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Accel Telecom unveils Voyager, an Android smartphone that wants to stay in the car (video)
Remember the days of yore when carphones used to be attached to the car -- permanently? Accel Telecom wants to take you back there with the Voyager, an Android smartphone with car-centric functions that can stay put in your vehicle. To start with, the handset will feature a dedicated Waze launcher key for GPS navigation duties, and will also sport "high level noise reduction and echo cancellation," along with hands-free voice activation. Other features include a 3G-WiFi hotspot, a "driver-centric" design with large physical keys, multiple car-focused apps and "crystal clear, echo free sound quality." Interestingly, it'll also connect to your vehicle's on-board diagnostics system via RS232 or Bluetooth and ping you if any parts are about to break off. Accel told us that it'll launch Voyager in Europe and the US "with operators that offer a second sim device," to let you share your current phone number. There's no sign of pricing yet, but there is PR and a video after the break.
Moog shows off one-of-a-kind Aluminum Voyager and 10th Anniversary Minimoog Voyager at NAMM (eyes-on)
A couple of months back, Moog announced its limited edition 24-karat gold clad Minimoog Voyager to celebrate the 10th anniversary of said analog synth. But here at NAMM 2013, the outfit is showing of the latest bit of unannounced handiwork from its in-house machine shop. Feast your eyes on the Aluminum Voyager: a one-of-a-kind unit that is housed in the rugged silver material and features all blue panel lighting to complete the look -- right down to the rivets. We also took a bit of time to lay our peepers on that golden model, too. Our snaps don't really do it justice, but the combination of the shiny finish with translucent control knobs and accents of Japanese Awabi pearl make for one of the most dapper instruments we've seen. But don't take our word for it, dive in to the gallery below to take a closer look at the pair.
Voyager 1 reaches 'magnetic highway,' gets a taste of interstellar space
We're trying, with all our might, to avoid mention of final frontiers. Really we are. But, NASA's Voyager 1 is at the last point before crossing one. Currently the spacecraft is passing through what scientists are calling a "magnetic highway." This region is where the sun's magnetic field lines connect out to interstellar ones, which allows charged particles from our heliosphere (a surrounding cloud of charged particles encasing the sun) to pass out, while higher-energy particles from outside stream in. This area is still considered inside our solar bubble -- due to the lack of change in the direction of magnetic field lines -- but thanks to the ingress of external particles, it does give NASA a taste of conditions in deeper areas of the galaxy. Likewise, the agency believes this is the final... stage before reaching interstellar space, which it's estimated Voyager 1 will encounter in anything from a few months, to a couple of years' time.
Voyager Mobile promises free global roaming with 'patent-pending' technology
Voyager Mobile has launched a new "worldwide" wireless service called Project Global Voyager, saying users on the plan "won't pay a penny of roaming charges." The brash new MVNO has only vaguely described how it works, saying that the technology is "completely network cloud based, with no special software residing on the individual handsets and devices." Though it hasn't revealed pricing yet, Voyager says the service will be available to businesses and consumers starting in 2013. Color us intrigued as to how they'll pull it off -- feel free to read the PR tea leaves after the break.
Plantronics outs Voyager Legend Bluetooth headset with enhanced voice recognition, improved battery life
For the most part, the headsets we've seen from Plantronics this year have been aimed at gamers, but make no mistake, the outfit is still churning out Bluetooth earpieces for road warriors: the company just announced its fifth-generation Voyager headset, the Voyager Legend. In many ways, it's an iterative product, with longer battery life (seven hours, up from six), and more mics (three instead of two). It also has an elongated windscreen and is 25 percent smaller than its predecessor, though Plantronics claims the in-ear fit hasn't changed. Key internals include Bluetooth 3.0, not 4.0, and support for streaming over A2DP. All told, exactly what you'd expect from the latest and greatest BT headset. But even more important than enhanced performance and a more compact design, the headset responds to voice commands in a smarter way. Say, for instance, that you receive an incoming call and happen not to be wearing your headset (maybe you took it out to charge). You can put the earpiece in and the headset will automatically pick up the call. Or, if you're not wearing your headset you can have it route calls to the phone instead. As for answering calls, you can say "answer" or "ignore," and you don't even have to press a button to activate the voice recognition. The earpiece can also announce your caller's name, so long as it's in your phone book. Additionally, the headset responds to about 10 other commands such as "check battery" and "pair me," but in these cases you do have to press a button first. Rounding out the feature list is a new Android-only Find MyHeadset app that uses tones and geolocation to help you figure out where you last saw your earpiece. The headset is available today for $100, and the company is also selling a desktop stand and charging case, both priced at $30.%Gallery-164953%
NASA's Voyager 1 marks 35th anniversary of its launch, gets photo retrospective in tribute
It's hard to believe at times that the Voyager 1 probe is older than many of us reading this article, but it's true. The official first part of NASA's Voyager program launched just over 35 years ago on September 5th, 1977, carrying not just cameras and sensors to capture the trip but the famous Golden Record documenting humanity for any curious aliens. To mark the occasion, Wired has gathered together one heck of a photo album that covers both Voyager 1's trip as well as that of Voyager 2, which technically launched earlier (August 20th the same year) but took a more roundabout route through the solar system. The gallery reminds us of the amazing scenery beyond Mars and puts our tiny blue ball of a planet in perspective; Earth was just a speck at best when photographed late into Voyager 2's journey. Perhaps the best news surrounding the milestone is simply that both Voyager probes are still running. At 11 billion miles from the Sun, Voyager 1 may be on the cusp of interstellar space and easily represents the most distant human object ever made, not to mention a record-setter for signal transmissions. There's even a chance we'll still be hearing back from the probe for its 50th anniversary -- its power could keep it chatting up to roughly 2025.
'Voyager' is an iOS game made out of wool
Okay, two things: One, Voyager is a new iOS game made entirely out of wool; and two, we're going to do our very best to get through this whole article without making any sheep or cloth-related puns.Rather than taking the traditional, blasé route of creating sprites and backgrounds with computers and stuff, one-man indie outfit Ken Amarit of Oh My! Me Studios opted instead to create his game out of needle-pointed wool and stop-motion animation techniques. The game itself is a tilt-controlled avoidance game where the player's adorable little space ship must avoid space debris and creatures while collecting things.Voyager is both Retina Display-capable and a Universal app, and is available on the App Store right now for $0.99.%Gallery-164307%
Voyager Mobile shakes off network issues, launches a few days behind schedule
It's tough being the new kid in town -- ask Voyager Mobile, an up and coming MVNO that had its launch delayed by a "malicious network attack" last week. The tenacious firm may have missed its planned May 15th launch, but managed to pull things together in time for the weekend, piggybacking unlimited talk, text and data off of Sprint's CDMA and WiMAX network for $40 a month. A basic unlimited voice plan is also available to the tune of $20, without data allowances, of course. Phones are available too, albeit without subsidies -- Samsung's Epic 4G Touch or Galaxy S II will each set you back $550, though an assortment of more affordable devices can be had from $120 and up. Tempted to jump ship? Check out the source link below and let all your MVNO dreams come true.
Voyager Mobile endures 'malicious network attack,' delays launch to the 'very near future'
Launch aborted. Wireless newbie Voyager Mobile has opted to delay its unveiling today to a "time and date in the very near future." A mysterious "malicious network attack" is to blame for the interruption, though that appears to be the extent of the explanation. The company also reinforced its commitment to bettering our planet, one $19 monthly unlimited plan at a time. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
New carrier Voyager Mobile starts May 15th, promises rewards for chatting it up
Competition among US cellular carriers is about to get a bit fiercer with a fresh national network that will actively encourage using your phone rather than setting hard limits. Newcomer (and MVNO on Sprint's network) Voyager Mobile is teasing a "frequent talker program" that will give all kinds of perks for the more talkative among us: call your Aunt Ruth a lot and you'll get phone upgrades, free months of service and smaller nice-to-haves like air mileage and gift cards. That's helped by Voyager starting off at $19 a month for unlimited voice, although picking a smartphone in the early catalog will hike that to a still rather thrifty $39 for all-unlimited voice, text and WiMAX data. If you're tempted by the price and don't mind an early phone roster that focuses on mostly Android-based carryovers like the LG Optimus S, Motorola XPRT or Samsung's Conquer 4G and Epic 4G Touch, Voyager will swing the virtual doors open for some states (with more to follow) when its countdown expires on May 15th.
Plantronics Voyager Pro HD headset knows when it's kissing your cheek
If you drive around all day bumping your gums with remote friends and colleagues, then you can't really get along with those more diminutive headsets on the market. That's where the fat and proud Voyager range from Plantronics comes in, with features like all-day battery life, a long boom, A2DP and an InstantMeeting app to connect you to conf calls on your iOS, Android or BlackBerry. The latest Voyager Pro HD model is the first to contain sensors that detect proximity to your jowls and allow the device to re-route calls appropriately. The Pro HD is available now at $100, which includes a year's subscription to the company's Vocalyst voice recognition service -- although we suspect a certain newcomer might have that area covered. The full PR is a click away. Update: We've just been reminded that the earlier Pro UC headset also had the sensors, so please ignore what it says above (and in the Plantronics press release) about the Pro HD being the first. Thanks, b-e-q.
Voyager 1 will exit solar system soon, is so close to the void it can taste it
Endurance: it's important in every race, including the space race, even though many pundits would argue that it kind of fizzled a long time ago. Thirty-three years prior to now, NASA's Voyager 1 began its journey to check in on the outer planets. It accomplished that goal in 1989, and has since moved on to bigger and better things -- you know, like leaving the solar system. Ten billion miles away, Voyager 1's Low-Energy Charged Particle Instrument is spitting out "solid zeroes," which means it's not detecting any more outward movement from solar winds. The heliopause (read: the official edge of the solar system) is just a few short years away for the radioactive-powered spacecraft, which is frightening to think about regardless of your experience in Space Camp. What will happen once it enters interstellar space? We're not sure, but we're trying to set up radio comms with its earth-bound synthesizer progeny for some kind of freaky space jam. We'll keep you posted. [Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech]
Moog shows off the analog Minimoog Voyager XL, just another thing from the past that isn't dead
Hey Moog, thanks for continuing to be so awesome, and thanks for busting out the Minimoog Voyager XL, a brand new, analog-loving synthesizer. This beauty boasts a ribbon controller, a 61-note velocity sensitive keyboard, a panel-mounted touch surface controller. In addition to all its analog features, the Minimoog's got MIDI for if you're from the future (or you know, the present). The updated Minimoog -- which is being released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its arrival on earth -- is available now, and if you can cough up the nearly $5,000 it'll cost you, it'll probably be worth it.
NASA gives Voyager 2 a RAM reset, fixes communication bug
NASA's finished successfully resetting the computer system of the Voyager 2 satellite, which had begun transmitting unintelligible data in mid-April. The Voyager 2 was launched in August of 1977 to study Saturn, and has also flown past Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. It's now around 8.6 billion miles from earth, in the heliosphere which surrounds the solar system. While the cause of the glitch is unknown, NASA officials say that they noticed on May 12th that a single memory location had been changed from a 0 to a 1, causing all transmissions to be completely garbled. After the reset, Voyager 2 resumed transmission of data on May 22nd -- and continues its journey to leave the solar system entirely.
Plantronics Voyager PRO UC headset does Bluetooth and VoIP
Considering that Bluetooth headset makers are now dealing with the harsh realization that consumers don't actually like these things any more, Plantronics -- a staple in the sector -- is hoping to snag some dollars from the unknowing corporate purchasing managers in attendance. The Voyager PRO UC is a dual-mode headset that packs integrated Bluetooth capabilities and ships with a USB dongle that allows softphone conversations (think Skype) to take place on your headset rather than through your laptop's built-in microphone / speaker. Users can even stream audio over it and hear alerts when a VoIP call rings in, and as expected, there's quite a bit of noise nixing technology baked in. The only problem? The $199.95 price tag that'll be affixed to it when it ships later this month.
Take a voyage to... er, to the Discovery
Activate your holoemitters and prep your photonic crew, because the ship class that Star Trek: Voyager built is headed to sector near you. The Discovery is the next generation of long-range science vessels, and wow does its design shout it loudly. We're going to overlook the fact that, from the front, the ship looks a lot like a muffin due to its warp foils, and move right on ahead to how cool the rest of the ship looks from other angles.Although, with the ability to fully customize your ship, we suppose plenty of players will opt for a less bakery inspired frontal appearance purely through coincidence. Plus, there's also the yet-to-be-revealed Cochrane variant as well.Also, don't let the big blue deflector array fool you into thinking this ship is equipped with some kind of super weapon. Being a science vessel, the Discovery is much more adept at advanced tech, and as such can hone in on an enemies weakness right quick. Who needs heavy weapons when you've got an Achilles heel detector? Heck, this baby can even detect some cloaked ships -- take that, sorta, Klingons!
Plantronics Voyager PRO gets purchased, unboxed early
Plantronics isn't planning to share intimate details about its Voyager PRO Bluetooth headset until April 23rd, but evidently its supply chain executives didn't exactly touch base with marketing before sending out stock to Best Buy. Jeff and John both managed to procure the $119.99 Bluetooth headset over the weekend, and we've got the shots to prove it. Based on the teaser site down in the read link, this here headset should be it's most advanced yet, but for a buck twenty, it better answer and respond to our calls without us having to intervene. Update: Plantronics pinged us to say the price point here should be $99. Interesting.[Thanks, Jeff and John]
NewerTech's Voyager Q converts SATA HDDs into hot-swappable external drives
Man, talk about a hasty refresh cycle. NewerTech just unleashed its original Voyager in early December, and barely a month later we're being treated to the Voyager Q. Delivered at Macworld today, the quad interface device (USB 2.0, eSATA, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800) sports a sleek, glossy exterior, hinged flaps to cover the gaps when your internal HDDs are being used internally and support for hot-swapping, too. Both 2.5- and 3.5-inch SATA I / II drives are supported, and yes, both OS X and Windows platforms are fully supported. If you've finally lost the inability to avoid procuring one of these type units, you can get the Voyager Q on its way to you this moment for $99.95.
NewerTech intros quad-interface SATA HDD dock of its own
It's amazing, really, that this meme has lasted this long. When we first noticed Brando's SATA HDD Dock, we figured it was destined to become a cute, one-off gift that only the hardest of hardcore storage freaks would bother with. Over a year later, we're having trouble counting the iterations available. Now, we've got storage mainstay NewerTech diving in with one of its own, as it has just revealed the quad-interface Voyager SATA hard drive docking station. As you'd expect, the unit turns any 2.5- or 3.5-inch SATA I / II hard drive (up to 2TB) into an external drive, and with FireWire 400 / 800, USB 2.0 and eSATA sockets, you shouldn't have any issue hooking it up. It's available now for stocking stuffing at $99.95.
Titanium LG Voyager rears its big, shiny head
So we're still not totally certain whether the Voyager Refresh is the Voyager's new firmware with visual voicemail support or whether it's actually this, a titanium-accented version of the original phone -- but either way, we think it's a good thing. Look for this one to be available this Tuesday via phone or web for the same price as the current model, while anyone hoping to meander into a Verizon store and pick one up might be waiting a while longer.
