Belkin makes wireless HD content easy: FlyWire
Last night at a Belkin press event, I was shown a new side to Belkin. No long satiated in being a “me too” company, they are taking off in new directions and definately moving upscale and in many cases brilliant products.
One such product is the FlyWire. Removing the unsightly cords that must travel to your wall mounted flat screen is not an easy task. Enter the FlyWire. Able to handle even the most advanced 1080p/24, the demo I saw was flawless. The picture quality looked perfect, no latentcy, it was all elegant and the unit itself was a thing of beauty. It is clear that across all their products from this mighty FlyWire to the a lowly and clever bendable USB hub, Belkin is taking design cues from modern art. Very impressive stuff.
Coming this holiday season for $999. Pre-order is available now.
Product Page [Belkin]
Belkin answers the need for USB-on-a-wall charger for gadgets
Finally! Someone’s become sober enough to realize that, “Hey, shouldn’t there be USB chargers for wall outlets by now?”, and that pride goes to a company named Belkin. Its new Mini Surge Protector includes three standard wall outlets as well as two built-in USB ports for charging any cellphone, smartphone, or MP3 player, and possibly any other gadget that charges via USB. Say thank you and hallelujah!
Gadgetell Rant: iPod Docks will start WWIII
Enough, no more for the love of God. Today, thanks to sales of Apple’s wonder gadget, the iPod, there are enough iPod docks for every man, woman and child on the planet to have 2. There is no need to make another one. We must end iPod dock proliferation.
You’ll find these docks in hotels, on TVs, near computers thanks to the likes of companies like Belkin, DLO, JVC and countless others. Literally countless others. You can’t get away from them. The time has come to call for an end of iPod enrichment. We need no more.
Belkin intros three new laptop carrying bags
Belkin has released three extremely attractive and affordable laptop carrying cases. The whole range looks bright, cheerful and extremely well put together. To be honest a bag is pretty much a bag. You either want a slim one or a road warrior one to carry everything, and you probably already have a preference for style, whether it is a backpack, messenger, etc. Whatever your personal preference is I think you will find something that you like in the Belkin lineup.
My favorite? The Messenger style bag (as pictured to the right).
- Slim and lightweight – multiple compartments provide ample room for your laptop and accessories.
- Hidden handle available when needed.
- Plush inner lining protects laptops from scratches.
- Built-in stability for easy packing—bag stands up on its own.
- Works with 15.4-inch laptops, both widescreen and standard.
- Made with water-resistant nylon.
- Available in colors: black/light grey, grey/lavender, grey/green and grey/blue.
The Messenger bag retails for $49.99 and is available in all regions beginning in late January.
Next up is the Backpack style bag (pictured below), this bag offers:
Belkin’s new desktop internet phone for Skype
We have come a long way from the days of headsets for Skype calls (thankfully), and we are now starting to see more and more traditional telephone style handsets on the market. The one really inconvenient aspect of Skype (and other VoIP services) is the need to have your computer turned on all the time - that just restricts the ability to use Skype as a regular phone service rather than something that you do via the computer.
The new Desktop Internet Phone from Belkin does away with the need to use the computer, looks great and at $99.99 is pretty affordable. What it does lack though, and this is why I personally wouldn’t get one, is a built in web cam. That said it is still well worth taking a look at, it features:
- A speaker, speed dial, call hold/release, call pickup/park, mute, redial, hold, call-timer display and contact list.
- Contact list supports over 500 sets of Skype and SkypeOut contacts.
- Automatically logs into Skype after initial login.
- Plugs into port on wired/wireless router or a live Ethernet port so you can immediately start making calls.
- Supports inexpensive SkypeOut calls to landlines and mobiles anywhere in the world, which requires the purchase of Skype credits on Skype.com.
- Supports SkypeIn, a personal and portable Skype number that people can call you on wherever you are in the world, which requires the purchase of a SkypeIn subscription on Skype.com.
Read [Belkin]
Share your music with friends using new Belkin RockStar
One of the common solutions in sharing music with friends or family is giving them one of the ear buds so each of you only have one. That is an annoying solution as you have to blast the music and you still can’t hear it too well, and what happens if you want to share with more that one person? There are a few solutions, but in my opinion, this new Belkin RockStar looks to be the best to me.
Basically, there are 5 headphone slots so up to 5 people can listen at once. You can attach either one MP3 players or attach multiple players to get a unique solution that is fun and easy to all listen in and create a random mashup mix of multiple people’s music. In the case of using multiple MP3 players being attached, each of course still retain their full controls.
The Belkin RockStar features:
- Five ports to attach headphones or MP3 players.
- One hard-wired connection for your MP3 player.
- Included cable to attach another MP3 player.
- Mixing and fade-ins controlled by the standard controls of each MP3 player.
Chris McGugan, Vice President of Product Management, Belkin International, had this to say:
“RockStar is a simple and fun way to share music, creating more interaction among everyone using it. Students can sit around a lunch table, plug their headphones into RockStar, and then together listen to the songs playing from one MP3 player. Alternatively, they can connect two or three MP3 players to RockStar, and then mix the songs from the different players together. RockStar boosts the amount of interaction between teenagers as they listen to their MP3 players.”
Read [Belkin]
PCMag’s iPod accessories roundup
A pretty clear theme at this year’s CES was not only home media servers, but also adding a friggin’ iPod dock to virtually everything. With that in mind, PCMag’s iPod accessories roundup also suggests a new remote, an additional screen and some wireless headphones.
- Kensington Entertainment Dock 500 with remote
- DLO HomeDock Deluxe with remote
- Apple iPod Radio Remote
- ATO iSee 360i 3.6 in. screen (only good with Windows-formatted iPods)
- Logitech FreePlus Wireless Headphones via Bluetooth
I wonder if the new products announced at CES will make PCMag’s next list, including Razer’s keyboard with an iPod dock the Belkin iPod adapter that turns an iPod into a remote, or one of my favorites, the vacuum tube speakers with - surprise, surprise - an iPod dock.
Read [PCMag]
Turn your iPod into a wireless remote
Belkin has released a Bluetooth Dock Adaptor which essentially turns your iPod into a wireless remote so you can conveniently play your songs wirelessly through your iPod stereo dock. Once the dock is plugged into your stereo and the iPod adaptor into your iPod (compatible with the Nano, Mini, click wheel, color and video iPods), you’ll have full control of your music as it plays from your iPod connected wirelessly to your stereo. It also allows you to navigate your playlists from over 30 feet away and access all the usual iPod features, and it offers compatibility with other Bluetooth stereo devices.
The Dock Adapter will be available in March 2007 with releases immediately following in in Asia, Europe and Australia.
Site [Belkin]
Four-channel iPod audio mixer by Belkin
The Belkin TuneStudio is a four-channel mixer that records digital audio directly to your 5 GB iPod at 16-bit, 44kHz quality. It’s basically a portable audio recording studio that can handle up to four audio sources (instruments, microphones, etc.) with each getting its own three-band EQ, pan and level controls. There is also a USB port for transmitting audio to and from your Mac or PC. This is not a product for the light-hearted, and certainly not a toy. It will help you create professional quality mixed sound tracks. The TuneStudio will be released later this year for $179.99.
Read [Crave] Read [CrunchGear]
FM transmitters are now legal in the UK
Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Who would have known (besides our Queen’s English-speaking friends) that FM transmitters, and hence iTrips, were recently illegal in the UK.
Previous legislation designed to curb pirate radio stations disallowed use of the device in the UK. The law prohibited the iTrip from transmitting music from an iPod to any FM radio. Ofcom, the United Kingdom’s Office of Communications, has implemented the Wireless Telegraphy Exemption today and effectively lifted the ban on FM Transmitters.
We are sure that Griffin, Belkin, and all other iPod, Zune, and other DAP accessory makers were ecstatic about the new news.
Read [Jason Bradbury]
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