RIM just announced their acquisition of QNX Software, a company specializing in in-car infotainment. To get a better idea of what they do, just watch the above YouTube clip. In the product demo, they use an iPhone, but I guess that will be changing soon enough. If this acquisition is a means to get more connectivity with a BlackBerry and a car, then we should be seeing some interesting new software. Currently, RIM’s automotive offerings extend to the Visor Mount and some other Bluetooth accessories, but the major integration is through third parties. Given many states and countries are now implementing hands-free laws, this might also have influenced RIM’s decisions.
Tag: bluetoothPage 2 of 8
Back in ’94, Bluetooth was invented and standardized to be a wireless cable replacement technology. After a long battle with adoption and interoperability, Bluetooth is now standard issue in most smartphones, road-ready laptops, and a slew of other devices that connect to them wirelessly. Originally created to replace RS-232 serial cable, Bluetooth is now built into all manners of electronics, over 10,000 product lines in total.
The mobile phone, automotive, computing, and consumer electronic industries have come together to make technology easier and better for everyone. When it was first being pitched, marketers spoke of dreams of the Personal Area Network or PAN. The promises of the PAN was more than a little science-fictiony, with fantasies of doors opening like Star Trek and house keys being obsolete.
The first Bluetooth-enabled phone launched a decade ago. RIM’s first Bluetooth-enabled device was the now-famous BlackBerry 7290, which curiously enough came in blue.
This is how the Personal Area Network is shaping up for BlackBerry users five years after RIM started supporting Bluetooth.
Continue reading ‘Five years of Bluetooth on BlackBerry: Current and Future Implementations’
Xpressions Inc. let us know that their app VQ CarFinder has now been downloaded by over 100,000 BlackBerry users. The Xpressions team did a great job of promoting their app with great contests, funny video and constantly checking in with the BlackBerry blogs.
You can try VQ Carfinder for yourself on a free trial or $4.99 in the BlackBerryCool Store.
The team behind VQ CarFinder have launched VQ Mileage Tracker that captures date, time, distance, and the address you arrived at. The app prides itself on making everything automated without needing any input from the user. When you want to submit an expense report, the data has been automatically collected and is ready to process. To use the automatic mode, you need Bluetooth in your car. By having a Bluetooth setup, the app can automatically register when your car starts and parks.
Spracht, a little company from Mountain View, California, made a new and cool Bluetooth headset. Sure, everyone has noise cancellation and wind protection and full duplex. Blah blah blah. Spracht’s new Aura EQ launches with a few cool features. First, it is capacitive, so you slide your finger up the headset to raise the volume or slide it down to lower it, all the way to mute. Next, you have the ability to adjust the audio with an 8 Band EQ. Finally, in true Whisper 2000 fashion, you can turn the headset into an audio booster so you can hear better in noisy situations, like CES. Expect the Spracht Audio EQ in March with pricing around $79.
Details have surfaced about the Bluetooth BlackBerry Watch accessory that was rumored a few months ago. The device will not be manufactured by RIM, but rather a third party accessory company.
The watch is a Bluetooth-connected device that serves as an alert system for your BlackBerry communications. If you’re in the car, on a bike, or traveling with your device not in-hand, the watch will keep you updated with alerts.
The pic, which is likely the beginnings of the inPulse Smartwatch, tells us that the concept for the device came from Eric Migicovsky, an engineering student at Waterloo who won some startup capital. It’s not clear if Eric’s company is making the hardware, but it definitely seems as though they are powering the software.
[Via]
