speakerphones

I gave high marks to the original SuperTooth Disco bookshelf speaker when it dropped into stores last year, but I took issue with its inability to travel and of course, the lack of true stereo sound.

This year, the company will take to CES again to announce a portable listening solution called the Disco Twin that includes two separate speakers, giving you option to perch them wherever you like.

Wireless Bluetooth channels stream music to each device powered by 16 watts of audio juice, and the company's legacy "bass reflex system" in the back keeps the low … Read more

Joke all you want, but Siri is pretty cool. And Google Search? Even cooler. Just one problem: These voice-powered assistants require you to take your phone out of your pocket, purse, briefcase, or whatever. You can't just talk to the air and have your commands recognized.

What you need is one of those "Star Trek: The Next Generation"-style communicators, the kind Captain Jean-Luc Picard wore on his chest. One little tap and he's all, "Commander Data, meet me in Engineering."

Indiegogo project CommBadge may not look Starfleet-issue, but it accomplishes much the same … Read more

How good is the iPhone 5's call quality, and most importantly, how it does it compare across carriers? We addressed some of the iPhone 5's call quality in our CNET review and follow-up stories, but let's take a listen to the Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T models side-by-side. Is there a difference in audio quality?

For our quick test, I made phone calls from the same street corner in New York to Brian Bennett upstairs, using all three carrier models both against my ear and held several feet away from me in speakerphone mode. I also made test calls from the same location on all three models to our San Francisco office's voice-quality-testing voice mail drop. For comparison purposes, I also threw in my AT&T iPhone 4S in all instances to see how it fared. … Read more

Most phones sold these days have a speakerphone mode. This setting is usually good enough for an impromptu hands-free call in a quiet office. However, when you get on the road in a noisy car, the phone's flaws are made apparent. For example, the built-in microphone can be less than ideal for canceling the levels of road and wind noise present in a car at highway speed, which leads to poor quality on the receiving end of your calls. I'm sure that you dislike repeating yourself to callers as much as I do, so let's look at how to improve call quality.

Visor-mounted Bluetooth speakerphones feature more sophisticated microphones with noise and echo-cancellation technology located closer to your head, which can dramatically improve sound quality. How much of an improvement should you expect? I've recorded outbound calls from five speakerphones (and my test phone's internal microphone) to demonstrate. … Read more

iPhone and iPad users unhappy with their speakerphones may be treated to better sound in future models.

Apple has invented a new speakerphone system for iOS devices, according to a patent published yesterday by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The patent application is filled with pages of the usual technical jargon.

But in a nutshell, Apple is redesigning and repositioning the traditional speaker and surrounding components to enhance the quality of the audio possible in a relatively small space. Though the patent doesn't tout any specific benefits to consumers, "the new speaker positioning could provide iOS devices with generally superior sound, even when docked,&… Read more

With its low-profile design, the Parrot Minikit+ doesn't command a lot of the driver's attention. That's a good thing.

It even knows to turn itself on when you enter the car thanks to its vibration sensor and automatic power feature. Beyond a basic setup and the occasional charging, you'll likely forget that this slim Bluetooth speakerphone is suspended from your car's sun visor...waiting.

That is until a call comes in and the Parrot Minikit+ springs to life and starts talking to you with its odd, robotic British accent. You'll then be able to … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Everyone loves gathering around a campfire listening to someone strum an acoustic guitar, but lugging that delicate instrument through nature is cumbersome, and why should only one person get to choose the music?

Outdoor Technology suggests you democratize your next adventure with its new wireless Turtle Shell boom box, a Bluetooth-powered speaker with rock-star sound, IP5X durability, and a built-in tripod mount.

I swung by the Outdoor Technology booth here at CES, and the dudes took me into their camper setup to demonstrate the Turtle Shell's flexible features, like an integrated speakerphone and a threaded tripod mount on the bottom that lets you attach it to almost anything--they had it hooked up to a Joby GorillaPod.… Read more

Bluetooth speakers are ideal accessories for outdoor activities where music is a must, but only the Soundmatters FoxLv2 wireless speaker features custom vehicle and bicycle mounts designed by ProClip.

The in-vehicle mount attaches easily to any vehicle model by clipping into the seams of the dashboard. The speaker can rotate freely in the mount to achieve the best angle for listening, and ProClip claims the average installation time is approximately 2 minutes no matter what kind of car you're driving. We imagine this bracket would come in handy for someone who already has a SoundMatters FoxL player and wants … Read more

Some have exceptional sound quality. Others have intuitive voice command. Still others pack useful features, such as FM transmission. But at the end of the day, most Bluetooth speakerphones do pretty much the same thing: allow you to make a phone call while safely keeping your hands on the steering wheel.

In an attempt to stand out from the herd and further enhance driver safety, Bluetooth speakerphone manufacturers have begun to bundle smartphone apps and services with their hardware. These apps do everything from read incoming text messages aloud to update your Twitter and Facebook statuses with little more than … Read more