bluetooth

Motorola lets in-car music phones off the leash

Motorola has jumped on the in-car entertainment bandwagon with the release of its Motorola T605 Automotive Music & Hands-free System, which allows users to use their Bluetooth-enabled Motorola phones or digital music players to stream audio wirelessly through the car's speakers, while doubling as a hands-free calling device. The T605 also features a jack to enable users to plug in MP3 players that aren't equipped with the Bluetooth audio (or A2DP) profile, such as iPods. According to Moto, the T605 works in a similar way to OEM Bluetooth systems, in that it will pause music when it detects … Read more

Motorola sued over potential Bluetooth hearing loss

A California man is suing Motorola, claiming that it failed to warn consumers that using its Bluetooth headsets at high volume for long periods of time could be dangerous.

Martin Alpert filed a suit seeking class action status earlier this month. According to reports from Crain's and others, the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges that Motorola had "actual and constructive knowledge" that its headsets "posed a serious risk of harm to consumers from noise-indiced hearing loss during the headsets' normal and intended use." The complaint states that Alpert "suffered … Read more

Untitled.

Tangled mess or work of art?

Definitely the former. This "accessories sculpture" was created when I innocently tried to pull a 6-pin FireWire-to-6-pin FireWire cable out of a box stored underneath my desk. One tug and out popped this circuitous entity, made up of wires, cables, adaptors, earbuds, a couple cassette adapters, and one Griffin TuneCenter. This type of thing doesn't happen overnight.

Taking suggestions for a title.

Operator, this is Bluetooth calling

It's a time-worn formula in the retail business, especially when designers run out of ideas: Update an old product and call it retro chic.

ThinkGeek has done just that, with this Bluetooth retro handset, an updated version of the corded model introduced earlier that also works with mobile phones. Why? We have no idea, but it would make a perfect complement to the updated Princess phone in the next room.

After you're done yapping, you can head to a drive-in movie.

(Photo: ThinkGeek)

Keyboard knows when you're around

If nothing else, this item is noteworthy because so few people seem willing to admit publicly that they like anything Microsoft has done these days.

In examining the guts of this new wireless keyboard, Slashgear notes that Microsoft built it with three Synaptics "capacitive sensing modules." Translation: It senses when you're nearby, allowing it to automatically do things like switch from standby to active modes. The thin, backlit Bluetooth keyboard and mouse are also rechargeable.

Slashgear, already a fan of Synaptics products, notes that Gizmodo took the keyboard for an exclusive spin and generally gave it a … Read more