Tag: Bluetooth »

The foxl V2 Bluetooth from soundmatters is a little device that you may have never heard of. It's a Bluetooth speaker device with both fantastic high fidelity wireless music playback and great speakerphone options.

I first saw it at Macworld Expo earlier this year and was rather impressed. It had good sound quality even in the crowded and loud conference hall. We got a chance to take one for a drive, and it's even better than expected.

Why you'd want it: audio speakers. There are two main functions for the foxl. The first is as a wired or wireless speaker system. It puts out an amazing amount of sound for a tiny little device. It's only about the size of a three pack of golf balls. Using Bluetooth for convenience is a great, wireless way to listen to music. Though note that it does compress the music some and you will lose a bit of dynamic range in the music. The wireless freedom can't really be beat and the slight loss in fidelity is worth it for the convenience.

Once you've paired the foxl, to use it as a set of wireless speakers it's as simple as turning it on and selecting it in the audio output selector (AirPlay box) in any music app that supports it. You also have the option of doing a direct connection for wired audio playback.

Why you'd want it - wireless speakerphone. The other main feature of the foxl is as a Bluetooth speakerphone. This is where it really shines. The sound of the speaker and quality of the microphone are top notch. In the few times I've used it the sound is great and callers report that I sound loud and clear.

How it performs: Overall, the foxl Bluetooth performs quite well. Comparing it to the Jambox from Jawbone, it's a bit smaller and louder, particularly in the bass end of the audio spectrum. The price is also very similar - in the sub-$200 range. This won't replace a dock speaker system, but for travel and convenience, the foxl Bluetooth is fantastic.

foxl V2 Bluetooth Features

* Highest-fidelity resolution with pocket-sized portability
* Connect to any music source via standard audio cable
* Up to 8 hours battery life, output wattage increases when wall-powered
* Lithium-ion BassBattery™ re-chargable via USB or wall charger
* Output for optional powered subwoofer 25-30' Bluetooth range with improved sound quality
* Automatically connects for instant wireless streaming
* Built-in "Business-quality" wireless hands-free microphones for speakerphone/conferencing
* Including speaker one-touch reject/answer/end calls functions

You can pick up the foxl v2 on Amazon and other usual places for around $199 for the Bluetooth model or $169 for the model without Bluetooth.

The Pioneer VSX-1021 is a $549 receiver that works great with an iOS device via AirPlay, Bluetooth, and with a direct connection via the front panel USB port. This really is the iPhone and iPad owners perfect receiver. Not only can you connect via the direct connection and control your music playback via the receiver, you can also stream music from your device via Bluetooth, and AirPlay.

Pioneer have also created a couple interesting apps that interface with this new receiver. First up, iControlAV2, a universal app. This app lets you throw away the remote and completely control the receiver from your iOS device. Every aspect of the receiver can be controlled. From simple things like switching inputs and the volume, to complex tasks like renaming the inputs and configuring the sound for the room. Take a look at the screenshots below for an idea of the polish of this app.

Next up is a party app called Air Jam. This app lets up to four iOS devices create and control a playlist assembled from the music on the devices. The music is then streamed to the VSX-1021 via Bluetooth. A couple shots are below.

Here's a quick rundown on some of the features that set the VSX-1021 apart from some other receivers and make it a true iOS users dream.

Partial Pioneer VSX-1021 features:

- 7.1 Channel
- Front panel USB port for connection to iPod, iPhone, iPad
- Playback of audio / video from enabled apps
- iOS device charging, including iPad
- AirPlay enabled
- DLNA enabled
- Internet Radio with vTuner
- App Enabled with iControlAV2 and Air Jam apps
- 5 HDMI inputs

The Pioneer VSX-1020 should be available later this month at most major retailers and Amazon.

One of the main compliments typically paid to Apple is that the company does a great job of making sleek, attractive hardware that is generally easy to use. That's why it's such a surprise how badly the company has flubbed past attempts at creating first-party Bluetooth headsets for the iOS market. It seems that won't be an issue much longer though, as a recent acquisition should allow Apple to grow much more competitive in the Bluetooth market.

Update: Upon further review, it seems that Apple hasn't acquired Wi-Gear after all. Despite earlier reports, company CEO Mark Pundsack stated, "The rumor is false. Wi-Gear and its IP are still available for sale." What actually transpired is that Wi-Gear co-founder Michael Kim accepted a new position at Apple, but the company he started wasn't part of the deal.

The company has apparently bought Wi-Gear, a small, San Francisco based Bluetooth headset manufacturer which specialized in iOS devices. Wi-Gear created the iMuffs style of headsets as well as releasing a Bluetooth 2.0 adapter which allowed older model iPhones and iPods to play nice with newer gear. Now it seems that the company will begin creating Apple-branded headsets which will become the "official" Bluetooth devices for iOS machines (and possibly Mac as well). As of yet no firm timetable has been set for Wi-Gear's first official Apple product.

With an arrangement such as this the sky is the limit for iOS Bluetooth integration. With a new company brought in specifically to handle this aspect of the business, we may finally see Apple fully embrace the technology, which will be a huge boon to business consumers and those who prefer a hands-free setup. While the iPhone has always supported Bluetooth, making it a focus will likely be a net gain by improving functionality and building features with Bluetooth support in mind. Also, could this mean that future iPhones may even come with an official Apple Bluetooth headset? At this point it's just wishful thinking, but such a pack-in would definitely be welcomed by many consumers.

We'll keep an eye out for any official product announcements from Wi-Gear. We've got our iMuffs plugged into our ears and await their call with more official info.

[via 9to5Mac]

EA have released updates for three of their largest games that give them local multiplayer capabilities.

Madden 10, Tiger Woods, and Command and Conquer have gotten updates in the recent days that give them local multiplayer capabilities and EA have done it right.

For example, when playing Tiger Woods, you will actually be watching your opponent live as they play. You see them swing and the travel of their ball live you your screen just as they do on their screen. Tiger Woods supports both Bluetooth and Wifi local multiplayer and all courses are available to play.

For Madden, you each choose your teams and battle it out over a game, each picking their plays and playing in real time. Madden only supports Bluetooth multiplayer.

And for Command and Conquer, each command factions on the game map at the same time. Clashing as each team seeks to expand their territory. C&C works with both Wifi and Bluetooth for local multiplayer.

While we'd love to see large scale global multiplayer in these games, this is a first step and a great step for big fans of these games.

Firemint has just released a 1.3 update for their extremely popular Flight Control game that adds the ability to play cooperatively with a friend over bluetooth. Flight Control has sold over 1,000,000 copies on its way to becoming an App Store classic.

Flight Control is a deceptively complicated game in which you must guide planes and helicopters to their proper landing places by drawing paths with your finger. The game starts out very simply with very few vehicles on screen at a time, but quickly ramps up in difficulty as more planes and helicopters of varying speeds appear on screen simultaneously. If anything collides, the game is over. When Christine reviewed the game, she gave it a perfect five stars.

In previous updates, Firemint has added new maps and online leader boards via the Cloudcell service. Now, in order to utilize the new 3.0 software for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Firemint has added bluetooth play so you can share air traffic controller duties with a friend. No wifi is required, as you simply need two devices with bluetooth capabilities (note: only the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch 2G can use bluetooth).

In this new mode, you and your friend share a cumulative score for a game. Each person has a complete map on screen (you can either use the same map or different maps), but can only land planes of a certain color. If a plane appears on screen that you cannot land, you have to direct it to the side of you screen, which will cause it to appear on your partner's screen. This makes the game even more hectic, as you have to manage planes that both normally appear on your screen and those redirected by your partner all while trying to communicate with your partner.