speakerphone

LAS VEGAS--Remember when TomTom launched a $120 GPS car kit for iPhone last year and everyone screamed "too expensive!" Well, Pioneer just announced a similar kit of similar functionality at a similar price point at this year's CES. We're wondering if history is doomed to repeat itself.

Pioneer's car kit holds your iPhone or iPod Touch in place while you drive with a swiveling cradle with a 30-pin dock connector. The unit features a GPS receiver that enhances the positioning and accuracy of the iPhone and adds positioning to the iPod Touch. There's also … Read more

For this week's giveaway, we have a nice little car accessory courtesy of the folks at BlueAnt. It's the S4 Bluetooth voice-controlled car speakerphone.

Editor Antuan Goodwin reviewed the product and gave it four stars (see video review below). He wrote that the BlueAnt's most interesting feature is its hands-free trigger mode. While in trigger mode, a green LED is illuminated to indicate that the BlueAnt is listening for its activation phrase, "BlueAnt, speak to me." When the device hears this phrase spoken, it goes into listening mode and becomes responsive to its full list … Read more

Update: CNET's full, rated review of the Jawbone Jambox is now available.

One of the most overlooked features in any laptop, iPad, smartphone, or iPod Touch, is Bluetooth music streaming. Sure, everybody loves the idea of music without wires, but in reality, stereo headsets are either bulky or messy, and Bluetooth speakers are generally wimpy and ugly.

Enter Jambox--a rechargeable speaker that breaks our preconceptions for what a Bluetooth can do (and how good it can look doing it). Priced on the high end at $199, this little speaker bar uses two 1.25-inch drivers on the front … Read more

Not long ago, we took a look at the BlueAnt S4, a Bluetooth device that claimed to be the world's first truly hands-free voice-controlled speakerphone. Now, from a company that's best known for its voice-controlled alarm clocks, we meet what could be the world's second: the Moshi Bluetooth Car Speakerphone.

The functionality of the device is familiar. After powering on and pairing the Moshi Bluetooth Car Speakerphone with your phone, the device sits listening for an activation command. When the user says, "Hello, Moshi," the device responds by granting voice access to any of its … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Nyko is taking an interesting approach at voice chat for the Xbox 360. Ditching the conventional headset and microphone, the Speaker Com 360 offers two different ways to chat on Xbox Live.

Using a design that incorporates magnetic earbuds, the accessory can be worn like a necklace with a hanging speakerbox that works like a speakerphone. It should really come in handy when playing on Xbox Live with someone else in the room who wouldn't be able to hear chat otherwise. Of course you can also choose to wear the buds in-ear for a more traditional headset experience. … Read more

We got our hands on TomTom's Car Kit for iPhone and took it for a spin--both figuratively and literally, the cradle spins 360 degrees.

The Car Kit holds and charges your iPhone while driving, enhances GPS reception when used with TomTom's turn-by-turn navigation app, and boosts audio quality of spoken directions and hands-free calls. However, the problem with a peripheral like the TomTom Car Kit is that when it's working best, you don't notice it, which makes it difficult for many users to justify the $119 price. People may be less likely to buy it when … Read more

TomTom's iPhone cradle for iPhone has quietly made its way into the Apple Store. So, if you're an iPhone user with an extra $120 bucks burning a hole in your pocket for a navigation accessory (or $220, if you don't already own TomTom's navigation app), pop over to the Apple Store for a look.

According to TomTom's representative, the Apple Store product page is for preorders and TomTom has not yet announced a specific date for the product's availability. If Apple's claim that the product ships in 2-3 weeks is true, we should … Read more

"If you have a third-party Bluetooth-enabled device, you might be able to pair it with the BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone VM-605."

That is Research In Motion's official line about the VM-605's compatibility. In English, this means that while RIM would rather you use this first-party accessory with its BlackBerry smartphones, there's nothing proprietary about it to prevent you from using it with your iPhone, Android phone, or Windows Mobile phone.

But why would someone without a BlackBerry even want a BlackBerry branded accessory in the first place? Well, the VM-605 has a feature set similar … Read more

Motorola has just introduced two new Bluetooth accessories, the Motorola H790 Bluetooth headset and the Motorola T215 Bluetooth speakerphone.

Both are equipped with Motorola's CrystalTalk technology that promises to suppress background noise. The H790 has a thin and sleek design with dual microphones, and even a voice prompt that lets you know if you're on mute, how to pair, and your remaining battery life.

The T215, on the other hand, is a black speakerphone that you can clip onto your car's visor. It promises 36 hours of talk time, a 2-watt speaker, noise cancellation, plus mute. We'… Read more