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Calling All Gadget Gurus! You Might Want To See This..
Wed, 05/30/2012 - 10:01am
More than 15,000 companies, along with countless enthusiasts, researchers and inventors, are developing innovative products with Bluetooth wireless technology. From the wondrous to the wacky, these products promise to make life easier—and sometimes even more fun.
Sony SmartWatch hits the market
Sony jumped into the emerging smart watch market at CES in January with a new device named simply the Sony SmartWatch. It uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the Sony Xperia line of Android smartphones. Sony says it is also compatible with smartphones from other manufacturers running Android v2.1 or above.
The SmartWatch is now shipping worldwide, and sells for $150 in the U.S. It acts as a secondary display, showing texts and other notifications while also letting you manage basic phone functions from your wrist, check Facebook posts, Tweets, text messages and e-mail.
New Cookoo smartwatch uses Bluetooth 4.0
The cookoo smartwatch is designed to connect to your smartphone over Bluetooth. But unlike other recent smartwatches, it has a unique user interface with small icons around its watch face. The six different icons show when your phone is connected, you have an alarm or reminder, you receive a text message or chat request, and more.
The cookoo is a "crowd funded" Kickstarter project. It is designed to eliminate the need to whip out your phone every few minutes to check for new messages or email. Because the cookoo uses Bluetooth low energy technology, it promises to last up to a year on a standard watch battery.
Eton Rukus Solar speaker
With summer on the way, the time is ripe for solar-powered devices. Eton has begun shipping a solar-powered Bluetooth speaker that it announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.The Eton Rukus Solar costs $150 and features a high-efficiency solar panel that powers a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, providing 8 hours of music on a single charge or unlimited play time with enough direct sunlight. The Rukus can also charge a smartphone plugged into the speaker, and play music streamed from a Bluetooth smartphone, tablet or other Bluetooth device.
Motorola SF600
Motorola went the extra mile to meet the needs of runners and other exercisers when it designed its new SF600 Bluetooth headphones. The $130 headphones are sweat-proof and made with Kevlar fiber to hold up to the toughest workouts.
The SF600 is compatible with the new Motorola MOTOACTV workout watch and music player, the Droid RAZR phone, and Bluetooth phones and music players from other manufacturers.
The SF600 includes apt-x technology to improve audio quality, and a built-in mic and controls so you can manage both calls and music.
Weight scale from the future Bluetooth enabled weight scales that send your information to a smartphone have been on the market for a while, but the new Medisana TargetScale takes it up a notch in design. The striking "smart scale" – which Gizmodo likened to a Star Trek transporter – has glowing rings that add a futuristic look to what some might consider a depressing daily task (weighing yourself).
The TargetScale sells for €150 in Europe or $211 in the U.S. It can track body mass index (BMI), body fat, bone mass and muscle mass for up to four users. It comes with a VitaDock app that sends the data via Bluetooth technology to an iPhone, iPad or iPhone Touch, where users can analyze and track their progress.
Posted by Janine E. Mooney, Editor
May 29, 2012
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