We know, that headline makes it seem like the Plantronics Voyager Pro UC is going to seduce you, and well, after spending sometime with the headset yesterday at D: Dive Into Mobile we’re thinking it may actually be pretty hard to resist. While it’s not as snazzy as the Jawbone Icon or the Jabra Stone, its ear piece and ear hook contain capacitive sensors that know when you’ve got the device on your ear or in your hand. So, not only can the headset automatically switch a call or song from your phone to the headset when you put it on, but even if it’s paired it won’t ring the headset unless it’s actually on your ear. That means if you’ve got it paired but have it in your pocket or across the room, you’ll be able to pick it up on your phone without a problem.

On top of that, the Pro will come with a USB dongle and Voice Alerts software, which integrates with Microsoft Outlook. When configured, the software will read the subject line of an email sent by certain specified contacts into your ear. We told you it was seductive! Sadly, the Voyager Pro UC won’t actually be out until early next year and we don’t know anything on pricing yet, but in the meantime check out some more pics of the device below.

Plantronics Voyager PRO UC senses your Bluetooth wants and needs, softly whispers in your ear originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

If last night’s cameo showing off the official Twitter client for Windows Phone 7 wasn’t enough of a hint, yes, we’ve gotten our hands on LG’s Optimus 7. This 3.8-inch machine will serve as LG’s international WP7 ambassador while Americans get to grips with its QWERTY keyboard-equipped Quantum brother. As you’ll no doubt be aware by now, the internal equipment is standardized around Microsoft’s chassis spec, meaning a WVGA screen resolution, a 1GHz Snapdragon inside, and a 5 megapixel camera shooting 720p video at 24fps. You’d think, therefore, that it’d be a nondescript, middle-of-the-road option, but the Optimus 7 left us extremely impressed after our first hands-on and we’re eager to keep digging for more. Does it put up a righteous fight against the more ambitious HD7 from HTC and Omnia 7 from Samsung? Jump past the break to find out.

This review is primarily of the LG Optimus 7 hardware. Check out our full review of Windows Phone 7 for our thoughts on the OS.

Continue reading LG Optimus 7 review

LG Optimus 7 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

While iOS 4 is delivering on every promise for the iPhone 3GS users out there, as we were all told up front, the iPhone 3G would be missing some of those touted new features. Granted, we knew such disparities would exist but were never given the finer details. Now that the final build is percolating through the internet, we decided to take a look at what features are and aren’t working on the earlier year’s model.

What’s there

• Folders
• Threaded mail
• iTunes playlist creation / editing
• 5x digital zoom: just tap on the display near the capture button, but be warned, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture
• iBooks: we were having issues with the earlier build, but it seems to be running fine after today’s official download — PDFs work, too.
• Photos: you can now sort by albums, events, faces, and places
• Game Center: the icon is present, but as of this writing we’re unable to connect to the servers. (Update: a number of readers saying it didn’t come with today’s download. We nabbed ours as a gold build, which might explain the discrepancy despite still being considered “up to date” by iTunes.)
• Spell check has been updated
• Spotlight search: you can search the web and Wikipedia from the home screen search bar. That said, not all our queries — “Engadget,” for example — weren’t offering the option. [Thanks, jkane08]

What isn’t

• Multitasking: this is the big one. Double-tapping the home button doesn’t give you the handy menu, there’s no fast app switching, and background use is missing in action.
• Screen lock: normally in the multitasking menu (which isn’t available on 3G), it’s nowhere to be found, even under Settings. Bummer.
• Home screen wallpaper: you’d think this simple addition would make the cut, but sadly no. The dock has been given a visual upgrade, though.
• Bluetooth Keyboard support: we haven’t tried this ourselves, but an influx of reports from Twitter suggest this is also a no-go.
  

We’ll keep testing, but be sure to let us know your own discoveries below!

iPhone 3G, iOS 4, and you — what’s missing (spoiler: multitasking) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

In a move that could shape the mobile landscape — or simply suck down cash, of course — General Motors just revealed that Google was its mysterious infotainment partner. In the final hours before Google I/O, we sat down with GM VP Nick Pudar to tell us what the future thus holds for OnStar. As we saw in January, GM’s already developing smartphone apps for the Chevy Volt on iPhone, Blackberry and Android that will let you remotely lock doors, honk the horn, check tire pressure and more…. But sometime after the Volt launches, Google Maps Navigation will be integrated into the smartphone app, and we got a hands-on tour. Check out the new interface and hear about GM’s strategy after the break.

Continue reading Google partnership has GM OnStar exploring Maps, open APIs and more

Google partnership has GM OnStar exploring Maps, open APIs and more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 May 2010 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Got a first-gen iPhone with nothing to do and nothing to hope for? Don’t throw it out just yet, you might be able to recycle it as an extremely fancy readout display for the Redrock Micro “focus control system.” The microRemote is, fundamentally, a focus ring detached from the DSLR it controls. It can operate all by its lonesome, but the big attraction here is adding an iPhone or iPod touch to provide visual clues to the aspiring focus master. You get aperture, zoom, and some focusing assists on the display, and then make your selection using some familiar twirling action on the knob to the side. Starting at around $1,000 this summer, this setup can hardly be considered an impulse buy, but we’re sure somebody somewhere has a usage scenario that would justify the cash layout. Check out the microRemote on video after the break.

Continue reading microRemote DSLR focus controller uses iPhone for visual readouts (video)

microRemote DSLR focus controller uses iPhone for visual readouts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Look familiar? Yep, this is precisely what we expected HTC’s rumored Legend to look like based on the renders we’d seen so far. We don’t have any information here other than the pictures themselves, but from what we can gather, it seems to carry over Sense as we know it today without a trace of that freshened look we’ve caught in recent months (not unlike its Incredible cousin). Maybe more importantly, the Legend looks like it might be kicking off a new styling direction for the company with a big, bold, chromed company logo around back and an aluminum shell that we suspect feels awesome in the hand — particularly if it’s pre-production aluminum. More on this one as we get it; in the meantime, check out a shot of the back after the break.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Continue reading HTC Legend spotted just hanging out, playing it cool

HTC Legend spotted just hanging out, playing it cool originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

More: 
Droid Developer » OFFICIAL Android Gear!!!!

Go here to read the rest:
Rumor: HTC Leo Supports Multitouch? » article » Gadgets Network