Bluetooth

14 Stories

Grown-Ups Can Now Use This Fisher-Price Classic

Company's working adult version of toddler toy uses Bluetooth to connect to your own smartphone

(Newser) - Bridget Carey says she's "broken inside from working at home way too long" (we hear that), but a recent addition to her home office has her newly perked up: an adult version of Fisher-Price's Chatter Telephone , the pull toy for toddlers you may remember from your childhood...

Treasure Tied to King Bluetooth Found on German Island
Teen Stumbles on
Treasure Tied to
King Bluetooth
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Teen Stumbles on Treasure Tied to King Bluetooth

Pearls, jewelry, coins unearthed by archaeologists in weekend dig

(Newser) - "Bluetooth" may strike you as an entirely modern word, but it's one found in the pages of history by way of Danish king Harald Gormsson, or "Harry Bluetooth", as he was known—and treasure connected to him has reportedly just been found. The Guardian reports 13-year-old Luca...

Google Creating Techie 'Entertainment Device'

Music gadget expected to mark start of new focus on hardware

(Newser) - Google has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to start testing an "entertainment device," sparking speculation about what is expected to be the search giant's biggest step into creating hardware. The device, which will be tested in employees' homes this summer, is an entertainment system that...

NYC to Ban All Cabbie Phone Calls

Even hands-free devices will be a no-go under new rules limiting electronics

(Newser) - New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission is cracking down on its drivers, proposing tough new rules today that ban the use of any electronic communication devices while on the job, hands-free included. "Every driver will be prohibited from even wearing a Bluetooth device on their ears and...

Computer Hard of Hearing? Try This Software
Computer Hard of Hearing? Try This Software
NEW RELEASE

Computer Hard of Hearing? Try This Software

NaturallySpeaking takes a great leap forward in voice control

(Newser) - The latest incarnation of Dragon NaturallySpeaking “takes voice control unmistakably closer to that holy grail of computing,” David Pogue writes in the New York Times—being able to talk directly to your computer. Version 10 is better than 99% effective at transcribing speech, and upgrades make correcting, italicizing,...

Aspiring Spies Get New Toys
 Aspiring Spies Get New Toys 
product review

Aspiring Spies Get New Toys

Two new headsets are really secret-agent style communicators in disguise

(Newser) - Two new Bluetooth headsets are meant as cellphone accessories, "the type that make white-collar executives on city streets look like the muttering deranged," but David Pogue has found a much cooler use, he writes in the New York Times. SoundID’s SM100 and Callpod’s Dragon V2 easily...

Cellphone Sales Drop
 Cellphone Sales Drop 

Cellphone Sales Drop

Recession driving down sales

(Newser) - The cellphone market is experiencing a significant sales slide, with the most serious decline so far among lower-income users, reports the Wall Street Journal. Studies reveal first quarter sales dips ranging from 5% to  22%. Analysts expect growth to slow even further. The market may be reaching saturation with 83%...

Bluetooth Gets a Makeover
 Bluetooth 
 Gets a 
 Makeover  
PRODUCT REVIEW

Bluetooth Gets a Makeover

Walter Mossberg reviews Aliph and Plantronics new offerings

(Newser) - As more states push “hands-free” rules on drivers, ridiculous-looking wireless headsets only get more common. But two firms, Aliph and Plantronics, are attempting to address that. While the Wall Street Journal’s Walter Mossberg finds the “jewelry-esque” makeover of both models pleasing, it’s the functionality of Aliph’...

iPod Touch Paves Way for Pocket PCs
iPod Touch Paves Way for Pocket PCs
COLUMN

iPod Touch Paves Way for Pocket PCs

With a bit more Apple wizardry, device could be 'micro-Mac'

(Newser) - Take Apple’s iPod Touch, give it a little more innovative juice, and you get the next big thing in handhelds, blurring the line between consumer electronics and computers, writes Arik Hesseldahl in BusinessWeek. The Touch, now considered the “flagship” iPod, can already run the major media formats—music,...

Bluetooth to Combine With Wi-Fi
Bluetooth to Combine With Wi-Fi

Bluetooth to Combine With Wi-Fi

Products for speedy data transfer could be available next year

(Newser) - Bluetooth companies plan to combine the technology with Wi-Fi to increase speed, an industry group said. The combination could facilitate the speedy transfer of large amounts of data—like music, pictures, or video—between devices, like your laptop and cellphone. The first products with the combined technology should be available...

Cell Extender Just Can't Clone Your Phone

System synchs to landline, but WSJ finds key cell features missing

(Newser) - Communications company VTech has harnessed Bluetooth technology in a device that allows users to synchronize their cell phones with a landline, with all calls coming to one home base. Wall Street Journal reviewer Katherine Boehret enjoyed the convenience of not having to hunt for a misplaced mobile, but found that...

Turn Off the iPhone or Go to Jail
Turn Off the iPhone or
Go to Jail

Turn Off the iPhone or Go to Jail

Passenger detained for using phone in 'airplane mode'

(Newser) - An irate flight attendant attempted to have a passenger arrested for refusing to turn off an iPhone on a flight to Hawaii, even though it was reportedly in "airplane mode" and didn't violate any FAA rules. The mode turns off all cell, WiFi and Bluetooth signals, which could interfere...

Advertisers Eye Your Cell Phone
Advertisers Eye Your Cell Phone

Advertisers Eye Your Cell Phone

Bluetooth-enabled billboards to offer downloads if you get too close

(Newser) - If you’ve dreamed of having ads beamed right to your cell phone, a slew of new Bluetooth-enabled products might make you drowsy. Get close enough to one of these billboards or displays, and it’ll ask you to accept a download—a video, song, or coupon. Given cell phones'...

New Tech Toys Boost Laptop, iPhone
New Tech Toys Boost Laptop, iPhone

New Tech Toys Boost Laptop, iPhone

iMuffs and laptop chargers ready for today's tech-lovers

(Newser) - Jetsons-style briefcases may not be folding into cars just yet, but today's go-getters need more than just an ol' laptop and iphone.  CNNMoney picks out tools for the entrepreneurs of today:
  1. iMuffs Bluetooth Headset:  Elegant cordless headphones that work with your ipod and cell phone to deliver topnotch
...

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