Visitors to the Apple Bluetooth Headset page on the online Apple store were greeted with an anticipated ship date of “Discontinued.” It could hint at a future updated model, or Apple deciding to get out of the Bluetooth accessory game. I vote the former considering the new feature of stereo Bluetooth coming with the release of the iPhone 3.0 software update
Tokyoflash, better known for their bizarre, frustrating and alluring watches, have announced a design competition, the first stage of which calls for critique on twelve different Bluetooth necklace designs. Intended to link wirelessly to a cellphone and offer, at least, hands-free communication (either via an earpiece or speakerphone), the twelve concepts range from a Terrahawks-style sphere to a male/female design meant for couples.
All twelve concepts in the gallery after the cut
Klipsch outed their Image headphones back at CES 2008, and since then the high-end noise-isolation buds have spawned a range spanning $130 to $350. Now there’s a pair of budget options, the Klipsch Image S2 and Image S4 headphones, hitting the 449 and $79 price points but still offering the patent-pending ear-tips.
Remember the Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Headset? Back in our review we praised its audio quality, specification and design; in fact the only frustrating thing was the price. Now Plantronics have offered us not one, but six Discovery 925 headsets to give away as part of their Laws of Style promotion. It’s a prize package worth almost $900, and one lucky SlashGear reader will be walking away with it.
Find out how to win after the cut!
ZAGG is pretty well known for their accessories and these new Z.buds earphones just add to that fact, adding one more category to the company’s product range. Interestingly enough, the Z.buds have already received the status of 2009 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase Honoree.
Bluetooth headsets are becoming more and more commonplace, but that doesn’t mean the technology can’t be improved upon. And that’s precisely what Ditech is striving to do with their VQABlue solution technology.
This new software can be downloaded onto headsets and it doesn’t even require a memory upgrade. Rather, this tech makes it so the dual-microphone design inside is vastly improved. So instead of having to wear the headset in such a way to get the mic as close to your mouth as possible, often causing discomfort, you can wear it however feels best.
Also new are bi-directional algorithms, which improve voice quality for both the caller and the callee. Other features include Acoustic Echo Control, Enhanced Voice Intelligibility, Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Listener Enhancement and more. You can get VQABlue from Ditech now as a plugin.
Okay, so no one ever said the Dragon V2 Bluetooth Headset was slim and trim. In fact, it’s downright bulky. But this headset is super functional and offers up a ton of features, making us look past the ginormous form factor and focus on its great specs.
If you’ve been holding out on getting a Jawbone headset because of the lack of color options, you’re in luck. Two new shades have just popped up and are available exclusively at Best Buy Mobile.
Given that there are now so many networks offering 24hr news updates, it can be a relief to get away from the non-stop cycle. If, however, you’re not comfortable without the steady drip of economic catastrophe, war and moral decay sloshing into your ears, perhaps the Southwing SH241 Bluetooth headset will keep you content. Exclusive to AT&T, it works with the carrier’s VoiceInfo service to give spoken finance, news, travel, weather and sports information at the touch of a button.
Okay, so this isn’t really a Bluetooth headset. It’s just a prop and doesn’t really function at all. But how cool would it be if this piece of Steampunk gadgetry actually worked?
By winding the bung, you would power up this earpiece, connecting you to the world around you at once. Nicrosin on Flickr created this work of gear art, noting it was made from pocket watch parts, rubber and sculpey.
SlashGear Japan
