A wireless technology specifically geared towards exchanging data over short distances, Bluetooth is a staple hardware feature for many Apple products, such as those in the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac lineups. Bluetooth is also incorporated in many Apple peripherals, such as the Magic Keyboard, and Magic Mouse.
How often is merely showing up with a working lightbulb enough to attract a crowd? At a dimly-lit event held tonight by the Bluetooth SIG ahead of the 2015 CES, Avi-on demonstrated such modest magic using an early implementation of Bluetooth mesh wireless connectivity.
The company’s upcoming Bluetooth light switches ($30-$35), light dimmers ($40), and lightbulbs ($20) will be the backbone of an upcoming home lighting system with General Electric branding, and promise to eliminate the need for in-wall light switch wiring.
From 9to5Toys.com:
As the new gear rolls in from our team on the show floor of CES 2015, consumer audio and electronics lifestyle company ION has a few announcements of its own. Makers of everything from Bluetooth speakers to headphones and DJ gear (among other things), ION Audio is introducing new hybrid light bulb speakers and a new Bluetooth turntable/audio interface…
The Sound Shine system consists of a pair of wireless LED light bulbs, that double as typical streaming speakers. The new product brings together the popularity of wireless Bluetooth audio and LED light bulbs to create a single unified experience. The pair of light bulb/speakers can be used in tandem for 2-channel stereo sound (if installed in light sockets within 30-feet of each other) or independently in different areas of your home or office. As for the light portion, this is your typical LED bulb with a 25,000 hour lifespan (“more than 20 years in normal use!”), that can be installed and powered in any normal light socket. ION says the bulbs are equalivalent to a soft white, traditional 60-watt light bulb.
Users can use the free iOS and Android smartphone/tablet apps to control the system in various ways: dim the lights, turn them on or off and control music playback all from the same hub. The Sound Shine system will begin shipping in March of this year with a suggested retail price of $129.99 (includes the pair). We are seeing an early listing on Amazon, but it is not yet available.
Not unlike its previous offerings, the new Air LP turntable offers vinyl enthusiasts a quick and easy way to digitize their collections. It also offers the ability to wirelessly stream vinyl directly from the needle to any standard Bluetooth speakers. While certainly possible previously with add-on analog to Bluetooth adapters and not likely an option for analog purists (simply because you are defeating the purpose running the audio over Bluetooth, in most cases), ION is offering a complete AD/DA solution in one singular unit that will certainly be helpful to some. The recent tear-jerker of an Apple ad shows one amazing way creative people can put this older tech to good use.
Using the included USB cable and EZ Vinyl/Tape Converter software, records (33 1/3, 45, and 78) can be transferred onto Mac or PC without the need for any working experience or advanced digital audio knowledge. There is also additional analog I/O available (1/8 inch input, RCA outs) for hooking up external gear (cassette, CD players, stereos) in order to take advantage of the built-in audio interface with other audio sources and destinations.
Air LP features a “sleek” black piano finish and is also expected to start shipping come March 2015. It will be available for $149 or $179.99 with a pair a Bluetooth speakers included.
Keep an eye on 9to5 all week long for all the best announcements from CES 2015.
9to5Mac’s CES 2015 coverage brought to you by:
Zagg, the company behind many of our favorite Bluetooth keyboards and cases, today announced its latest creation, the ZAGG Speaker Case for iPhone 6 with detachable Bluetooth speaker. Not only that, but the case also packs in an 1800mAh backup battery, which the company says will get you approximately “8 hours of additional talk time, and can be shared with a friend.”
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Griffin unveiled a series of new accessories for mobile devices today during the Consumer Electronics Show. The first of these accessories is the iTrip Aux Bluetooth, which combines a standard 3.5mm audio cable with a Bluetooth reciever powered by the cigarette lighter in your car, allowing you to stream your music wirelessly to your car’s stereo, even if you don’t have a Bluetooth equipped car.
The iTrip Aux AutoPilot, a sister device, works using a Lightning cable to charge your iOS device while using the data connection to access your music library, which is then played through the same 3.5mm jack as the Bluetooth model.
Both accessories retail for $49.99 and are available from Griffin’s website starting today.
Note, I originally was going to review this in early 2015, but Amazon is having a pretty insane 1-day deal on it and I love it sooo…
Fugoo is the best Bluetooth speaker you’ve probably never heard of. I got mine after a few readers (and PR folk) rightfully noted its omission from our Best Bluetooth Speaker of 2014 list. I have been listening to it ever since and yep, it should be among the top and for $135, it is a no-brainer…
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I’ve reviewed a lot of iHome clock radios over the past nine years. They weren’t all formulaic, but there was a very clear evolutionary line from the original 2005-vintage, iPod-only iH5 to the iPad-ready iDL95 released last year: take two speakers, stick a clock in the middle, center a dock on the top, then make the enclosure sort of flat but pleasantly curvy. iHome had a winning general concept and look, which it updated annually with small feature, color, and shape tweaks. But its new $120 model iBN10 breaks the mold in several ways.
The dock’s gone, the clock has been glammed up and shifted to the right, and there are four speakers inside, rather than the standard two. iBN10 is also atypically handsome, built and billed as an “executive music system” by discarding the faux metals that iHome’s midrange speakers have become known for, and adding speakerphone functionality. This isn’t iHome’s first Kleenex box-sized speaker, but it’s definitely the most sophisticated.
Adobe updated two of its creative iPad apps today with new features and additional Bluetooth stylus support. Both Illustrator Line and Photoshop Sketch were updated to version 2.1 and picked up support for FiftyThree’s Pencil Bluetooth stylus and Wacom’s Intuos Creative Bluetooth stylus when drawing in each app. Both new app versions also added the ability to auto save sketches to Projects and your usual performance improvements.
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McDonald’s is testing Bluetooth beacon-based offers in at least some of its locations as it pilots beacon platform Piper that works with both iOS devices using Apple’s iBeacon framework and other mobile devices.
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(TL;DR: Winner, best size, best sound, runner-up best apps, best budget, best $300)
It has been a solid year and a half since our last Big “Best Portable Bluetooth speaker” competition, though we’ve done tons of updates to it in the months since.
A lot of our favorites are still around while others have been updated and new players have emerged. And what about our previous champ: the Ultimate Ears Boom? Spoiler alert: a new winner has emerged. Read on to find out who takes our Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker award…
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Apple makes great phones, tablets and computers; earphones not so much. The ones that come free with the iPhone look attractive, but they’re pretty much worth what you pay for them when it comes to sound quality.
Great sound, though, doesn’t come cheap, which is why a pair of premium headphones or earphones can make the perfect gift for someone who loves their music but perhaps doesn’t have the budget to really splash out on themselves.
If you’re buying for a musician, check out the more studio-oriented recommendations in our music gift guide. For those who will mostly use their headphones while on the move, read on …
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not me
I reviewed two portable Bluetooth speakerphone options earlier this year: The Philips WeCall ($145) vs. Logitech P710e ($125) . Both are square and have internal batteries and make conference calling easy. But for their ~$150 price tag, I wondered if you could get more portability and style without sacrificing sound quality.
The answer to those questions is the Harman Kardon Esquire line of portable speakerphones. Below, I take a look at the Esquire Mini which retails for $149.99 and can be found as low as $145 at Amazon or $135 at World Wide Stereo.
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The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced an updated Bluetooth spec, version 4.2, that introduces a number of new features alongside enhancements to speed and privacy. The update also allows for Bluetooth over IPv6, which along with an upcoming update will allow devices to have a direct connection to the Internet and open up new possibilities for Bluetooth sensors and other accessories.
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Tim Cook isn’t the only CEO to favor an iPad over a computer to run a company: Starwood Hotels CEO Frits van Paasschen told the WSJ that he dumped his PC and now does all his work on an iPhone and iPad – with the assistance of a Bluetooth keyboard.
I thought, you know what, I actually don’t use [my PC]. I do all of my work via mobile so essentially my office is wherever I go, and I can be much more productive.
Some of the limitations of a smaller device encouraged changes in behaviour that boosted productivity, he said.
Meetings at Starwood are paperless, emails are shorter, and Mr. van Paasschen won’t open bulky spreadsheets. “When I get the massive file, the first thing I’ll do is send it back and say tell me the key points that I actually need to understand.”
While van Paasschen admits that not all roles can be performed without a PC, one of his senior VPs, Chris Holdren, has followed his example, saying he no longer uses a PC even when working on presentations: “Now I just use my iPad.”
If you’re a retailer, you have two options when it comes to deploying Bluetooth beacons. You can deploy the hardware yourself and build an accompanying mobile app for the experience, or you can open the experience to existing apps that users already have on their device using a beacon network. Some retailers have decided they want to own the experience and have everything go through their own mobile app, but new data suggests that might not be the way to go.
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Yesterday’s dot-release of OS X 10.10.1 has seemingly failed to address the WiFi problems some users have been experiencing since upgrading to Yosemite, according to continuing posts on the Apple Support Communities.
Despite the first bullet-point in the release notes for 10.10.1 reading ‘Improves WiFi reliability,’ many of those who had reported connection failures, dropped connections and slow speeds said that nothing had changed since upgrading to 10.10.1 …
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The rivalry between Apple and Samsung looks set to enter a new field as Samsung has announced a direct competitor to iBeacon, called Proximity.
Samsung Proximity is a mobile marketing platform that connects consumers with places via cutting-edge Samsung location and context-aware technology.
With Samsung Proximity, visitors are able to experience rich content related to their location, and marketers can better engage with customers for increased sales and brand awareness.
The applications Samsung describes for the service are identical to those already in use with Apple’s iBeacon partners …
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Apple and its Beats by Dre group seem to be close to announcing a new pair of headphones: a Bluetooth version of their popular Solo2 headphones. Earlier this year, Beats launched the Solo2 wired earphones as a cheaper alternative to the Studio cans. Today, a wireless version has been revealed thanks to the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) testing department.
As can be seen in the image above from today’s FCC filing, the design of the wireless model is akin to the wired model. The only difference appears to be the Bluetooth connectivity. The documents specify that Bluetooth 4.0 Low-Energy technology is utilized.
Interestingly, these documents indicate that these headphones are Apple-branded:
From 9to5Toys.com:
Today only, Walmart offers Apple’s iPad mini (non-Retina) in new condition either Space Gray or Silver for $199 shipped or ship to store. That’s $50 off Apple’s current price (though Walmart mistakenly says $100 off last year’s price) and tied with the lowest price we’ve ever seen. A nice pickup for the same price as the iPod touch. Features:
These often sell out pretty quickly so you might want to jump in early.
We first told you about Nova, the Bluetooth flash for iPhone, over a year again when the portable wireless flash was crowdfunding on Kickstarter. After being funded in just two days and raising three times its goal in funding from backers, the wireless flash debuted earlier this year as promised.
We reviewed the Nova wireless Bluetooth flash after its launch earlier this year and found its a really clever accessory for iPhone and even iPad users snapping pictures from dark scenes to simple selfies. Now Nova is announcing that it is available through the Apple Online Store for the first time, and will be available at Apple Retail Stores across the United States and Canada later this month.
You can find the Nova Bluetooth flash for iPhone for $59 through the Apple Online Store now in addition to Amazon and Nova’s web store. Details below.
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Starwood Hotels has officially launched its SPG Keyless service, allowing guests to use their iPhone (and, in the Spring, Apple Watch) to unlock their hotel doors, bypassing the front desk. The boutique hotel group first announced the project back in January.
1. After booking a reservation at a keyless hotel, SPG members are invited to opt-in to SPG Keyless and register their phone through the SPG App.
2. Approximately 24 hours before arrival, the guest receives his/her room number and Bluetooth key via the app.
3. Upon arrival at the hotel, the guest can completely bypass the front desk (where available) and go directly to his/her room.
4. Then, after ensuring his/her Bluetooth is enabled, the guest simply opens the SPG App, taps the smartphone on the door lock, waits for the green light and enters the room.
The service goes live today at three Starwood brands: Aloft, Element and The W.
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Now that Yosemite is out, with iOS 8 devices you are now able to use Handoff. Handoff will allow you to seamlessly start a task on one device, and pick it up on another device. So for example you start writing a paper on your iPad and then you want to continue it on your Mac, or you start writing an email on your iPhone and want to finish it on your iPad, this is what Handoff does. When signed into the same iCloud account and Bluetooth is turned on, Handoff will allow you to transition your work flow from one device to another.
On the Mac, you will have an additional dock separate from the main dock indicating what is running on the iOS device. On the iOS device on the lock screen you will have an icon indicating the app that is being used on the Mac. Currently it works with Apple’s apps including Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Safari, Reminders, Messages, Maps, Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Developers can also add Handoff to their apps as Things and other apps have already done. In this how-to article, I will discuss how to set up Handoff and how to use it.
Cash, the app launched by payments company Square last year for personal money transfers, today updated with a new way to send money on iOS 8 over Bluetooth LE. The feature is called Nearby Payments and allows users to send and receive payments by using Bluetooth to find and connect with nearby users. That’s opposed to the previous methods the app already offered including sending payments via text message and email. In case you’re wondering why it’s iOS 8 only:
@bzamayo Apple significantly improved BLE in iOS 8, which allowed us to build a reliable experience for paying people nearby.
— Square Support (@SquareSupport) October 7, 2014
Square notes that users will be able to select preferences for nearby visibility to allow either everyone or only contacts to see their availability. Today’s update to version 2.1 also includes the ability to “Quickly approve or decline money requests with actionable push notifications.”
The updated Cash app by Square is available for free on the App Store now.
Today we’re taking a look at two iOS device accessories from Inateck- the Bluetooth Audio Receiver and 1.2m Micro USB Cable with Apple Lightning Adapter.
Bluetooth Audio Receiver
Upon initial inspection, the Bluetooth Audio Receiver might not look like it’s capable of much. The entire unit measures only 40x40x11.5mm. However, this device is capable of driving Bluetooth 3.0 audio through any speaker system with a standard 3.5mm connection.
Logitech today announced its latest case/Bluetooth keyboard combo with the new Type+ for iPad Air. Like many of its past products that we’ve reviewed, Logitech’s new keyboard puts a Bluetooth keyboard inside of a light protective case that provides protection on both sides of an iPad. It also said it’s made some big improvements to the keyboard over previous generations:
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