Bluetooth bracelet lights up for calls and messages

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Kickstarter projects often result in lots of cool gadgets, and the latest one to grab a lot of attention is a bracelet called EMBRACE+. The bracelet pairs with your phone via Bluetooth and glows and flashes in various colours to notify you of missed calls, messages, alerts and more. The gadget's Kickstarter campaign has raised more than $50,000 so far and will need to reach their target of $220,000 by March 23 for the developers to be funded.

EMBRACE+ uses an optical fiber inside a band to light up. The developers say the gadget flashes each time there is an activity a user should take notice of. Users will be able to set different colours for incoming calls from their parents, colleagues, friends, etc. The gadget can notify you of incoming calls (specific contacts or groups), text messages, calendar alerts, alarms, timers, email, low battery and even if your phone is out of network coverage. It will also flash to notify you of alerts and notifications from a number of apps, including Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, LinkedIn and Skype. The developers are considering the possibility of adding WhatsApp, Ruzzle and Vine to the gadget's compatibility roster.

Will you EMBRACE this one?

The EMBRACE+ designers claim that despite it being a bracelet, its aesthetics "form a universal shape that fits nicely with men and women." They state that the material used to make the bracelet is soft and very light. They currently have three designs, namely Topaz, Beryl and Opal. All three designs have the same dimensions—8mm thick at the top, 5.4mm thick at the bottom and 12mm wide.

There will also be an EMBRACE+ app for iPhone and Android that will provide you with a colour wheel. You may be able to customise a notification with one or two colours, set the number of blinks, duration of each blink, speed interval, the brightness of the light and even set it to vibrate for a short duration with the first blink.

The EMBRACE+ Android app

Additionally, users can save and name any number of profiles and switch between them. A profile scheduler to automatically adjust a user's active profile depending on the time is also promised.

The developers say EMBRACE+ will last for up to 10 days (100 notifications per-day basis, with each notification a total of 6 seconds on medium brightness) on a single charge. It will come with a USB charging cable that can be connected to a laptop or any regular charging adapter with a USB port. Interestingly, they state the time required to completely charge the battery via a laptop is only 10 minutes.

The app will work with any mobile phone that uses Android 2.3 and up and iOS 5 or 6.

Report by : tech2 News Staff

Jabra launches Speak 510 Bluetooth-enabled speakerphone for Rs. 11,000

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Audio solutions provider Jabra announced the launch of the SPEAK 510 speakerphone in the Indian market. The multi-utility speakerphone can be connected wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled devices including computers, tablets and phones, and can be used for listening to music or attending conference calls, with a range of up to 100 meter for Class 1 supported devices. It can also be connected with devices and softphones via USB.

Priced at Rs. 11,000, the speakerphone is fully compatible with UC systems & VoIP clients, and claims to offer integration and call control with Microsoft Lync, IBM Sametime, Cisco, Avaya and Skype. It also supports multimedia streaming via Bluetooth A2DP. The device also sports a 3.5 mm headset port.

Jabra claims that the audio device delivers a battery life of 15 hours, and that its omni-directional microphone allows all attendees around the speakerphone to hear and speak clearly, facilitating one-to-one and smaller group conference calls. The company says that the speakerphone delivers echo and distortion free sound at higher volume levels as it incorporates Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology.

Ralph Ede, Managing Director - South Asia, Jabra said, "Jabra SPEAK 510 speakerphone Jabra targets the mobile worker to a further extent than ever before. Featuring Bluetooth technology the Jabra SPEAK 510 enables even more user flexibility and meets increased demands for mobility, at home, in the workplace or on the go. It optimises the productivity by intuitively enabling one-to-one and smaller group conference calls at any time and in any place."

"Companies in emerging markets, notably India, are facing increasingly mobile workforces, with between 70 to 80 percent of workers spending at least some portion of their time working out of the office. These companies are also investing in mobile devices that will enable the growing numbers of mobile workers to interact with customers, employees, and other businesses in real time, anytime and from any location. India has vast numbers of SMBs willing to spend to better leverage the capabilities of new devices and solutions," he added.

Jabra also offers the Jabra SPEAK 410 speakerphone, which does not feature Bluetooth connectivity.

Reprot by : Anupam Saxena