Archive for September 24th, 2009

With the submission of Ooma Telo to the FCC’s authorization site, we have now have access to a ton of info about this upcoming device.

After the jump, we provide a detailed description of the Ooma Telo user guide and features.

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You can already buy a Nokia N97, but do you know what’s inside?  Nokia’s internal pics of the N97 were released today, revealing Samsung, Toshiba and TI chips.  Unfortunately, the resolution on the internal pics is pretty low, so chip numbers are not visible, making it hard to tell what’s what.

Sennheiser, maker of high-end personal and professional audio equipment, passed its RS 170 wireless headphones through the FCC today.  These cans use RF to communicate with Sennheiser’s TR 170 transmitter.  The TR 170 connects to your AV equipment with RCA, but unfortunately there are no optical or coax options.  Volume, bass and surround sound are controlled with buttons on the side of the RS 170 headphones.

The best part of the RS 170s is the padding.  Judging from the FCC pics, this device looks well padded and very comfy.  You can also conveniently charge the RS 170s by placing them on top of the base station.

Another benefit is that you can connect the RS 170 base station to other Sennhesier wireless products, like the MX W1 buds pictured below.  However, I’d prefer that the base station use Bluetooth so you could pair it with non-Sennheiser equipment as well.

There’s not a lot to go on here, but Fujitsu passed a GSM mobile phone called the F-03B through the FCC today.  The FCC application only contains label pics, so we don’t know what this device looks like.

Attestation Statements reveal that this device does have RFID capabilities, which suggests this device may be destined for the industrial market.  But, according to the Attestation Statements, this functionality will be disabled for versions of this phone sold in the US.

SMART Technologies makes a bunch of innovative input devices, like interactive whiteboards and TV screens.  Today, they passed a wireless graphics tablet, called the WS200, through the FCC.

This device uses Bluetooth, giving you 30 feet of freedom to do all the computer drawing you want.  The WS200 can charge via USB – convenient for overnight charging.  No info on pricing or availability yet.

Just a couple of days ago we posted about Motorola’s MBP30 video baby monitor.  Today, Motorola passed another baby monitor, called the MBP10, through the FCC.  This one is a more basic audio-only model that you can attach to your belt while you walk around the house.

B&O makes pretty devices.  Expensive, but pretty.  The BeoCom 5 is no exception.  With a tapered design, large display and click wheel, this ain’t your normal cordless phone.  The BeoCom 5 doesn’t have a ton of fancy features, but it will sure look nice in your living room.

A couple of decades ago, grocery store clerks had to use a pricing gun to put a price sticker on every single product.  Next, barcode scanners became ubiquitous, enabling retailers to put a single price label on the shelf below each product and just scan the item at checkout.  What’s next?  LCD price labels that can be controlled wirelessly, allowing retailers to instantly change the price of items throughout the store.

That’s what Altierre is aiming for with its Electronic Shelf Labels.  These little LCD devices sit below items like a normal price label, but they can be controlled remotely via computer or handheld device, like the Windows Mobile screen picture below.  It’s a brilliant idea that has a ton of benefits.

For example, late at night supermarkets could bump up their prices to mitigate the cost of running a store at night.  Workers would no longer have to individually change the prices of items when they go on sale, and a whole new version of “blue light specials” could be introduced.

There’s a lot to like here for retailers, and I’m guessing that over the next decade a growing number of markets will switch to this technology.