Nyko, the brand known for its third party controller for consols such as the XBox360, Play Station 3 and Wii is coming to Android with its PlayPad Pro which we got a hands on with at e3. From someone who doesn’t game any more, The PlayPad Pro won me over as a must have accessory to play games on my Android tablet. The controller, looks to be based upon the Xbox360 one pairs to your Android tablet running 3.0 and newer via Bluetooth.
Plantronics, a trusted name in audio headsets and devices designed to make business and communication easier, has released a new product at the CTIA 2012 show in New Orleans last week. The headphones that go by the name Back Beat Go, connect to any Bluetooth enabled device for up to 4.5 hours of listening pleasure.
With the Back Beat Go BlueTooth headphones by Plantronics there’s no wires and no hassles. They easily fit into your pocket, purse or backpack and provide full on stereo sound. Now you can listen to music, chat with your friends, and watch movies on any BlueTooth enabled device, be it your tablet, phone or computer.
In addition to the 4.5 hours of listening time the Back Beat Go headphones have up to ten days of standby time. They also give you maximum room to move allowing you the freedom to be up to 33 feet away from the BlueTooth enabled device. Best of all they go from dead to fully charged in 2.5 hours.
Other features include:
• Amazingly light, incredibly small wireless stereo earbuds with Bluetooth® technology
• Compact design easily slips into your pocket, and tangle-free cable keeps things simple
• Enjoy your favorite music or movie with up to 4.5 hours of listening and talk time
• Three sizes of cushioned eartips and optional stabilizers make the fit custom, secure, and comfortable
• Inline controls make it easy to take calls, skip tracks, and adjust volume
• Bluetooth® technology lets you connect to smartphones or tablets for music, movies, and calls
• Big sound in a small package – sound isolating buds for rich stereo
• Headset battery meter automatically shows on screen for iPhone® and iPad®
• Download the Plantronics MyHeadset™ app for a battery headset meter on Android 3.0 tablets, and Android™ 4.0 phones and tablets
Pairing the Back Beat Go BlueTooth headphones is a cinch!
For more info on the BackBeat Go headphones click here
At the government technology show, formerly called FOSE, in Washington DC we got a chance to talk with Biometrics Associates. This company has developed some very cool encrypted Bluetooth technologies that are implemented in military and government uses.
Their first product is a card reader that, when attached to a smartphone, allows apps that use Biometrics Associates SDK to be unlocked. The only way to unlock these apps is with the right key card and the right credentials on the keycard. Biometrics Associates offers an SDK where developers can build any kind of protected app.
App uses already in use or in development include email protection apps, phone unlocking apps, tactical planning apps and even apps that are used to protect plans for military equipment. Their technology is approved by the United States Department of Defense and NSA to ensure that it meets the top-secret clearance needed at such a high level.
The other technology they offer is a secure BlueTooth headset. As you’ll learn in the video the secured Bluetooth headset uses its own pairing mechanism so that the default 0000 and 1234 codes don’t work to pair the phone with the headset. In addition once locked to the phone it creates a shield that won’t allow any kind of Bluetooth interruption, penetration or eaves dropping.
The headsets were built to NSA specification so that even the highest level agent in any branch of government can talk securely via Bluetooth headset to another party.
“Today’s CAC user needs secure access to mobile applications”, noted Scott Johnson, BAL Executive Vice President and COO, “but sensitive information – both data and voice – must be protected from multiple points of attack. Imagine a doctor in a DoD hospital making his or her rounds with an Android tablet. This doctor needs CAC authenticated access to the hospital medical records database but also needs to be able to dictate notes into the patient’s record over an encrypted Bluetooth link. We are proud to provide products to make this a reality.”
Sound interesting, watch the video.
Nick Tippmann
Kyle