SkypeJournal’s recent series on Skype’s forward moving strategies included a discussion on the relevance of hardware. Well this Christmas, a piece of hardware near and dear to my heart will be ready to ship. I’ve written about the FREETALK in another post, so no need to repeat.

The nicest thing about this device… it is a very simple and elegant hardware solution that imporves the way *current* Skype users experience voice chat.

FREETALK is for the hear and now.  It does not distract you from the now.  It does not promise a future that is not ready.  It does not try to pretend you are in the past.

1. Other types of Skype hardware struggle with gear that is trying to bring skype to Skype-non-users. Make it look like a normal desk telephone, and give the simple number dialing usage model a home on the skype network. Harder sell. Gotta sell on lower cost. Gotta teach people new features. People who would get this are likely more attached to their PCs.

2. Or bring Skype to platforms where potential users are using a different telephony service. Run Skype on my mobile phone, now you’ve got to be better than the experience of making call on my mobile.

This Thanksgiving holiday season, I’ve seen more Black Friday chatter on the web than I can remember ever seeing in the past. From Gizmodo, Engadget, Google ads to ad hoc urls like http://www.blackfriday.info, it’s endless.

Obviously some deals are better than others. The one that caught my eye of course is the one offered by Best Buy for the Rocketfish RF-WHTIB wireless rear speaker kit. At $79.99, this is 20% off from it’s normal retail price. At $99, the commentors talk about what a great value this product is… so at $79, this is a steal.

 THIS ARTICLE (AND BLOG) HAS MOVED. Please follow this link to comment and/or follow the latest discussion thread. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Finally. Our first wireless stereo headset! It is available just in time for the holidays. If you use Skype more than 5 times a week, this headset will be your new best friend, I can guarantee it. I’ve been carrying my proto with me for the better part of this year, and it’s held up relatively well in my bag, taking many beatings. It sounds great, and works flawlessly. The range on FREETALK’s version is just over 35 feet. It will best the two other cordless options shown on this page. They are both based on Bluetooth… stop yawning, you’ll want to hear this.

People often ask how we compare to Bluetooth… often phrased as, “why wouldn’t I just use Bluetooth?” The few (powerful) reasons are:

1. FREETALK requires no driver installations. Freetalk is plug & play. Plug it in, wait for Mac OS or Windows to recognize it, and about 20 seconds later you are off to the races.
2. FREETALK achieves better than 30 feet of range. Our system’s wireless audio coding gives you a few more meters than BT can at the same transmit power. Just try it. You’ll get 35-40 feet in most conditions, and up to 60 feet in very clean RF interference & obstacle environments.
3. FREETALK gives you high fidelity stereo audio & wideband voice!!! The Freetalk headset natively supports 48 kHz uncompressed stereo audio to the headset, and 16 kHz wideband voice from the headset’s mic…. wait for it… at the same time. Boom. (Gamers rejoice – use it for World of Warcraft, Ventrillo, you name it) You have to hear it to believe it. With BT, you’re required to use a different profile (A2DP), which does not support simultanous usage of the microphone, AND it compresses the hell out of the audio using a very crude compression scheme called SBC (sub-band coding). About as clean as 96 kbps mp3 in best cases.
4. FREETALK costs less. Don’t even get me started.

Anyways, let’s hear about what you think. Check it out, and report back here. I’m pretty sure you’ll be asking straight-away, “why hasn’t this existed before?”

Logitech ClearChat comfort USB headset is a nice piece.  I really believe in usb headphones and headsets.  They sound amazing, free of hard drive noise, and other audio imperfections you get from the standard headphone jacks on a PC.  Using the USB socket ensures a purely digital stream that is crystal clear and enables cool things like playback controls and volume control from the headset itself via the USB-HID mechanism.  HID stands for human interface device and is a way to add control to the mix.  Keyboards and things like that use HID.  But audio devices that make use of HID opens up many new application possibilities.

I can think of ways to make this experience much better.  How about you?

I bet the World of Warcraft and Skype faithful know exactly what I am talking about.  How can we make the PC audio experience better?

Heh heh. The Q-Bean. For a while our customer has been telling us this thing was going to be huge. What I can say is that while it’s form factor is quirky, and its marketing even quirkier, the usability and sound quality you’ll experience is unmatched.

There are two variants of the Q-Bean.  Basically the main difference is the type of audio transmitter device that it comes with.  The Q-Bean-ST comes with a stereo line-input sender device that can run on batteries or be powered from the wall.  The Q-Bean-U comes with a USB audio sender, and supports a microphone back-channel.

The Q-Bean-U version is simply plug & play, and converts your favorite pair of headphones into a full blown headset targeted at all manner of PC multimedia applications: Music, DVDs, VoIP, gaming, you name it.

One fascinating bundle that LTB Audio managed to cut was with One Voice. One Voice has a voice recognition software add-on for Windows Media Center that allows you to voice command your PC to do all manner of cool things. The bundle includes the Media Center Communicator application software and a Q-Bean-U, and it’s available on Amazon @ $174.99. It can also be bought directly from One Voice @ 174.99.

The Q-Bean has received a few mentions around the internets of late… check out reviews and listings here:

Q-Bean-U on Amazon.com @ $77.00

Q-Bean-ST on Amazon.com @ $85.00

Q-Bean-U on Radioshack.com @ $119.00

Q-Bean-ST on RadioShack.com @ $129.99

Coverage at Engadget

Coverage at CrunchGear

Review at OverclockersClub

Lust at I4U

Acoustic Research (a division of Audiovox) has recently updated their website to include the AWD210 headphone that Alive Matters mentioned last month. Having listened to these bad-boys not long ago, I can say that the audio quality is actually pretty amazing. Personally, I’d prefer a pair that had a USB transmitter since all my music is on my computer. But for most people, particulary those who know and trust AR, the analog in audio sender will be more appealing.

Alive Matters has also identified a few sites who are taking advanced orders for the AWD210. They are a bit random, but likely tied to a wholesaler that Audiovox works with.

Ambient Weather @ $117.49

Trio Computers @ $117.99

This Gizmodo post shows some of the latest products coming from the Audiovox group of companies.

For those who may not know (I didn’t until I checked their website), Audiovox maintains the following brands: Audiovox, Jensen, Advent, Acoustic Research, Phase Linear, and most recently, the accessory business from RCA, which they acquired from Thomson.

Alive Matters is particularly interested in how the market reacts to the AWD210 which will be branded Acoustic Research.  Can it deliver a better experience than the old 900 MHz stuff they offered?

Stay tuned…

Not sure who Floppyhead are, but they wrote a pretty good review of the Rocketfish RF-WHTIB. They write with a bit more journalistic tone than AliveMatters, if not a bit less transparency. Who are they, and why do they care so much about HTPCs and getting advertising revenue? Anyways…

Good passage here that sums up the wireless surround sound pain point, and the solution:

The wireless speaker kit is a great idea for apartments or situtations where you cannot run wires through the walls. Several months ago I went to a Superbowl party at a friend’s apartment who had a surround sound system not set-up because the wires would have to run across two door openings. His plasma TV was definitely lonely.

With the Wireless Speaker kit in hand I went over to his apartment last week. We set-up the system in about 10 minutes. The receiver and the transmitter are linked at the factory so there is almost no set-up required. Connect the speakers to the wireless units and turn on your surround sound receiver. That’s about it.

Follow the link to see some pics of the RF-WHTIB in action.

Today, Sony announced two new models, the ICF-C1iP and ZS-S2iP, that directly support Apple’s iPod. From the looks of things, Sony is bringing maturity and classic design to a crowded space. One would hope they help raise the bar of what consumers should expect in terms of features, sound quality, and reliability. I do continue to hope this is so.

This quote acknowledges Sony’s acceptance of iPod’s dominance (as previously discussed here), and expresses Sony’s commitment to differentiating themselves in this ever-crowding space:

“Consumers are treating the iPod as a format, like the compact disc, which is why Sony is now delivering audio products to support it,” said Andrew Sivori, director of personal audio products in the Digital Imaging and Audio Division at Sony Electronics. “High-quality sound, unique features, and exceptional design set our new boombox and clock radio apart.”

It’s refreshing to hear how Sivori expresses his view… Alive Matters commented back in November that the world should begin embracing the view that iPods (and PAPs in general) are the modern replacement for audio storage media, rather than “devices” in the traditional sense. Because of this, the mainstream product architectures would undergo an evolution:

The speaker-dock market, as I’ll refer to it, is exploding. Naturally, we have Apple’s iPod to thank for this. I dunno how many people realise it, but portable audio players, themselves, have become the de facto portable audio storage medium. I dunno if people associate their iPod with the Sony Walkman or with the cassette tape? With the Discman or the CD?

Media formats have determined the shape of personal audio systems for years — vinyl record turn-tables, cassette decks and Walkmans, laserdisc players, CD players & discman, MD players, … and so now naturally, with music being stored on harddrives and flashdrives, right before our eyes, we are witnessing “device-evolution.” It’s pretty cool if you think about it. Device form factors are adapting to a disruption in media formats. Home audio rendering devices have to pull source material from a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and interfaces as portable audio player makers build on-the-go devices that are so smart and handy, they beg to be used at home as well.

As the speaker-dock segment continues to mature, expect to see more and more traditional players brining their twist on the platform. Sony was not the first… Harman Kardon and Onkyo did so in the past year, joining Apple, Bose, JBL, and the hordes of keyboard/mice/protective-case/accessory makers who aspire to milk the giant cow (at the risk of saturating the market with substandard product).

When might Panasonic, Denon, Yamaha, Kenwood, Philips, enter the fray…and what will they offer the consumers to set them apart?

UPDATE 7/20: Welcome, Philips with 4 models that sport built in docks.

UPDATE 7/26: Welcome, Denon S-32 at $499 and the S-52 at $699(!!) due in October.

-.-. .- -. .- -. -.– — -. . -.. . -.-. — -.. . .– …. .- – .. … .-. . .- .-.. .-.. -.– -… . …. .. -. -.. – …. .. … .. .–. …. — -. . .- -. -.. .- – - -.. . .- .-.. ..–..

Has anyone seen any mention of at&t exclusive on the iPhone beyond the current iPhone model?

If you read the official press releases that announced the exclusive arrangement, no where at all does it mention a multi-model lock-up. Only a multi-year agreement… From Apple:

MACWORLD SAN FRANCISCO—January 9, 2007—Apple® and Cingular announced that Cingular, the largest wireless carrier in the US, will be Apple’s exclusive US carrier partner for Apple’s revolutionary iPhone unveiled today. As part of this multi-year partnership, Apple and Cingular are working together to provide innovative new features to mobile phone users, such as iPhone’s pioneering and unique Visual Voicemail, a first on any mobile phone in the world.

“Apple chose Cingular because they are the best and most popular carrier in the US,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We are thrilled to be offering our revolutionary new iPhone exclusively with Cingular, and look forward to working together with them to create some wonderful new features for our customers.”

“By partnering with Apple, we are continuing our commitment to raising the bar for customers,” said Stan Sigman, Cingular’s president and CEO. “We think the iPhone is one of the most innovative devices ever created, and we look forward to letting our customers be the first in the world to experience the future of mobile phones.”

From at&t:

Apple has chosen AT&T, the best and most popular carrier in the US with over 62 million subscribers, to be Apple’s exclusive carrier partner for iPhone in the United States.

With this multi-year exclusive partnership, iPhone will only be available with wireless service from AT&T. Working together ensures seamless integration between network and device.

Am I missing something? All the statements seem limited in scope, if not broad in impact.

I am not sure I need to mention the significance of this… but if true, anyone who bemoans the at&t “feature” of the iPhone may be relieved if future models — like say an HSDPA or EV-DO, true 3G version is announced next year… or a iPhone mini… or a iPhone Pro with corporate email and mechanical keyboard — are available on their current carriers.

A May 21st USA Today article reported (seemingly confirmed, but not definitively so) that Apple was barred from developing a CDMA-version of the iPhone. The article was interpreted as speculation by a number of blogs, which triggered a bunch of unintelligent fan-boy vs Apple-hater discussions, instead of any meaty confirmation.

I simply cannot believe Apple was shortsighted enough to grant at&t such a long runway. Five years in the mobile phone industry is an eternity. USA Today asserted:

Apple is barred for that time from developing a version of the iPhone for CDMA wireless networks.

What they refer to as a “version of the iPhone” is certainly way too loose language to suit Apple legal I’ve got to imagine.

What’s the real story here? I’m just asking.

Fundamentally, this blog post is driven by my feelings as a consumer in a free market. I want buyers to have choice. In particular, I hate lock-ups of hardware and specific mobile networks – this coupling has not benefited consumers in any measurable way, yet somehow the mobile phone market is under the illusion that the network really matters. The crazy network infrastructure economics – and resultant shareholder pressures on network operators has distorted the consumer experience in a bad way. The product and service offerings are a strange supply-side amalgam based little on the demand-side realities of end-user experiences.

No need for me to get too wound up. It doesn’t even affect me today. I am not anxious to ditch my BlackBerry, and I am certainly not willing to deal with at&t customer service anytime soon. The Verizon angle doesn’t phase me… I am not a CDMA customer today, in fact I am a T-Mobile customer, but perhaps what is most relevant is that I am an ex-at&t customer, and I am not going back anytime soon.