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Rugged Bluetooth boom box adds soundtrack to your campsite

LAS VEGAS--Everyone loves gathering around a campfire listening to someone strum an acoustic guitar, but lugging that delicate instrument through nature is cumbersome, and why should only one person get to choose the music?

Outdoor Technology suggests you democratize your next adventure with its new wireless Turtle Shell boom box, a Bluetooth-powered speaker with rock-star sound, IP5X durability, and a built-in tripod mount.

I swung by the Outdoor Technology booth here at CES, and the dudes took me into their camper setup to demonstrate the Turtle Shell's flexible features, like an integrated speakerphone and a threaded tripod mount on the bottom that lets you attach it to almost anything--they had it hooked up to a Joby GorillaPod.… Read more

OT Bluetooth Tags review: Ideal for active music lovers

Most of the Bluetooth headphones we review sit on top of your head, but the Outdoor Technology Bluetooth Tags fit in your ears with a long cord that wraps around your neck, which comes in handy when you're not listening to music. They're meant to dangle off your neck like a pair of dog tags, and a small plastic clip on the wire lets you twist them together.

The set comes with three colo-coded ear tip sizes, a Mini-USB cable for charging through a port on your computer, and a small plastic carrying case.

Since there's no room on the cable for the remote control, all the navigation is done directly on the right earbud using three buttons: one multifunction button to play and stop, and two directional buttons to skip forward or backward through a playlist.

The company also includes two plastic ear clips that securely fasten to your ears while you're listening. The tags weren't specifically designed for athletes, but the clips make it easy to add a soundtrack for jogging, cycling, hiking, and other active sports.… Read more

Alcatel OT-808: Pretty and patronizing in pink

All the single ladies (all the single ladies), put your hands up for the Alcatel OT-808.

It isn't the first QWERTY clamshell mobile phone we've ever seen, but it is possibly the first to be square rather than rectangular. In fact, it looks almost exactly like a make-up compact. That's probably what Alcatel had in mind, because the OT-808 is "designed exclusively for women." Squee!

Read more of "Alcatel OT-808: If you like it you can give us a ring on it" at Crave UK.

First Alcatel phones for a U.S. carrier

After introducing its cell phones to North America at the 2006 CTIA show, Alcatel has remained silent on exactly when its handsets would arrive here. But this weekend Locus Telecommunications and O2 Wireless announced they were adding the Alcatel OT-E206A and the OT-ET227A Alcatel to O2's lineup. MVNO O2 is the first wireless operator in the United States to offer Alcatel handsets.

The GSM OT-E206A is a black candy bar phone. Its features are limited to text messaging, polyphonic ringtones, games, a 250-contact phone book and a 65,000-color display. The GSM OT-ET227A is equally simple. It sports a … Read more