Archive for August, 2008

The Best of the Best in Bluetooth Headsets

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Bluetooth headsets are changing the way we view this world and the technology in it.  With hands-free laws popping up all over the country, many people are turning to the internet to find out which headsets are worth the money.  So guess what I do?  Put together a list of my firsthand experiences with these Bluetooth headsets and rank them in the order that I see best fit.  Completely free of bias?  Maybe not, but I try my best.  Check out the list below of my top four Bluetooth headsets available on the market today … go hands-free today!

Top Four Bluetooth Headsets

4.  Plantronics Voyager 815  Plantronics Voyager 815

Block out distractions and focus on the business at hand, whether in the car, on the train, or at the airport. Comfortably hear conversations at low volumes with innovative earbuds that seal out external noise. The discreet sliding boom enhances the clarity of your voice and provides a convenient way to answer and end calls. Plantronics AudioIQ® two-way noise reduction technology adapts to your environment and enhances sound quality on both sides of the call. Multipoint technology lets you seamlessly take calls from any two Bluetooth phones with just one headset. Lightweight and comfortable, the Plantronics Voyager 815 Bluetooth headset is ideal for all business environments.

3.  BlueAnt Z9i  Bluetooth Headset  BlueAnt Z9i Bluetooth Headset

The BlueAnt Z9i Dual Microphone Headset is the latest in Bluetooth devices, combining cutting-edge technology with stylish design. Incorporating BlueAnt’s revolutionary world class Digital Signal Processing solution - Voice Isolation Technology, the Z9i provides outstanding noise suppression, wind noise reduction and echo cancellation in both noisy and windy environments.

2.  BlueAnt V1 Bluetooth Headset  BlueAnt V1 Bluetooth Headset

BlueAnt has always provided top-of-the-line products and the BlueAnt V1 is nothing to shake a stick at … it is absolutely the future of Bluetooth headsets. This little headset has “BlueGenie Voice Interface” from Sensory, Inc., that essentially is your “little friend.” You can ask it for assistance and it will guide you to the right command. The ‘V1 eliminates combinations of button pushes, holds and flashing lights with its SINGLE activation button that provides the user with control of the ‘V1 through the voice commands.

1.  New Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset  Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset

The Jawbone continues to impress by eliminating real world noise better than any other headset on the market. The mobile phone is a vital communication tool for business and personal productivity. Because of this, people expect to be able to use their phones in all environments without sacrificing audio quality. Jawbone’s patented NoiseAssassin™ technology is unique in its ability to separate speech from ambient noise with remarkable precision. The NoiseAssassin™ technology will continue to provide users with a clear call quality and the noise reduction that callers expect using Jawbone products.

Like it or Leave it

The above headsets are what I believe to be the best headsets available on the market today.  From my experience, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Jawbone 2 headset as it is easy-to-use and has great sound quality.  I’ve also loved my experiences with BlueAnt headsets and Plantronics as they are some of the best manufacturer’s in the Bluetooth headset market.  Either way, it’s a great time to transition to a Bluetooth headset and this is a great place to start.

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New Nokias and HTC Drops the Dream

Monday, August 25th, 2008

What a beautiful Monday… Just getting toward the end of summer, with cool mornings and warm evenings, this week is starting off right. Especially when you consider the new handsets with which the tech world is blessing us. From Japanese concepts to those Nokias we were promised, here are some of the highlights in cell-phone news for this week.

A Pair of New Nokias

Nokia said we’d have a couple of new products to toy with this week, and they have followed through on their word. Today the N79 and N85 are launched, giving us a peak at yet another potential iPhone killer (the N85) that is rumored to mirror Apple’s precious candy-bar, full touch-screen shape and low, low price, when purchased with a plan.

The Nokia N85

The Google Phone is Here!While we’ve been hearing much about the HTC Dream for some time, the first Android phone appears to be on its way. With many video trials and FCC approval, there’s no doubt that it will be any day now that we might be able to hold this beauty in our hands. With amazing screen resolution and full internet access, not to mention a super-chic, smaller-than-the-iPhone body, this is share to be the phone of your Dreams.

Newest Japanese Concept Phone Inspiration: PLYWOODIf there’s any chance of this thing actually getting to market, KDDI’s Ply phone could quite possibly blow some of these other touch-screen, super-smartphones out of the water. With “an expansive touchscreen backed by a number of layers that represent the phone’s various functions”, it’s rumored the Ply comes equipped with a printer, a pico-projector and (although I’m not sure why) an analog clock. While it may be inspired by a particularly unattractive, I’m a big fun of the pink, layered look the mock up is sporting on Engadget.com.

Ply - Pretty in Pink

For more new-to-market, still-forever-from-retail, and we-really-hope-this-is-real phones, check back with us, and also visit the Boy Genius Report and Engadget. We’ll do our best to keep you on top of the of-the-moment electronics, so you can snag them and then suit them up with all of the best Gammoth accessories.

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BlackBerry Bold 8900 Gets Unboxed

Monday, August 25th, 2008

It’s that time of year when the leaves start turning, the weather starts cooling down and new products are released before the holiday shuffle.  Enter the BlackBerry 8900.  The BlackBerry Bold has been released in our lovely neighboring country Canada (up der first, eh?) and has been a hard item to get our hands on.  Not necessarily because the launch was so magnificent that people were turned away, but because of the stores that received shipment of BlackBerry Bold only received a few of the devices.  Weird, I know.  Anyways, we did find a good hands-on video review of the BlackBerry Bold from CrackBerry.com and wanted to share with you the love.

And don’t stop the video short you iPhone lovers … it does an iPhone comparison at the end that is a “must-see!”

Video Review of BlackBerry Bold

 

BlackBerry Bold 8900 Specifications and Hoopla (Full Version)

Features Available

  • Wireless email
  • Organizer
  • Browser
  • Phone
  • Camera (2.0 MP)
  • Video Recording
  • BlackBerry® Maps
  • Media Player
  • Built-in GPS
  • Wi-Fi® Support
  • Corporate data access
  • SMS
  • MMS

Size and Weight

  • 4.48″/114mm (Length)
  • 2.6″/66mm (Width)
  • 0.59″/15mm (Depth)
  • 4.8 oz/136g (Weight)

Data Input/Navigation

  • Trackball
  • QWERTY (Keyboard)
  • Keyboard backlighting

Voice Input/Output

  • 3.5mm stereo headset capable
  • Integrated earpiece/ microphone
  • Built-in speakerphone
  • Mono/stereo headset, hands-free and serial port profiles supported (Bluetooth® technology)
  • M3, T3 (Rating for hearing aids)

Media Player

  • Video format support: DivX 4, DivX 5/6 partially supported, XviD partially supported, H.263, H.264, WMV3
  • Audio format support: .3gp, MP3, WMA9 (.wma/.asf), WMA9 Pro/WMA 10, MIDI, AMR-NB, Professional AAC/AAC+/eAAC+

Display

  • Half VGA resolution 480 x 320 pixel color display
  • Transmissive TFT LCD, supports over 65,000 colors
  • Font size (user selectable)
  • Backlighting
  • Light sensing screen

Notification

  • Polyphonic/MIDI ringtones
  • 32 polyphonic ringtones – MIDI, SP-MDI, MP3, WAV
  • Vibrate mode
  • LED indicator

Approximate Battery Life

  • GSM Talk Time: 4.3 hours; GSM Standby Time: 9 days
  • UMTS Talk Time: 4 hours; UMTS Standby Time: 10.5 days

Memory

  • Expandable memory – support for microSD™ card
  • 1GB On-board + 128 MB Flash

Modem

  • RIM® wireless modem
  • Tethered modem capability

 

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