Tag Archives: WaterResistant

Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband

Posted on by

Jawbone Up starting over with the company's lifestyletracking wristband

In life, we're often told the best-learned lessons are those spurred by mistakes. In Jawbone's case, its plague-ridden Up wristband from last winter turned out be a sweeping education. So much so that the Jambox-maker now refers to the launch as an accidental "beta" program; a public exercise in wearables R&D that ended in an official apology and full refunds.

Sounds extreme, but those missteps led to a ground-up reinvention for the product: the company just announced a new version of the band, which goes on sale today for $129 with necessary improvements in tow: a refined mold, reinforced water-resistance and a more robust iOS app. In advance of this v2.0 launch, we sat down with the company's VP of Product, Travis Bogard, to find out just what went wrong with its ambitious first effort, how it got fixed and what new innovations users can look forward to this time around. So, follow along as we look back at the growing pains that spawned Up's rebirth.

Gallery: Jawbone Up (2012) hands-on

Gallery: Jawbone Up (2012)

Continue reading Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband

Filed under:

Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband

Posted on by

Jawbone Up starting over with the company's lifestyletracking wristband

In life, we're often told the best-learned lessons are those spurred by mistakes. In Jawbone's case, its plague-ridden Up wristband from last winter turned out be a sweeping education. So much so that the Jambox-maker now refers to the launch as an accidental "beta" program; a public exercise in wearables R&D that ended in an official apology and full refunds.

Sounds extreme, but those missteps led to a ground-up reinvention for the product: the company just announced a new version of the band, which goes on sale today for $129 with necessary improvements in tow: a refined mold, reinforced water-resistance and a more robust iOS app. In advance of this v2.0 launch, we sat down with the company's VP of Product, Travis Bogard, to find out just what went wrong with its ambitious first effort, how it got fixed and what new innovations users can look forward to this time around. So, follow along as we look back at the growing pains that spawned Up's rebirth.

Gallery: Jawbone Up hands-on (2012)

Gallery: Jawbone Up (2012)

Continue reading Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband

Filed under:

Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband

Posted on by

Jawbone Up starting over with the company's lifestyletracking wristband

In life, we're often told the best-learned lessons are those spurred by mistakes. In Jawbone's case, its plague-ridden Up wristband from last winter turned out be a sweeping education. So much so that the Jambox-maker now refers to the launch as an accidental "beta" program; a public exercise in wearables R&D that ended in an official apology and full refunds.

Sounds extreme, but those missteps led to a ground-up reinvention for the product: the company just announced a new version of the band, which goes on sale today for $129 with necessary improvements in tow: a refined mold, reinforced water-resistance and a more robust iOS app. In advance of this v2.0 launch, we sat down with the company's VP of Product, Travis Bogard, to find out just what went wrong with its ambitious first effort, how it got fixed and what new innovations users can look forward to this time around. So, follow along as we look back at the growing pains that spawned Up's rebirth.

Gallery: Jawbone Up (2012) hands-on

Gallery: Jawbone Up (2012)

Continue reading Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband

Filed under:

Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

ECOXBT waterproof bluetooth speaker keeps the party floating

Posted on by

DNP ECOXBT waterproof bluetooth speaker keeps the party floating

Waterproof smartphones and cameras are pretty much commonplace these days, but what about accessories to accompany these aquatic electronics? Enter the ECOXBT from ECOXGEAR. Priced at $130 this IPX7 approved, rugged, floating bluetooth speaker box can not only withstand 30 minutes under a meter of water -- it also makes the claim of having 10 hours of battery life. In addition to keeping your favorite playlists dry, the ECOXBT doubles as a speakerphone for those oh so important floating phone calls from the deep end of the pool. So, whether you're on spring break splashing water on a boat or on vacation swimming around a Lonely Island, this water-resistant sound machine ought to go perfect with this thing.

Continue reading ECOXBT waterproof bluetooth speaker keeps the party floating

Filed under: ,

ECOXBT waterproof bluetooth speaker keeps the party floating originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceECOXGEAR  | Email this | Comments

TDK’s Wireless Charging Cube pumps out the jams, juices your Qi devices and resists water (video)

Posted on by

TDK's Wireless Charging Cube pumps out the jams, juices your Qi devices and resists water

Although TDK mentioned its Wireless Charging Cube at IFA with the rest of its latest portable audio wares, it wasn't until today that we got a look at the speaker. The six by six by six-inch (yes, you read that right) unit features the same retro, black and gold aesthetic as TDKs other Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR speakers, but it's notably housing a Qi-compatible inductive charging base at the top (just like JBL's Lumia-styled Power Up speakers). Along with being splash-resistant enough to stay safely within range of your sink, an internal rechargeable battery will net you roughly six to eight hours of untethered play time. We had a very brief ears-on with this $400 unit, so join us past the break for more details and our initial impressions.

Gallery: TDK Wireless Charging Cube hands-on

Continue reading TDK's Wireless Charging Cube pumps out the jams, juices your Qi devices and resists water (video)

Filed under:

TDK's Wireless Charging Cube pumps out the jams, juices your Qi devices and resists water (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Jabra’s $200 Solemate portable Bluetooth speaker wants to kick the Jambox aside

Posted on by

Jabra's $200 Solemate portable Bluetooth speaker wants to kick the Jambox aside

If you looked at the photo above thinking Dr. Martens got into the portable speaker game, you're not so far off. Jabra's taken its Bluetooth headset know-how and blended it with a footwear-inspired design to create its first portable speaker, the $200 Solemate. At first glance the shoe theme does seem a bit silly, but don't let that fool you as this Bluetooth 3.0 speaker packs some notable specs -- especially pitted against the Jawbone Jambox. Available inblack or white, the features rubberized casing that's shock- and water-resistant, and can be supplemented with an included waterproof soundbag (similar to the Braven 625). Taking it a step further, the unit actually has a "heel tab" for carrying purposes and a replaceable sole, which also serves as a storage point for a handy 3.5mm cable.

Gallery: Jabra Solemate press photos

Moving onto to its less quirky features, at the front you'll find a duo of acoustic tweeters separated by a subwoofer with a passive bass radiator on the back -- all together they pump out up to a whopping 120dB of volume. On top are two volume buttons, along with a multifunction button for commanding calls and enabling its Voice Guidance feature. Lastly, the right side houses two indicator lights (battery and Bluetooth), a power and pairing switch, a 3.5mm jack and a micro-USB input for charging and direct digital audio connection. According to Jabra the unit is "about the the size and weight of a water bottle," and you can expect to get around eight to ten hours of use per charge. We'll be giving you our in-depth impressions of the speaker before long, however, the Solemate will be up for pre-order today at the likes of Best Buy and Amazon, and set to release on September 2nd if you're already interested. Check out the press release after the break for more details in the meantime.

Continue reading Jabra's $200 Solemate portable Bluetooth speaker wants to kick the Jambox aside

Filed under: ,

Jabra's $200 Solemate portable Bluetooth speaker wants to kick the Jambox aside originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Fujitsu’s Stylistic M532 quad-core tablet ships to the US with toughened body, dash of security

Posted on by

Fujitsu's Stylistic M532 quadcore tablet ships to the US with toughened body, dash of security

Fujitsu's Stylistic M532 has had a protracted development process that saw it appear on our radar as early as January; imagine our surprise after it ships to the US with barely more than a knock on the door. Now that it's here, it looks to be on the sunnier side of average for an Android 4.0 slate. A quad 1.4GHz Tegra 3, a 1,280 x 800 display and 32GB of built-in space won't rock our world in mid-2012, but the rough-and-ready among us will likely appreciate the military-spec abuse tolerances and support for optional Absolute CompuTrace theft tracking, just in case it's pilfered from an open bag. Fujitsu's obstacles? Apart from not having much of a cachet in the tablet arena, the company also has to convince buyers that the extra safeguards are worth a $549 price -- for those who treat their tablets more delicately, there are a few tempting alternatives.

Filed under:

Fujitsu's Stylistic M532 quad-core tablet ships to the US with toughened body, dash of security originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 02:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFujitsu  | Email this | Comments

New water-resistant coating protects your phone, the planet (video)

Posted on by

New water-resistant coating protects your phone, the planet (video)

Water, the life-long foe of all things electrical. Protecting our digital finery from its evil infiltration is a task many have undertaken, and the latest battalion to join the foray is Daikin Industries. The chemical company is developing a water-resistant coating that could save many devices from a watery grave. We've seen similar ideas before, but Daikin's promises to have good eco-credentials thanks to its low toxicity. Formed by dissolving a fluoropolymer in fluorinated solvent, the coating takes just a minute to dry and is extremely thin -- between 0.1 and 1 microns. The coating isn't designed for full waterproofing, but rather to raise the base level resistance to liquid attacks. Most interestingly of all, it can also be applied to porous and meshed surfaces, such as mouthpiece grills. It's hoped to be commercially available from December this year, so you'll have to try to avoid any little accidents until then.

Continue reading New water-resistant coating protects your phone, the planet (video)

New water-resistant coating protects your phone, the planet (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DigInfo  |  sourceDaikin Industries  | Email this | Comments