The topic for discussion during this interview was on ACCESSORIES – “PIMP YOUR TECH”. We touched on a few exciting products geared towards kids, students and adults alike. The audio and video file of the interview will be made available for download in the next few days. You can go to www.digitaltips.org for some useful tips on consumer electronics.

About Colleen:

Colleen Lerro is a communications specialist for the Consumer Electronics Association.  Colleen has been with CEA for two years and manages promotions for the Accessories and Digital Imaging divisions, and also handles internal communications and media monitoring. Prior to joining CEA, Colleen earned her master’s in Public Communication at American University while interning in the publicity department at America’s Most Wanted. Colleen graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York College at Brockport with a B.S. in Journalism and a minor in Business.

About the Consumer Electronics Association:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) unites 2,000 companies within the consumer technology industry. CEA is the industry authority on market research and forecasts; consumer surveys; legislative and regulatory news; engineering standards; training resources and more.

Manufacturer: Trispecs

Trispecs Bluetooth Sunglasses

Bluetooth headsets have become very popular in the last couple of years since many countries have instituted a law prohibiting drivers from using a cell phone that is held against your ear while driving. Most of these Bluetooth headsets have been the mono/single earpiece design. The lack of wireless stereo headsets was mainly due to the fact that a phone conversation is mono in nature plus the lack of software or Bluetooth stereo profile support. Now that the proper stereo profile A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution profile) and the remote control profile AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) has been created, we are able to take advantage of the stereo music that many cell phones support now wirelessly.  To add more style and functionality to the wireless stereo music enjoyment and cell phone call access, Trispecs has combined the stereo Bluetooth headset support into a stylist pair of sunglasses.

The Trispecs sunglasses are truly sunglasses with the added wireless music and cell phone support. The sunglasses come in various colors and in mens and womans styles. The lenses used in these sunglasses are manufactured by a company called SOLA Sunlens which is a brand of Carl Zeiss Vision. From a sunglass standpoint, these Trispecs are very light and comfortable to wear.

Product Specifications

Bluetooth Specification Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, backward compatible with 1.2

Bluetooth Profiles Handsfree, Stereo Headset, A2DP, AVRCP, GAVDP

Music Frequency Response 20 Hz – 20000Hz

Telephony Frequency Response 00 Hz – 3000Hz

Battery Type Integrated rechargeable Li-Ion Polymer

Battery life when fully charged Talk Time – 7 hrs

Battery life when fully charged Music Playing – 5 hrs

Battery life when fully charged Standby Time – 70 hrs

Charging Time Fast charge (to 80% capacity) in 1.5 hrs; Full charge in 2.5 hours

Connectivity Built in port for USB (Micro) cable connection

Additional Feature Firmware upgradeable via USB

Radio Frequency 2.4GHz, GFSK

Weight 52 g (1.8 oz)

Operation / Storage environment -10ºC to 50ºC; 5% to 90% relative humidity

Charging environment 0ºC to 45ºC

Black Trispecs Sunglasses – Image: Trispecs

The actual Bluetooth function is something you will need to get comfortable with if you have never used a Bluetooth headset with your cell phone before. For users that have used a Bluetooth headset before, the setup is straight forward and simple as any other Bluetooth headset. Once the sunglasses is setup to work with your cell phone, the sunglasses are a breeze to use anytime. The first step in setting up the headset/sunglasses for use with your cell phone is to pair the two devices. This is accomplished by turning on the Bluetooth on your cellphone and initiating the Bluetooth device search feature. You will need to refer to your owners manual for the exact instructions. 

The Trispecs has full player controls on the sunglasses.

• Call, volume up and volume down buttons on the left arm.
• Play, next and previous buttons on the right arm.

Left Controls Buttons

To initiate the pairing, first turn on the sunglasses by pulling the right earpiece out. Then press and hold the CALL Button on the left hand arm of the sunglassess until the LED on the right arm turns  solid RED. Then initiate the search for Bluetooth devices feature from your cell phone. Eventually the cell phone should detect the sunglasses as EYEWEAR. Now you can select EYEWEAR and then you should be prompted to enter a passkey. Just enter 0000 (zero,zero,zero,zero) as the four digit numerical passkey. Now, you should be ready to listen to music on your sunglasses. It is as simple as launching your music player on your cellphone and you should start to hear the music wirelessly on your sunglasses. If you do not hear anything on your headphones, you will need to refer to the actual cell phones instructions for further steps if necessary. Each cell phone is slightly different in how certain features are accessed.

Right Controls Buttons

On my Palm Treo 700wx, I initially ran into a number of issues. First my Palm smartphone did not come with any Bluetooth A2DP and AVRCP profiles. No problem I thought as I could go to the manufacturer of the phone or the provider of the samrtphone (Bell Mobility) to get a Bluetooth software update. First attempt was to get the software update from Palm. Palm does provide a Bluetooth update for the Palm Treo 700wx. Unfortunately the update is only available for the Palm Treo 700wx available from SPRINT in the States. Bell Mobility in Canada does not offer a Bluetooth update even on their website. I was truly disappointed that a software update available for the actual hardware is not available for my device since it is not offered by Bell Mobility which is the service provider here in Canada.

I did some additional digging on the Internet and came across a solution at XDA Developers. I do not recommend this third party update since it is time consuming, tedious and requires you to use a registry editor. Any incorrect changes made via a registry editor can easily crash your Smartphone if you are not careful.

Windows Mobile 5 Bluetooth Profile

The file to install and configure is available HERE if you feel the need to go this route (Attempt only at your own risk). What I was missing on my Palm Treo 700wx was the wireless Stereo profile that is indicated in the above image. Now that I have this, I am able to activate the feature through my Palm and send music to the sunglasses.

USB Bluetooth Adapters

Before I was able to get my Palm Treo 700wx working with the Trispecs sunglasses, I was able to take advantage of the sunglasses using my Bluetooth connection on my Windows Vista laptop. The real advantage of using the sunglasses on a windows PC is the ability to roam around the house and listen to music. Depending on how strong your Bluetooth wireless is on your PC/laptop, you might even be able to go outside to enjoy the weather or do some gardening. Since the signal is a wireless digital signal you either get full stereo sound or no sound at all once the signal gets weak. The weak signal issue is not a concern using the cell phone since the two devices should be close to each other at all times.

When connected to my smartphone, I had no issues with the signal being 15 – 20 feet away like when I left the phone on my desk. On my laptop the signal would extend 35 – 40 feet since the Bluetooth adapter I am using is a USB adapter with a built in external antenna. I was able to take my laptop outside and plug the laptop in a wall outlet to enjoy the great sunshine. Connecting to itunes online via my Wi-Fi connection allowed me full access to the wide range of online radio stations on my Trispecs Bluetooth sunglasses.

Since the A2DP and the AVRCP Bluetooth profiles are required on the mobile device, a list of current devices that support these profiles would have been a handy reference guide to have in the box or better yet, on the website. I was able to find a list on the Internet that is not up to date but does list some models that are most likely still used. You can go HERE to see the outdated list. Another list that has some of the newer devices is available HERE but might still be incomplete.

Audio Quality

The Trispecs comes with noise reduction circuitry therefore the reduction in external noise is certainly excellent. Sounds like cars and general outdoor noise was almost non existent when using the Trispecs. The downside to this is you sacrifice the bass response. The music can sound flat depending on the type of music being played. Jazz or orchestral music in many cases are not well suited for these headphones. Pop, rock and electronic music with lots of treble and bass in the original recording are fine. Since these are in ear headphones 3 different sizes of silicon tips are included. I had to use the smallest ones and I found those even a little tight.

The battery on the Trispecs lasts over 4 hours of continous music playback which is very good. Keep in mind if each song is about 4 minutes you will need at least 60 songs. Songs being an average 8 megs in file size means, 480 megs worth of mp3 songs are required to last 4 hours without repeating a song. If you use a better music format like AAC or WMA, the file sizes will be much larger therefore you will require to have 1 gig of memory or more on your mobile device to hold over 4 hours worth of music. In reality, most of us would never listen to 4+ hours of continuous music wearing these sunglasses but if you do, your mobile device may need a recharging long before your Trispecs will. Recharging of the Trispecs is done via a standard micro USB connection on the arm using the included USB cable and wall adapter. You can just use the USB cable on the PC/laptop but it will take slightly longer to fully recharge.

Phone Use

The Trispecs will switch between the music and phone when you press the PHONE button on the left arm. Answering the call is as simple as just pressing the CALL button. This will pick up the call and turn the music off. By pressing and holding the CALL button you can dismiss the call if you wish instead. Depending on the mobile device, the music maybe paused or muted. Muted means the music is still playing while you engage in the phone conversation but not heard. Once the call is complete, another press of the CALL button and your music is back. The handsfree Bluetooth Profile will allow you to dial by voice based on the stored names and numbers on your phone. This is the same as doing a voice dial on the phone directly except the voice is picked up by the built in mic on the Trispecs located at the front end of each arm on the inside.

One interesting thing occured to me when I was cycling with the Trispecs sunglasses. The covering to the arm joint on the left hand side fell off at some point. Only the double sided tape that was used to attach the covering still remained. I noticed this after I was back home. The temperature outside was around 18 degrees Celcius therefore not hot by any means. I mention the temperature since heat can soften many glues on tape. A careful examination of the covering on the right side indicated that the double sided tape is not that secure. I was able to easily remove the covering with one finger. I am guessing that the piece fell off when I was on the park trails going over some bumps. This certainly is a negative for something that costs $199.00 USD. The image below showing the missing corner cover plate on the left side was cleaned to remove the sticky double sided tape before the photo was taken.

Right Arm Corner With Cover Plate

Left Arm Corner With No Cover Plate

The nice thing with these sunglasses is that the curved end allow the sunglasses to stay securing attached to the face.

Cons:

• There are no specifications readily viewable on the Trispecs website. I was able to find some specs in a downloadable PDF press release file located HERE.
• No FAQ or commonly asked question to help those with simple issues.
• Website is fully Adobe Flash based therefore anyone without Flash installed on their computer will not see majority of the online information. You can go HERE which is the store section that fortunately does not use Flash at all and is easily accessible by any computer.
• You must have a mobile device that has the A2DP and the AVRCP Bluetooth profiles installed to take advantage of these glasses. This is only mentioned in the section of the multi-paged manual that specify how to pair the devices (page 6). The Eyewear Quick User Guide which most users will refer to does not mention at all that the A2Dp and AVRCP Bluetooth profiles are required on the signal originating device (cell phone or mobile device). 
• The sound quality lacks true bass response.
• The control buttons are too close together and only two small bumps on the middle button allows you to tell the other buttons apart. Not very user friendly since you cannot see the labels or the buttons while wearing the sunglasses.
• You must hold down the rewind button and then depress the retract headphone button to turn the unit off. This is very awkward to do. The retraction spring is very strong thus I would suggest you hold the earpiece also to avoid damage.
• When putting down the glasses, the earbud tends to face the surface therefore causing contact with the surface. This creates some concerns with unsanitary surface contact. If you flip the sunglasses upside down, this can accidentally depress the headphone retract button. Ok when the headphones are already retracted but not so good when the headphones are fully extended.
• The beep to indicate Bluetooth connection and the various female voice prompts has a volume level that is a little too high for my liking.
• The joint covering is not as secure as it could be.
• Comes with a soft case. I would have preferred a hard carry case.

Pros:

• Very light
• Great sunglass lens. Truly reduces the glare and light while outdoors.
• Easy to establish a connection once setup. Press and hold the call button until a solid led light appears on the right arm. The mobile device should recognize the signal and prompt for connection.
• Voice quality pickup is good when on the phone.
• Battery lasts at least 4 hours while listening to music continuously. The battery on the cell phone may require recharging before the Trispecs.

Installation Ease: 8 (If your mobile device supports A2DP and AVRCP out of the box).

Fun Factor: 8

Usability: 7

Documentation: 6

Online Support: 1

Overall Rating:

6.0

The Trispecs are truly an interesting piece of technology. Unfortunately the online support is lacking and without an up to date listing of supported devices, most curious buyers going to the Trispecs website may be reluctant to purchase these Bluetooth sunglasses. Those that do purchase without checking their mobile device first for compatibility will be disappointed if they discover later that the required Bluetooth software is not on their device. These Bluetooth sunglasses are certainly good in providing handsfree phone access and good music listening without all the wires. Many States and cities now make it illegal for you to use a cell phone while driving. You must be parked to use a cell phone. At least the Trispecs will allow you to place or recieve a call without taking your hands off the steering wheel. If you are interested in these sunglasses, make sure you double check your owners manual or the lists provided above to be certain your phone has the proper Bluetooth support first. Also check the manufacturers website of your Bluetooth phone or mobile device for any Bluetooth updates for maximum features and sound quality.

Trispecs

Trispecs Store

The next generation of social lifestyle tool is now available. The product is called Yellowpin and originally appeared on Facebook as an add-on application. It’s a very simple application to use and take advantage of. Anyone with a SMS capable phone can easily send a text message and have their activity and location made available to all their buddies in the social network.

- Pinpoints exactly where you are.

- No GPS tracking or montioring.

- Provides a very secure and controlled environment for sharing your location and activities.

- Communicates your activity with the longitude and latitude of where the activitiy is taking place.

- Aggregates friends’ activity to give a user a clearer view of their social landscape.

- Allows access to all functions through the desktop application or SMS.

- You are in complete control of your information.

Yellowpin is available on a 30 day FREE trial and costs only 99 cents month. This is a great add-on application and is very reasonable in cost. You can go to www.yellowpin.com for more details and to register online.

Police Surveillance Tool Now Available For Personal Use.

If you are a fan of TV shows like CSI and Fringe, you will see from time to time, covert monitoring conducted using an individuals cellphone. Examples are tracking the user via the cellphone signal, accessing the internal GPS, turning on the microphone remotely and silently.

Now a company called Retina-X Studios has released a software program for Windows Mobile smartphones which allows you track and access features on your phone if it is ever stolen or lost. The program called RecoveryCop allows you recover your lost or stolen phone by tracking its whereabouts. You can send an SMS message from another phone or access your control panel via the online website.

Capabilities:

- Track the phones location if the device is GPS enabled.

- Have the phone silently call any number so that you can monitor the user via the microphone.

- Keep track of all SMS messages and calls made.

- Be notified of any SIM card changes.

- Automatically lock the phone when the SIM card is changed or activate the lock via a command remotely.

- Backup, erase or restore the data on the phone.

- Record the phone number registered on the new SIM card,

The program could pose some ethical issues if used illegally for spying purposes but certainly has some interesting aspects if you ever lose your very expensive Windows Mobile smartphone. Tracking and locating your phone is quick and simple but the actual recovery is left up to the individual. The software and service is available for $29.97 USD per year. You can go to RecoveryCop for more details.

Pandemic Flu Survival Guide - Image: www.pocketdirectory.com

I came across a Smartphone version of a program that has much of the latest flu information contained in it. The program is called the “Pandemic Flu Survival Guide”. The program is compiled and created by a company called Stephen Strategies which has been contracted in the past by the US Department for Homeland Security. This portable information database includes details on the various known flu viruses and how to treat them. We are still in flu season and I would suggest you pick up a copy HERE.  The best part is the program is FREE and is an excellent starting point for understanding the various flu viruses out there and what you can do if you or your family is infected by the flu this season. Make sure you go to the original site above to download since some sites are actually charging for this original program that is FREE to begin with.

We keep hearing about PDA this and PDA that. What are these devices and how do we know when a topic is related to a PDA device that you own? This is not as difficult as you might think. PDA stands for “Personal Digital Assistant”. As the name implies, any electronic device that assists you can fall into this category:

- Electronic dictionary.

- Voice/memo recorder.

- Netbook or laptop.

- GPS Device.

- Ebook readers.

- Handheld device with a touch screen.

- Smartphone

PDA Tuesdays will try to keep you informed on the above sub categories plus others while trying to minimize confusion. How we will help to minimize the confusion is to use more specific terms when dealing with a sub category:

- We will specify the operating system supported like: Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm, Android, Linux, Java

-  We will specify the compatibility when a connection to a PC or another accessory is mentioned.

The term PDA is very broad and generic but is certainly becoming more specific to a handheld device that runs an operating system and is expandable with more memory. Down the road, terms like Smartphone or other newer terms may over shadow PDA. For now, PDA Tuesdays will cover anything we feel is of interest in the handheld electronic device category to keep PDA Tuesdays interesting each week..

Amazon Kindle 2

Amazon Kindle 2 Book Reader - Image: Amazon

The Amazon Kindle 2 book reader was announced yesterday and many sites including www.technobrains.com have blogged about this new device. It is my personal opinion that the Kindle 2 is a real stepping stone for avid book readers. Many blogs online are negative about the Kindle 2. Here are some comments I have read:

- Too expensive @ $359.00.

- Screen is only black and white.

- Limited file format support.

- Books can only be purchased from Amazon.

- Too big to carry around.

Too expensive: The price of the Kindle 2 is $359.00 including shipping to anywhere in the United States. I feel this is very reasonable since I am putting this product into the right perspective. The Kindle 2 is a specialized book reader. Not a general purpose PDA or multimedia reader. Hard covered books range in price from about $30 – $60 each with some being more expensive. Amazon has available over 230,000 books at a price of $10.oo or less for the Kindle 2. If you read only 1 book a month, the cost of the Kindle 2 after 12 months will seem very little.

Screen is only black and white: Traditional books use black text on a white background therefore color on an electronic book reading device does not require color. The screen is very clear and allows for good reading outdoors. Most PDA screens are hard to read outdoors in bright sunlight.

Display: 6″ diagonal E-Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi (pixels per inch), 16-level gray scale.

Limited file format support: The Kindle 2 is not a general purpose ebook reader therefore multi file support is not a huge benefit. Books are downloaded wirelessly from Amazon thus all the reader needs to know is the title of the book to download. Newspapers, magazines and information from www.wikipedia.org are also supported. What the format of the actual files are underneath are not critical for the elderly and non techie Kindle 2 users.

Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion. The file format is not as limited as many people think.

Books can only be purchased from Amazon: Amazon is a huge online book seller that has been around for years therefore can be trusted to provide reasonable price points, a great selection of book titles and proper online security. No need to search numerous other online sites for titles. Very easy to search, select and download a book quickly. Apple does this also with music files on the iPods and programs for the iPhone and iTouch devices. You go to the Apple store for all your media files used on Apple mobile products.

Too big to carry around: Hard covered books are carried by thousands of people everyday on the bus, train, subway and read at coffee shops and bars. The Kindle 2 is lighter, smaller and thinner over hard covered books but is held like a hard covered book and turning pages are intuitive like a regular book. We live in a backpack generation therefore the Kindle 2 fits nicely into a backpack.

Size (in inches): 8″ x 5.3″ x 0.36″.

Weight: 10.2 ounces.

Battery Life: Read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to two weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.

Connectivity: EVDO modem with fallback to 1xRTT; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide U.S wireless coverage via Sprint’s 3G high-speed data network (check wireless coverage). See Wireless Terms and Conditions.

USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) for connection to the Kindle power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.

Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers.

Included Accessories: Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, rechargeable battery. Book cover sold separately.

Documentation: Quick Start Guide (included in box) [PDF]; Kindle 2 User’s Guide (pre-installed on device) [PDF].

Warranty and Service: 1 year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2 year Extended Warranty sold separately.

Carrier branded phones have never been a huge plus for me.

1. To get a good hardware purchase price, the carriers expect at least a 2 year contract commitment with many asking for 3 years. This is just too long.
2. Hardware is locked to work with the original carrier only thus switching to another carrier later is a pain having the phone unlocked for another carrier. The original carrier will not unlock the phone for use on another carrier.
3. The originating carrier typically installs custom software that rarely works as advertised and most do not work with other carriers and cannot be removed easily.
4. Low resale value since the phone is locked to that one carrier like AT&T.
5. Poor technical support from the carriers when issues are Smartphone hardware specific.

Currently AT&T is the only carrier that handles the Apple iPhone. Does this mean, others will eventually carry the Apple iPhone when AT&T discontinues the iPhone in a few years? This will be good news. The other positive side to this I can see is if AT&T eventually only carries one Smartphone line, This will open the market for independant dealers to sell unbranded smartphones with the Apple, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Android and other operating systems that will work better with AT&T overall. More unbranded devices can mean a higher margin for resellers on hardware and the added carrier subscription plus overall the pricing for hardware should drop too. Devices should be available from more local dealers I feel if other carriers follow AT&T.

Sure, support will not be available from the carrier but this has always been the case with devices not sold by the carriers. At the end of the day, manufacturers of the smartphone devices must sell their products regardless of direct carrier support through branding is available or not. It will be interesting to see if current users of AT&T will stay with AT&T or leave in the end.

Read PART II

Three years ago, the potential of Mobile technology was seen by a large number of manaufacturers. One company that forged ahead with mobile simulations for the Windows Mobile devices is a company called OmniG Soft. This company produced and still produces flight and race simulation games. In addition to the stand alone and multiplayer games, they also released a multiplayer server that can run on a standard PC or Windows Mobile device to coordinate the 3+ players. At that time, I was a member of a local Windows Mobile users group and we had a number of group gaming sessions. The games at the time only allowed 4 players simultaneusly due to memory and processor speed issues. The game server itself did support a higher number of users and allowed users to connect via Wi-Fi using a Wi-Fi router. Unfortunately due to the lack of interest overall by consumers, this technology was never really improved upon by OmniG Soft.

Around the same period, Hasbro came out with a handheld game sold for around $25.00 US each called the P.O.X. This was a unit with a black and white LCD screen that contained one game. The idea of the game was to create your own monster and battle others on the game field. The unique feature built into this game was a RF transceiver. This allowed units to detect other units and then automatically engage on a multi player battle. This meant you could be in a classroom, bus, car or anywhere in close proximity to each other and play together. Winners of each battle were able to gain the powers of the defeated players/monsters.

Hasbro P.O.X. Game

The P.O.X. came in a number of different colors which indicated that the monsters created with a given colored unit had different characteristics over other units of differnt colors.

I was very disappointed when the P.O.X. was not a really big hit. Hasbro had a website located at www.pox.com which allowed other owners to chat and interact with each other. The cost was very reasonable and the fun factor was certainly there.

Online gaming is a huge money making venture for companies like Sony, Microsoft and others. Millions of people are continuously online playing games using their Sony Playstation or Microsoft XBox. It is unfortunate that the same players cannot play the same or similar games on a more mobile based gaming system anywhere. One scenario that would make sense to me would be the ability to connect to these online gaming servers using Wi-Fi at a local hangout like a bar. Eat, drink and enjoy a few hours of gaming using your own smartphone.

This concept will be coming eventually to North America but I feel it is just too slow for my liking. The technology is mature enough to allow for current smartphones to handle turn based RPG games and other role playing games via a highspeed Wi-Fi connection.

It is really about the fun factor and not the graphics or sound quality that makes a good role playing game a success in the end. Just look at the Nintendo Wii system. Compared to the Sony Playstation or the Microsoft XBox, the graphics quality does not come close. What makes the Nintendo Wii a success is the simple wireless controllers and the fun factor built into the games.

It is time that larger gaming manufacturers realize the potential of multiplayer handheld games have arrived and smartphones and cellphones running Java is the perfect staging ground for online multiplayer fun. Stand alone games played online with no software downloading are currently available and are popular. The unfortunate side to this is there is no multiuser interaction built in like the bigger gaming systems. Once multiplayer or multiuser interaction through voice chat is possible on a smartphone, more people will start playing and trash talking online. I Hope those with the ability to make a difference in this area are reading this and making a conscious effort to make this happen in the enar future.