing in Best Buy locations starting October 24th for $79.99.
BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth headset enables noise-free calls during Usain Bolt's sprints
It's not guaranteed to make you any smarter, but having such an intelligent little bird upside your ear may at least give you a minor boost in confidence. A full 1.5 years after the original Q1 made its debut, BlueAnt is introducing its Q2 Smart Bluetooth Headset. Aside from being able to cancel out noise while traveling at up to 22mph (read: Usain Bolt's average walking speed), the Q2 also touts a fully integrated text-to-speech feature that belts out news, weather, sports and the latest gossip from Microsoft's Bing 411. And if you just so happen to use a smartphone with Android 2.0 or newer, it'll actually read your text messages and emails aloud without you having to fish your handset out of your britches. It's available now at AT&T stores for $129, and just in case you're wondering, you can freak mall walkers out for five solid hours without needing a recharge. Not that we'd encourage such behavior. [Original image courtesy of Ryan Pierse/Getty Images]
Jaybird's SB2 Sportsband Bluetooth headset ain't afraid of no rainbow
Not wasting any time on trumping the original, are we Jaybird? Just a scant five months and change after introducing the eye-pleasing SB1 Sportsband Bluetooth headphones, along comes the SB2 for those who just like to live life on the vivacious side. In fact, the SB2 isn't all that different than the SB1 in terms of features, but if you're scouting a set with a little lot more flair, you'll find these available in nine fresh colors: Limonade Green, Sonic Blue, Orange Crush, Runner's Red, Toffee Apple Red, Midnight Black, Polar Blue, PowderPuff Pink and -- drum roll, please -- Snow White. You should know, however, that these also ship with apt-X onboard, which is said to "clean up" your jams while adding depth, bass and treble, and if your BT device has apt-X (or if you use an apt-X enabling BT adapter), these guys can kick it up a notch further with "CD quality output." Best of all, these are still priced at $99, making the toughest decision of all which hue to pick.
Jabra Stone goes exclusive in white for AT&T
Jabra's Stone is still one of the more stylish Bluetooth headsets ever to take on the market, but you know what makes anything more stylish? Painting it white. Sure enough, the white Stone looks pretty sweet in pictures, and it's an AT&T exclusive starting today for $129 in stores. That's a little steep for a headset, sure, but one small bonus is that buyers who complete a survey after picking it up will receive a $30 card good toward other products in the AT&T store -- so that takes the edge off the pocketbook sting, we suppose.
Sound ID's 510 Bluetooth headset has iPhone app to match
Occasionally, we long for simpler times -- times when "handsfree" meant little more than connecting a corded earbud to your phone and calling it good. Nowadays, of course, things are a little different: Bluetooth is quite literally everywhere, headsets have their own frickin' apps, and bone conduction tech is the real deal. Take this Sound ID 510, for example, featuring its very own iPhone app (which Sound ID made sure to get approved by Apple ahead of the actual hardware's release) that lets you control a number of settings, check your battery level, and find the set if you misplace it. To be fair, it's not the first time we've seen an on-phone companion app for a Bluetooth earbud, and something tells us it won't be the last; that's right, welcome to our frightening new reality. Look for the 510 to hit shops in early June for about $130.
Plantronics Explorer 395 Bluetooth headset review
At Engadget, we're used to playing with premium Bluetooth headsets like the Jabra Stone and Jawbone Icon, so it's only natural this $49.95 Plantronics headset would lower our expectations, but turns out it's not bad for the money. For starters, the actual earpiece looks much better than the renders we saw, with a retro look that we quite liked. We're also promised easy operation with few buttons -- the silver paddle-like button (with LEDs underneath) for phone calls and Bluetooth pairing; the black volume button on one side with five incremental volume steps; and the ridged power slide switch on the other side. You'll find a micro-USB port at the end of the silver button, followed by the ear plug underneath and the mic on the other end. Enough with the list of features -- read on to find out how well this headset performs.%Gallery-91753%
Plantronics goes chrometastic with Explorer 395 Bluetooth headset
Who says Bluetooth headsets aren't cool any more? Not Plantronics. Today, the California-based company released the Explorer 395 earpiece -- a $49.95 earpiece in both black and bronze flavors, and aimed at first-time Bluetooth users. How so? You get dedicated buttons for volume, power and phone call, which puts the confusing single-button-operated headsets to shame. Being a budget line, there's no fancy noise-cancellation technology offered here, although the 0.39-ounce weight and five-hour talk time (seven days of battery on standby) seem to give a good bang for the buck. Still, at the end of the day it's all about real-life appearance and audio quality, so we'll hold our judgement until we get a review unit later this week. Stay tuned.
Motorola announces H17txt Bluetooth headset with MotoSpeak
Looking for another reason to wear a Bluetooth headset all the time? Then you might want to consider admitting you have a problem, or you might want to get Motorola's new H17txt model, which can be paired with the company's new MotoSpeak text-to-speech application to read text messages aloud as they come in. That software is available for Android and BlackBerry initially, and will apparently even translate 150 different commonly used acronyms so things like l8r don't get read as l, eight, r. As for the headset itself, it's a fairly standard affair, with it boasting CrystalTalk noise-canceling technology, five hours of talk time and seven hours standby, and Bluetooth 2.1 compatibility. Still no indication of a price, but it should be available through Verizon starting today.
Spracht Aura EQ (the really real version) hands-on
We got a glimpse at Spracht's new Aura EQ Bluetooth headset back at CES this year, but in reality, we sort of didn't -- what was being shown back then didn't constitute final ID, turns out. The company's back at it here at CTIA showing something closer to what you'll be seeing on store shelves later this half -- though they only had one, and it wasn't in final retail packaging -- so we took a minute to check it out. It's using the same tricky earbud that we saw before, but the front of the unit has changed significantly -- gone are the matte ridges, replaced with a glossy black surface broken up by a few bumps that represent the range of the capacitive volume slider. If "understated" is the look you're going for, the Aura EQ is generally going to do the trick -- and even if you like something a little more edgy, it's got those funky points on the front and rear. Quite the crowd pleaser, eh? %Gallery-88965%
Kisai's Escape C Bluetooth receiver is very expensive, very Crapgadget
It strikes us as we post this that perhaps you need to be something of a Crapgadget connoisseur to understand the attraction that Kisai's Escape C wireless Bluetooth receiver holds for us. Available from Tokyo Flash (one of our favorite CG purveyors) the thing does serve a purpose: it'll receive Bluetooth from your phone, laptop, or whatever, and let you listen to music and / or answer calls with your non-Bluetooth headset. But, as always, the devil is in the details -- not only does the build quality look especially sub-par, but the way that they've re-imagined what should be a simple time display into a brain-teaser (hit the source link for that one) is totally hilarious -- and totally Crapgadget. Did we mention that this thing is $106? Not laughing now, are you?
