When the Jawbone ERA arrived at my doorstep, it caught me completely off guard: I completely forgot it was heading my way for a review. But after spending some time with it, I can assure you, I will not forget the ERA anytime soon. I’ve never really saw myself as one to use a Bluetooth ear piece, because I was always under the impression that they were uncomfortable and clumsy. Is this the case with the Jawbone ERA?

Video

Specs

AUDIO

• NoiseAssassin® 3.0 with wind reduction
• 10mm wideband speaker (HD audio)
• Automatic volume control
• Voice announcements

TECHNOLOGY

• Built-in accelerometer (motion sensor)
• MotionX™ technology
• Dual micro-processors
• Serial flash

POWER AND BATTERY

• Up to 5.5 hours talk time
• Up to 10 days standby time
• Built-in rechargeable Li-ion polymer battery
• Jawbone battery meter automatically displays on smartphone
• On/Off Switch
• Micro USB connector interface (charging and MyTALK)

SIZE AND WEIGHT

• Length: 2.02 inches (51.3 mm)
• Width: 0.57 inches (14.5 mm)
• Height: 0.95 inches (24.1 mm)
• Weight: 10.2 grams

BLUETOOTH

• Bluetooth V2.1 compliant
• Range up to 33 ft (10 m)
• Support Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)
• Profiles Supported: Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) 1.2, Hands-Free Profile (HFP) 1.5, Headset Profile (HSP) 1.1
• Supports Simultaneous Multipoint (two live audio connections)

Setup and Software

The initial setup was quick and easy. I had the Bluetooth active and the ERA paired and connected within a couple of minutes. On the other hand, getting the MyTalk battery meter app up-and-running was a little more time consuming. At first, I expected to just install the app and be over with it. This was not the case, because I had to use a computer to get the whole system set up. It was not difficult, though, the only snag being the fact that it’s not compatible with Windows 8, so I had to switch over to my Windows 7 laptop to get it running. Otherwise the process was simple and painless, and well worth it. Once the setup is complete, you can tweak the device’s voice and settings to your liking.

Hardware and Battery

The Jawbone ERA is a sleek looking device. Its black rippled design looks like it hugs the side of the face, and this is what it does. It comes with eight different ear pieces to get the perfect fit with your device. Four of them work with an earloop, and four of them just fit snugly in your ear. The ERA is made of plastic, but the device has a solid feel to it. Some of the earbuds are pretty difficult to get on, but I didn’t feel like I was going to damage it at all. The ERA package also came with an USB/outlet charger and a fancy carrying case. It’s always nice to have the option to charge through a USB port, for the times you don’t have immediate access to a power outlet but you do have access to an USB port. The battery life on the device was great — it had no problems lasting the full five hours of talk time advertised.

Sound Quality

The most important part of any Bluetooth handsfree is the sound, and let me assure that the ERA’s sound quality is excellent. I tried out the headset in a few different scenarios, and the ERA’s sound quality is top-notch in almost all situations. During phone conversations, it actually sounded crisper and clearer than my Rezound’s ear piece, which came as a pleasant surprise. When I was playing games (action-heavy or simple puzzle games), it sounded great, as well. For music, on the other hand, the ERA was just good — I could hear the whole range of acoustics, but the bass just wasn’t there. While I would not replace my iBeats for listening to music in general, I would replace them with the ERA in the situations when discretion is called for when listening to music.

Verdict

In short, the Jawbone ERA surpassed all my expectations. The ERA’s robust hardware and software features were more then I ever expected from it. Although I would’ve liked a little more simplicity when pairing the app with the head piece, the extra steps were not difficult by any means. Overall, I really loved the ERA, and it gave me a whole new level of functionality when paired with my Rezound.

Emulators, oh emulators, where would we be without you. The N64 heralded a new generation of awesome multiplayer gaming with games like GoldenEye, Mortal Kombat, MarioKart, and more. If you’re craving a chance to relive the glory days of late 90′s gaming – then you’re probably asking yourself – how are we all going to interact with my Android device? Well, thankfully, a savvy developer, Yongzh, has updated N64oid to have multiple bluetooth controller support.

Most recently, we created a comprehensive guide on how to play N64 and PSX games on your Android tablet and/or phone. The developer behind N64oid, Yongzh, had his app pulled from the Android Market for violating certain policies, but that didn’t stop him from further developing it further.

The most recent iteration of N64oid is by far the most game changing – it will offer support for multiple Bluetooth controllers, and all at the same time. Goldeneye, MarioKart, and much, much more, folks. Mobile magic!

To get things working, all you need to do is set up your controllers with Bluez IME, add them to N64oid, and from there, configure key mappings, and you’re ready to rock and roll.Combine this with full HDMI mirroring and you’re no longer limited to being hunched over your 3.7-4.5 inch of display, but can check it all out on the big screen. And yes – they’re playing it on a Samsung Galaxy S II, folks.

Any thoughts?

Download N64oid here

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You’ll find MotoSpeak freely available in the Android Market.

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[via Engadget]

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I guess we can factor in that the Samsung Behold also offers 5-megapixel camera along with music playback and micro-SD support but in all honesty, this doesn’t really tell us that much that we were not expecting. However, any information is good information so we thank Sungyoon Hong for listing the information and wait patiently for more.

[Editor's note: "access to Google services" does not imply Android to me.  There are literally a hundred devices on the market that provide access to Google services, and some quite prominently.  And only a very few run Android.]

NEXT: Broadcom’s combo WiFi/Bluetooth/FM chipset driver now part of Android OS

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Current Android mobile phones, like the G1, feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but use distinct components for each. With the latest Broadcom ‘combo-chip’, coupled with the new software drivers, developers and users alike will benefit from the improvements, including decreased power consumption and simplified integration of these connectivity technologies.

Broadcom claims to be the first chipmaker to successfully combine Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and FM technologies on a single chip.

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For those of you that are unfamiliar with Redfly, Redfly is a small netbook looking device that links with a smartphone, via bluetooth or USB, and allows the user to make use of  the phone’s OS with the Redfly’s keyboard and cursor.  The resolution on most phones is also upped to fit the Redfly’s screen.

What’s most intriguing about Redfly’s proof of concept with Android is that they were able to get Android to display at 800 x 480 pixels.  As the video demonstrates, this allows for much larger visual experience.  The Android web browser in the demo looked incredibly smooth, and once Android receives its Flash player, this may be a solid option for mobile professionals.

Take a look at the video after the break!

[via Engadget]

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The full text of the press release follows:

Texas Instruments further expands support for the Open Handset Alliance and open source community

TI’s Bluetooth® and wireless LAN technologies available in open source enable customers and developers to create complete, innovative Android-based devices

DALLAS AND SAN DIEGO, CALIF. (Oct. 22, 2008) – Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) today announced that its Bluetooth® and wireless LAN (WLAN) technology software drivers are available for use in the Open Handset Alliance’s Android platform. Open access to these technologies simplifies the design process for handset manufacturers and software developers, providing the resources to architect cutting-edge Android-based devices. TI, a long-time supporter of the open source software community, is the first company to provide open source Bluetooth and WLAN software drivers for the Android platform, and is among the first to open WLAN drivers for the mobile industry.

“TI continues to increase its contributions to the open source community, removing barriers and sparking development of a new breed of mobile devices,” said Haviv Ilan, general manager, TI’s Wireless Business Unit. “Contributing our Bluetooth and WLAN driver source codes to the Open Handset Alliance’s Android platform is another step in this initiative.”

TI announced support for the Android platform earlier this year with its OMAP™ 3 applications processors, and is now providing the critical connectivity elements for its BlueLink™ Bluetooth and WiLink™ WLAN technologies. Pre-integrating the codes into the Android platform gives developers and handset manufacturers a comprehensive set of tools that simplify the innovation process and reduce time to market. Additionally, TI leverages the Apache and BSD-style licenses in support of the Android platform. With these licenses, a broader number of companies will be able to adopt the Android platform and build on top of it without having to expose proprietary technologies. The flexibility offered with these licenses simplifies the development of consumer devices and encourages further adoption of open source software.

Solid history of supporting open source communities
TI remains committed to supporting open platforms and standards. The company joined the Open Handset Alliance as a founding member in 2007, supporting Android development with its OMAP™, Bluetooth and WLAN technologies. In addition to the Open Handset Alliance, TI participates in a number of consortiums that further promote open source development, including the BlueZ community that provides support for the core Bluetooth layers and protocols.

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It has been a busy couple of days on the Android front. Latest news is that a new version of the Android SDK has been made available. The new version of the SDK promises a new home screen and “many” UI tweaks as well as new task management.

Also new is the requirement for .APK files to be signed or else the OS will reject them at install time. Local, self-signed apps are acceptable, though, so this change shouldn’t prove to be too much of a burden for developers.

A video and more information are available after the break.

The Android dev team also notes that the full Bluetooth API and the full GTalkService API will be missing from the 1.0 release of the Android SDK. This could mess with some existing applications already in development, to be sure.

On the bright side, the SDK now includes the Music and Messaging applications, the Media Player has received a number of bug fixes, and the emulator’s performance has been improved. More details are available in the release notes for the SDK.

The guys over at Engadget have posted a video of the SDK’s emulator in action, so you can see for yourself what the new UI looks like.

[via HelloAndroid]

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