People are slowly becoming increasingly aware that they may not be able to continue their cellphone habits as they usually have.  Cops are starting to get a bit more touchy about people talking on their cellphone while they’re driving.  If you don’t want to wear something, you could always have a device within your car that turns your cellphone into a speakerphone.  This Yada Hands Free Bluetooth Speaker Phone just slips over the top of your existing rear-view mirror.

The Bluetooth device will let you talk on your phone without you having to deal with an earpiece of any kind.  The YD-V16 allows for you to talk for 25 hours at a time and has 650 hours of standby time.    It’s said to have great sound clarity and signal strength.  Which is hopefully correct, since this isn’t exactly a $25 device.  It’s going to cost you $179.99 through Amazon.

Source: GadgetGrid

I had a chance to try it out for myself, and I liked what I tried. The SlimTouch Mini keyboard comes with a Bluetooth USB dongle that is so small…how small is it? It is so small, the box had to have an arrow saying “USB dongle” or a new user would not have been able to find it. Yeah, that joke isn’t very funny, but usually those “how (insert adjective here) is it” jokes usually aren’t.

For those who want to be free of the mouse as well as a wired keyboard, the SlimTouch also includes a GlidePoint touchpad with a convenient scrolling feature.

Adesso boasts that the keys of the SlimTouch have low profile scissor switches for quiet typing, but these keys sounded about as “loud” as the ones on my laptop. Not that the typing of these keys would keep anyone awake, mind you.

The Adesso SlimTouch Bluetooth Keyboard can be purchased at the Adesso site for about $129.99. It requires two AAA batteries for power, and pairs quite easily with computer or even mobile phone.

I had a chance to try it out, and it paired effortlessly with my cellular phone. Oddly enough, it charged quite quickly. I can’t help but wonder if it was already charged by facing the sun.

As it is, it has five hours worth of talk time, and standby time of 140 hours. That is without sunlight, it can supposedly have infinite standby time provided it has some sun. A flashing green light indicates that it is solar charging.

Of course, the solar-powered cell is just the main feature, as it also has noise reduction for call clarity that employs “advanced digital signal processing software”. It also has multipoint connection to allow the SolarVoice 908 to connect to two cellular phones simultaneously.

It has a design that fits into the ear and will stay there, but it comes with a plastic wire that will go around the ear for extra security. It also comes with a tiny cradle with some adhesive, which is a good place to keep the headset when not in use.

You should be able to get the i.Tech SolarVoice 908 for about $66.69 on sites like Amazon.

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Now, you may ask yourself: why would I want a shoe that is Bluetooth and GPS enabled? Well, if that shoe is linked to your phone via Bluetooth, it can use its GPS functionality to let everyone know where you are. That is, if you are willing to let your friends track you online. I suppose you could use these shoes to track people who tend to wander out of their safe zones, like the elderly or small children (assuming their little feet would fit in these shoes).

In all honesty, I’m really not famous enough to have anyone want to track me by my longitude and latitude. I’m guessing the people who are famous enough to have anyone care about their every movement probably have their own paparazzi following them around anyway. In that case, they probably wouldn’t want their movements to be tracked. Ah, don’t you just love the society we live in?

You can pre-order a pair of these Bluetooth and GPS enabled shoes on the Isaac Daniel Website for just $150.

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Fortunately, it has 100 hours of standby time for that purpose, and I’m pretty certain that I won’t be on the phone for more than 4.5 hours a day, which happens to be the limit of its talk-time.

Have you ever had a mobile device that took six to eight hours to charge for the first time? Well, the i.VoicePro took only two to three hours the first time, which is the amount of time it takes every time.

What makes the i.VoicePro different from other headsets is that it has dual microphone performance. It also has voice separation technology, so you can use this headset in a crowded room.

It also has Secure Simple Pairing technology (Bluetooth v2.1 and EDR) as well as multipoint connectivity that allows more than one cellular phone to be attached to the same i.VoicePRO 901.

If you like it, then you should be able to purchase it as a price of about $79.99 on sites like Amazon.com.

“My name is Nio.”

Not the first time that I have used dialogue from The Matrix to introduce a new product. This seems to happen every time I report on a product with a name that sounds like “Neo“. Today it is the Nio security system.

The Nio is a very simple concept. It uses “tags” that are synced via Bluetooth to a mobile device. These tags can be placed on briefcases, expensive gadgets, or anything else that you don’t want to let out of your sight. There’s a video of it after the jump.

This would come in handy for preventing theft. For example, if someone were to try and take your briefcase and run, the Nio alert would go off. I suppose you could run after the thief with a merry chase. In all honesty, this is probably to prevent you from accidentally or carelessly leaving something behind. Believe me, I have done this. Sometimes it is hard to believe that the things we value the most get left behind so easily.

Whoa, that was a bit deep for a gadget review. Now I’m sure most of you are asking what would happen if you lose your mobile device. The Nio security system is designed to prevent that. The video shows a woman arising from a table in a coffee shop, and leaves her mobile behind her. The Nio tag in her pocket that is on her keys goes off like an alarm.

In other words, the Nio prevents all forms of gadget separation anxiety. It is available for about $70, which may be a small price to pay for mobile insurance.

Designed by BCK, a team from Argentina, its a very simple concept. The user talks to the hand using the yellow ring that fits halfway down the little finger, and then listens with the pink ring on the thumb. (Why is the thumb look like its been drawn on the picture?)

This is one concept that probably won’t catch on, ever. Unless you can make a display to put on the palm. Maybe there is some alternate reality where this technology came into fruition. Enjoy this poem after the jump.

One ring to hear your calls,
One ring to talk in,
Two rings to take your calls,
and with the Bluetooth bind them.

Okay, it didn’t really rhyme, but somehow I couldn’t get The Lord of the Rings out of my head when I saw this device. In the end, though, I decree this device as “silly”.

Of course, I never equated The Lord of the Rings with anything silly, even though there is a scene where a dwarf, and elf, and Viggo Mortensen are running across the plains in really fruity costumes.

Well, you never know what’s going to be a hit and what will be a dud.

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Sure, devices like these are a dime a dozen, but this is one that promises to improve sound quality. Considering that the speakers are “smaller than a breadbox”, it makes up for it using a “bass boost and stereo widening feature to create a three-dimensional soundscape”.

Pairing is as easy as pushing a button on the device, and it should recognize a Bluetooth device right away. If you are using the BluNote to play music, the sound will automatically go down when someone calls. After that, you have a perfect speakerphone apparatus.

As for power, it can be plugged into the wall with an AC adapter, or, if you want to take it on the road, you will need 4 AA batteries which is good for about ten hours.

The Spracht BluNote can store up to 8 Bluetooth profiles for many devices, and has a wireless range is about 33 feet. The user has the option of plugging in their own device with an included 3.5mm cable. You should be able to get this now at the Spracht site for a price of $99.

The Orb has a flexible OLED that will display the caller information, calendar items, and voice-to-text information. So the next time you receive a ring, you can look at your ring.

You may notice that the opened up headset is hanging securely from the ear, but none of it is in the ear. Yeah, you don’t have to mess around with it too much, as the Orb uses bone conduction technology. Some of you have not seen bone conduction before, but it is a way of transmitting sound directly into the brain through touch.

It’s a pretty simple concept, isn’t it? The best part is the Orb is not a concept, but a device that is planned for release in 2010 for about $129. The Deluxe edition is about $175.

If the Orb sweeps the nation, I look forward to seeing them as wedding rings. I’m not certain the Orb is a good name for this device, as Orb implies something that is spherical, right?

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Yes, for some reason, the United Federation of Planets outlawed the doorknob sometime before the 23rd century, and all doors must open with an odd swish sound effect, provided the user is in close proximity.

This is very similar to the Blueguard, which is able to open your garage door when you get 33 feet of it. It uses Bluetooth wireless technology on your cellular phone to detect when you are close. It has the capacity to obtain a signal from 10 cellular phones.

So you don’t have to hit a button or use RFID or access cards when you approach the garage. You can even set it to work as you walk up to the door, or make certain the user is in a vehicle before the garage opens up.

For some reason, I cannot find a price for this item, even on the Product Page. Too bad there isn’t a way to put a Blueguard on every door in my house, but none of them slide open like my garage.

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Scosche has recently unveiled a new solar-powered endeavor with the SolCHAT Bluetooth Speaker phone. It is designed to be used in the car, so you can chat and drive without breaking any new laws.

It has a built-in lithium ion rechargeable battery with a solar panel. I’m not certain how efficient this is, as many solar-powered gadgets that I have seen in the past have been historically inefficient.

Fortunately, if there is no sun out, you can recharge the SolCHAT via USB. Of course, a lot of cars don’t have USB ports in them, but times are changing all the time. After all, most new cars have responded to consumer needs and added an iPod dock, so why not a USB port as a new standard?

Perhaps a solar-powered Bluetooth Speaker Phone should be a new standard feature in this age where most chatting is done “on the road”. You should be able to get the solCHAT for about $99.99 which includes the USB charging cable and car adapter.

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The On Time Headset System is a bracelet that comes with a pop-out wireless headset. I suppose that is a better place to put your Bluetooth headset than your pocket.

The bracelet has a secondary display, so if your headset rings, you can just look down and see who is calling. I would imagine that the bracelet display can show the time, making it a very fancy wristwatch.

By the way, did I mention that the displays are both touchscreens? Well, they are, and they would hopefully not require tiny fingertips in order to use.

My source referred to the OnTime Headset System as the “future of bling”, and I can’t help but feel that it is about time that tech and bling combined to create something like this. Well, as I mentioned before, this is only a concept, but I already want it on my wrist.

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We all have our reasons we miss calls, for many the worst time is when they’re driving in their car.  The motor and loud music, and even in some cases noisy traffic can just drown out the sound of a cellphone.  It especially doesn’t help if you’ve got on of those ringtones that doesn’t really stand out, which some phones seem like they only come with pitiful ringtones that you could only hear if the room is dead silent.  Well to solve your problems, now there’s the Vibrating Bluetooth Bracelet.

The bracelet will vibrate when you have a phone call, but not only that, it will actually display the caller id directly on the bracelet.   Making it so that you don’t have to go searching for your phone before you discover who is on the line.  This is one of those gadgets that I’m not sure I’d buy for myself right now, but I’m really hoping that it does well.  That way they’ll start coming out with different designs that are a bit more aesthetically appealing.  For now though, this design works, the look may be simplistic, but it’s not gaudy either.  You can purchase it for $26.

Source: OhGizmo

Not only can the Tapster sync with the user’s MP3 Player or smartphone, but it has some very unique touch-sensitive controls. I can only assume that this is why it is called the Tapster, because the controls are all done by tapping or some touches.

For example, if you want to adjust the volume, just do a single finger swipe along the ear. Also, if you are switching from music to taking a phone call, all you need to do is tap yourself on the ear.

All phone calls are advanced with audio quality with “Full Sound technology and clear calls enhanced by EverClear”. I am assuming EverClear isn’t the cool nineties band that gave us cool songs like “Santa Monica”.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no telling when this Tapster will be available. So far, the product is showing up on the Philips website, and you can even buy it. However, I found that when I started the buying process, I couldn’t get a price, just a little more information. So, we are looking at some technology that will eventually be released, but we don’t know the when, or the how much.

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Bluetooth headsets are rarely eye catching.  That is besides the fact that they make you appear as if you’re talking to yourself.  Well now not only can you have the perk of looking like a crazy person, but you can also look like a crazy person with a shiny headset.  Actually, you might look even more insane, considering you’d most likely have to pay quite a bit to get your hands on one of these.

For once, I don’t find the placement of Swarvoski crystals on a gadget to be nauseating.  Partially, because I like the placement of them on this headset, it’s not just covered in them.  I also like it, because most women where shiny earrings anyway, so why not add to the glitter with this headset.  The headset was features at CES this year, sadly, they still haven’t stated when this will come out or how much it will cost.  Knowing Swarvoski products, it’s going to be expensive to get your hands on the LG HBM 530.  If these came out a bit sooner they’d be a great gift for Valentine’s Day.

Source: Crunchgear

Yes, the Wasabi PZ310 is an ultra mobile printer is Dell’s first ZINK-enabled product, and it is able to produce 2 x 3 inch prints. All the user has to do is send their digital image to the Wasabi PZ310 via Bluetooth, and they can have a scrapbook-quality photo in under a minute.

ZINK technology doesn’t require the use of ink cartridges at all, instead, you use a special kind of paper that goes through the Wasabi, and it will come out on the other side as a full color photo. Hopefully ZINK technology will catch on so that landfills have one less problem to worry about, although I do hope that the special print paper it uses won’t be too expensive in the long run.

Well, the price for the Dell Wasabi is about $99, in black, pink, and blue. The $99 is just the introductory price. I’m not certain if it will go higher.

So dude, you’re getting a Dell Wasabi! Yeah, that ad campaign is like, what, nine years old? Next thing you know, I’ll be doing the Budweiser “Whazzzup?”

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All of this is thanks to Joby, the company who gave us the Gorillapod Go-Go Collection. They allowed me to review the Zivio Boom, which is one of the most unique headsets that I have seen. The Zivio Boom has a microphone that can extend outward like a radio antenna for better sound quality on the speaker’s end.

Beyond that, the features of the Zivio Boom are pretty standard. For example, all buttons are conveniently located on the side, and it has 10 hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby time. It’s wireless range is about 10 meters or 33 feet.

The Zivio boom not only gives the user better sound, but it has a look that doesn’t follow the normal Bluetooth headset wearing crowd. After all, we are living in an age where Bluetooth headsets are a dime a dozen, and I’m sure you know at least one person who wears their headset 24/7.

The Joby Zivio Boom can be purchased at the My Zivio site for $129.95 in two colors: Mission Black and Marina Blue. If you want more information, click here.

At the ends of the Tri-Specs are two retractable earbuds that the user can put in his or her ears, which automatically turn the Tri-Specs on when extended. The best part is that no one would ever know that you are wearing earbuds while you wear the Tri-Specs glasses. You could be listening to MP3s while you’re supposed to be listening to the human resources director talk about some needless thing. Unless they look closely, your supervisors would never know.

The phone and volume controls are located conveniently on one side of the frame, and the MP3 controls are on the other side. In addition to the manual controls, the Tri-Specs can also accept voice commands with the STEPvoice software that can recognize the user’s voice from others, as well as outside noises.

I was amazed at the design of the shades, because fashion was not sacrificed for functionality. In other words, the sunglasses look like actual sunglasses and not an MP3 Player pretending to be sunglasses.

The Tri-Specs should be available now for a price of $199.99, in colors of black, white, silver, blue, black metallic, as well as black and white combo.

The AV|Shadow allows for switching channels, selecting chapters for a DVD, and even allows for adjusting the volume on the user’s audio receiver. It uses Bluetooth Technology, so the user doesn’t have to point at the screen or any other video device.

The user can customize their own settings, and the interface is set up in a circular pattern, perfect for the BlackBerry Trackball. The AV|Shadow is set up for TV, Satellite, Cable, Apple TV, TiVo, DVD, DVR/PVR, VCR, Blu-Ray, iPod, Mircosoft Media Center, even gaming consoles like the PS3.

The AV|Shadow is enough inspiration for any company, but Unify4Life also has another useful application called the Garage|Shadow. This device turns a BlackBerry into a garage door opener. It is easy to install and use, and now the user doesn’t have to worry about losing their RF remotes any more.

Both of these products are available on the Unify4Life website. They are expected to ship in the next few days for a price of $99.99 each.

The BGP100 has a 4-way pad for directional control, and seven programmable buttons for whatever else the game requires. As you can see, these controllers can affix themselves to the side of the mobile device with the use of included rubber strips.

Just think of it as turning your mobile phone into a mobile gaming device like a PSP or DS, and the BGP100 is also designed for Pocket PCs as well as Pocket PC Phones. The BGP100 supports a number of platforms including Window Mobile 2003, plus the Symbian Series.

As for power, the gamepads are powered by a 1.5V AAA battery, which is good enough for three and a half hours of continual use. As far as the range is concerned, it is about 55mm with the smartphone or Pocket PC in the middle, but it can also be used from a larger distance with the Bluetooth-enabled mobile unit sitting on a desk.

The BGP100 Bluetooth Game Pad is available from the Smarterlife Web site for a price of AU $128.45.

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