bluetooth

Two years ago, Jabra wowed us with the Jabra JX10, a tiny yet elegant Bluetooth headset with plenty of power behind its design. This year, Jabra has done it again, with the Jabra JX20 Pura. Designed by Jacob Jensen, the same famous European designer that designed the JX10, the JX20 Pura simply oozes luxury. It is made with brushed, anodized titanium and has a glossy black trim all around, plus it has an innovative gel earbud for better comfort. As for features, it comes with digital sound enhancement via DSP, as much as six hours of talk time, adaptive sound, … Read more

Philips' Bluetooth Wireless Entertainment System, the BTM630, may not be among the "future" products Philips announced at CES, but it's making its official debut at the show, so we're going to write it up.

Along with Bluetooth connectivity for streaming music from Bluetooth-equipped cell phones and PCs, the BTM630 features an iPod dock, a slim-slot CD loading system, a USB port, and the ability to playback MP3 or WMA music from a SD or MMC card. With a built-in mic, the system also doubles as speakerphone for cell phone calls (you can switch between calls and … Read more

It seems that the soundbar trend is here to stay as Samsung has announced a multifunctional unit boasting 300 watts of total power. The HT-X810's sleek piano-black bar is sure to complement most flat-panel TVs, and the accompanying wireless 5.8 Ghz subwoofer can be placed anywhere in the room. We've seen a wireless sub before from the Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two and were pleased with its performance.

Watch the Samsung HT-X810 video on CNET TV.

The X810 offers a slo- loading DVD player that upscales up to 1080p via HDMI and can accommodate numerous media formats … Read more

BlueAnt, an Australian manufacturer of Bluetooth devices, came out with a couple of different Bluetooth speakers to display at CES 2008. The first is the SuperTooth 3 Bluetooth speakerphone, which looks like an update to BlueAnt's own SuperTooth Light from last year. Like the SuperTooth Light, the SuperTooth 3 works as a portable speakerphone that can be used at the desk as well as clipped on to a car's sun visor. It can pair up to eight different devices, and will hopefully last you about 15 hours.

On the music front, BlueAnt also debuted the M1 Stereo Speakers, … Read more

Debuting at CES is the iLuv i399, the successor to the i199, which we enjoyed for its array of features and affordable price. iLuv has completely redesigned the audio system into a much more compact unit.

Most of the features from the i199 look to be intact, although we're not sure the CD player survived the upgrade. What we do know is that the i399 has a built in subwoofer, support for iPod audio playback, an FM tuner, digital clock display, an auxiliary port, and features the next iteration of the company's "BluePin" Bluetooth dongle, called … Read more

In the perfect utopia that exists only inside my head, all cell phones and MP3 players incorporate A2DP, also known as stereo Bluetooth. As a result, they're all compatible with stereo Bluetooth headsets like the Plantronics Voyager 855, which CNET rated 8/10, and which Newegg currently has on sale for $57.99, shipped. That's a pretty big savings over the $149.95 list price.

During business hours, the Voyager 855 functions as a fairly standard headset, albeit one with a cool sliding boom mic. When you want to get your groove on, you just connect the second … Read more

The category of stereo Bluetooth earbuds is still growing, so it's nice to see a newcomer to the market focusing on just that. JayBird debuted in 2007 with the JB-100 headset, a compact stereo earbud set, as well as complementing adapters for the iPod and other audio devices (sold separately). At $129.99, the JB-100 falls comfortably between two close competitors: the Etymotic Ety8 and the Plantronics Voyager 855. This headset has its pitfalls, but if you can get a comfortable fit, it's a worthwhile consideration. Read the JB-100 review.

JayBird Bear focuses on one thing and one thing only: stereo Bluetooth solutions for portable audio devices. The company debuted this year with three complementing products for music phones, iPods, and other MP3 players. The headliner is the JayBird JB-100, a stereo Bluetooth headset with an ultracompact form factor. This product makes a fine companion for any cell phones using A2DP Bluetooth, or for the small handful of MP3 players with that wireless capability (the Samsung T10 and Insignia Pilot, for example). However, for most other MP3 players--including the iPod--you'll need a little more help with cutting the headphone … Read more