Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

This isn’t your grandmother’s car anymore. Stuck in traffic and tired of staring at the guy in the car next to you picking his nose?  Well then maybe it’s time to shop for a Chrysler.  Starting in 2009, Chrysler plans to include a new in-dash system called UConnect in all of it’s vehicles.  This technology will allow Bluetooth connectivity, satellite tv, and iPod integration...a veritable rolling hotbed of communication entertainment for consumers. The Internet connection is made possible through 3G cellular connection that allows download speeds of up 800 kilobits per second, and upload speeds of 200 kbps.

Laptops, gaming systems and handheld devices all will now be able to be hooked up and online. Obviously, several safety advocates are not exactly jumping up and down waving their Wii’s in readiness, but, that doesn’t seem to be stopping the engineers at Chrysler.  (And people used to think drinking coffee while you drove was distracting....soon we’ll be brewing it!)

No price is set to date for the UConnect, but one could probably expect a monthly fee to use this option, as with the satellite radio option.

Chrysler plans to roll out their new line including the UConnect in November of 2008. They are hoping it’s going to give them a much needed kick-start with some pretty sorry sales figures as of late. Rival Ford does provide a similar system with their “Sync"… minus the web access. Asked what was able to be downloaded from the web system in the car, Chrysler’s Leung said that anything was fair game. Hold on to your hats boys...it might be quite a ride.

Via [AutoBlog]

Motorola has just announced two new Bluetooth-enabled headsets, the H620 and H560. Both headsets feature noise reduction and echo cancellation technology as well as automatic volume reduction that adjust to the level of noise surrounding the users. In addition these headsets employ TrueComfort design which also helps in reducing background noise when calling. And most importantly the H620 and H560 headsets use the EasyPair technology which enables easy connection/pairing with more than 200 Bluetooth-enabled handsets. Both handsets also feature a three-color battery indicator light which tells users of the headset’s remaining battery life.

We expect to see both H620 and H560 hitting the market sometime in Q3 2008. If you’re planning to get one of these Bluetooth headsets, you can either get the H620 which is geared more for in-car use and comes with dashboard headset holder and rapid in-car charger or the H560 which you can take along with you anywhere.

Via [Electronista] Via [Mobile Tech Review]

Guaranteed to turn heads on the streets of London, the San Francisco based Aliph recently announced that the Jawbone headset will now be available in the UK through a partnership with The Carphone Warehouse.

The new Jawbone Bluetooth headset is said to be 50% smaller than its earlier incarnation and boasts of cutting-edge technology in noise elimination.  In essence, beauty and utility are married in this stylish accessory. The new Jawbone brags about its “military-grade NoiseAssassin” technology, which zeroes in on your voice and eliminates all other ambient noise to ensure crisp and clear sound even if you’re in a busy street. NoiseAssassin, as the manufacturer says, was originally developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in its goal to have reliable communications even in battlefield situations.

With models such as “Goldy Lips”, “Blah Blah Black”, and “Silver Tongue”, the new Jawbone is incredibly fashionable. Measuring only 508mm long by 1.27mm wide by 1.27mm thick and weighing a measly 10 grams, grabbing the new Jawbone will be no problem as you strut down the street.

Via [MobileBurn]

We have already seen the leaked press images as well as the live image shots, and now it looks like the Verizon Wireless branded LG VX8610 Decoy is expected to hit the available page on June 16. The Decoy, also know as the VX8610 is a unique slider-style handset that has the built-in and removable Bluetooth headset on the back. Aside from the headset the Decoy will also feature a 2.0-megapixel camera, microSD card slot and support for MP3 and video playback.

The Decoy is expected to retail for $349 with no contract, $249 with a one-year agreement and $179 with a two-year agreement.

Via [Crave]

As soon as Aliph released their latest Jawbone headset, which we have seen referred to as the “new Jawbone” and also the “Jawbone 2” it became a must have item. Aside from the promised better sound quality thanks to the “military-grade NoiseAssassin technology” the promise of a 50% smaller headset was hard to pass up. Having used the original Jawbone since it was released, this is a welcome addition. The smaller size alone makes this money well spent, because ultimately my only real complaint about the original was the large size. The new Jawbone comes complete with a charger, three sizes of the ear piece and four ear hooks, two of which are leather covered.

Aside from the non-standard charging cable, I think Aliph has done some great work with this latest headset. The charger will work in a standard wall outlet or over a USB connection, which is nice, however the headset end is special for this headset. It does work well, however a miniUSB connection on the headset side would have been a little nicer and a lot more convenient. This way it could mean one less cable to carry, and would also make for an easier replacement should it get lost or damaged.

Keep reading to check out some more of the unboxing pics…

MORE »

This image is apparently the upcoming Nokia 7310 classic.  The phone, which is mainly for casual mobile phone users, is based on the S40 platform.

Aside from the normal calling and text messaging features, the 7310 will sport a 3.2-megapixel camera. The phone also has support for stereo Bluetooth, a built-in FM radio and a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. Also, the device has room for expandable memory, through memory sticks as well as USB connectivity.  All of the S40 menu systems can be seen on the 7310’s 2.2-inch 16 million color display.

The 7310 Classic should be available in stores in a few months, but no word on a US carrier as of yet.

Via [unwired view]

We have recently seen the images and those gave a nice look at what appears to be a cross between a slightly more grown up Treo and a Centro. Those images did also give us a nice side shot that showed what appeared to be an on/off switch for the Wi-Fi and these recently leaked specs are indeed highlighting Wi-Fi as a feature, something that has been long lacking with the Treo lineup. Of course as with any leaked specs, these are highly unconfirmed and come courtesy of a “good friend.”

With that said, the details are set to include the previously mentioned Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g along with GSM, EDGE and UMTS HSDPA 3.6 support, a 2-megapixel camera, assisted-GPS, a microSD card slot which sadly is located under the 1500 mAh battery, a micro-USB connector for both power and sync, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR + A2DP, 256MB NAND-Flash with about 175MB available for the user, 32MB SDRAM, a 320 x 320 touchscreen display and running Windows Mobile Professional 6.1.

The new Treo, which is the 850 is also codenamed the Skywriter. With a solid set of specs, this should make anyone looking for a new Treo happy, but aside from the addition of Wi-Fi it just may not be enough to convince current Treo users they need to upgrade. Still waiting on any information regarding pricing and availability.

Via [TamsPPC] Via [Gadgets On The Go] Image [BGR]

With the growing popularity of mobile phones as music devices, it is but logical that mobile phone accessory manufactures would think of coming out with speakers that could deliver high-quality sound from mobile phones to external speakers. Logitech is one of these manufacturers with its new speaker system that works with mobile phones. To make it even more interesting, Logitech made its mobile speaker system, called the Pure-Fi, work wirelessly.

The Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile speaker system works with mobile phones that are Bluetooth enabled. Using the Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP) profile, music stored in the users phone can be streamed directly to the Pure-Fi Mobile speaker system, and it will work up to about 32 feet. The Pure-Fi speakers also promise to give articulate bass and smooth treble sounds with its 2-inch high-excursion drivers and dual 2-inch pressure drivers.

In addition to being a high quality mobile speakers, the Pure-Fi can also be used as a wireless speakerphone, thanks to its two built-in mics which pick up vocal nuances and monitor and block unwanted background noise. Users can also call-answer and call-end easily with the use of controls located on the top of the speakers.

The Logitech Pure-Fi speaker system comes with a protective case which also fits charging cables. For music on PCs, iPod and other MP3 player, Pure-Fi can either be paired to an audio source via Bluetooth or through a built-in 3.5mm audio jack.

And now for the pricing, the Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile speaker system retails for $149.99 and will hit US and European stores sometime in June.

Via [Far East Gizmos]

We saw the follow up to the Jawbone hit the FCC a few weeks back and it looks like Aliph has just made it official. The new Jawbone is being touted as “the best just got better” and assuming the same, or better sound quality that could be a very accurate statement. It looks like the new Jawbone has been put on a diet, as the new version is 50% smaller than the original and weighs in at just 10 grams. In addition the headset has “military-grade NoiseAssassin technology” which should only improve on the overall voice quality as compared to the original. The headset offers 4 hours of talk time, 8 days on standby and will achieve an 80% charge in 35 minutes with a full charge in just about an hour. 

MORE »

QStarz’s BT-Q810, which was launched last month, is being touted as the world’s most powerful Bluetooth GPS receiver. Well, that is due to the fact the BT-Q810 sports a 51 channel MTK chipset and offers up to 32 hours of use courtesy of its low power consumption hardware. This GPS receiver also has an adjustable update rate which range between 1 and 5Hz. This update rate makes the GPS well suited for road racers, autocrossers, and circle track racers.

In addition, the BT-Q810 also features a G-Mouse + Bluetooth in one, a wired and wireless GPS receiver, auto on-off function for smart power control, LED function that indicates Bluetooth connection, navigation status and battery/charger status. The BT-Q810 was officially launched in Taiwan but pricing and release date is currently unavailable.

Product [QStarz] Via [NaviGadget]