Plugging in portable music players or phones into audio systems is a thing of the past. ET checks out nine gadgets that stream music over Bluetooth for a wire-free and hassle-free music experience.

Nokia Play 360 (Rs 9,350)

This funky-looking, aluminium-clad compact wireless speaker from Nokia integrates NFC (for quick pairing with compatible phones – just tap the two together to pair) while the audio itself is streamed over Bluetooth. It’s called the ’360′ because it provides omni directional sound and can be paired with another Play 360 speaker to create a stereo effect. Inside is a rechargeable liion battery and a bass reflex chamber to provide rich and deep bass output.

JBL Onbeat Xtreme (Rs 24,990)

This futuristic looking system from JBL is a multifunction speaker. It includes Bluetooth connectivity, 3.5mm input and support for voice calls with a built in microphone. The iOS dock supports iPhone/iPod Touch andiPad - the devices are charged while docked and the dock itself can be rotated to position the device horizontally or vertically for optimum viewing.

Inside are dual woofers and two tweeters arranged in a weave design that allows for high-quality output with excellent bass. A composite video out port allows the speaker to be connected to a display – video from a docked iOS device can then be played on a larger screen. It even comes with an RF remote control for various functions, At 4Kg it is not exactly portable, but is easy to carry from room to room or to a friends place. It does not come with a built in battery.

Logitech Mini Boombox (Rs 6,999)

This tiny wireless Bluetooth speaker from Logitech features a specially designed acoustic chamber for sound that belies the size. It connects with phones and tablets seamlessly using Bluetooth and even supports voice calls (with a built in microphone).

On top is a backlit, touch sensitive control panel for volume, power and call controls. The 3.5mm input at the back allows connectivity with devices that do not have Bluetooth while the built in rechargeable battery is good for about 10 hours of music with a full charge. It charges using USB.

iHome iA100 (Rs 24,990)

Ideal for bedside use, iHome’s iA100 combines Bluetooth, an iOS dock, alarm clock and FM radio in a sleek and sturdy design. It delivers 20Watts RMS via four speakers which can be tuned using onboard equalizers. It also has a built-in microphone with echo cancellation for voice calling over Bluetooth.

 

Needless to say, connected iOS devices (even the iPad) are automatically charged when docked. The device weighs a mere 1.45kg, has auxin connectivity and features dualalarms. However, the price is a bit steep, considering the competion from JBL & Bose.

Creative D80 (Rs 2,699)

This affordable single-piece Bluetooth speaker from Creative has a minimalist design and comes in various colours. Inside are dual 3-inch full range drivers which produce sound good enough for a medium size room. It doesn’t do Earth-shattering bass, but it makes up for that with remarkable clarity.

Pairing over Bluetooth is simple and a 3.5mm aux-in port is also present for connection with non-Bluetooth devices (like a PC). Note that it does not have a built-in battery – it has to be plugged in to a wall socket for power.

Bose SoundLink (Rs 19,013)

This compact battery-powered speaker from Bose uses proprietary technologies to provide unbelievable deep bass and fantastic clarity. It comes with a built-in dust cover which also doubles up as a stand. It can stream music over Bluetooth and also has a 3.5mm input to connect other devices. The li-ion battery is good for close to eight hours of music at mid volume levels.

Ads by Google

• Hult Int. Business SchoolTop ranked MBA programs, with global rotation programs.www.hult.edu/MBA
• Bose Bluetooth HeadsetFor Clear and Natural conversations everywhere. Shop Now!www.boseindia.com

ACCESSORIES

Logitech Wireless Adapter

This compact adapter connects to your existing audio system using 3.5mm or RCA jacks. Just plug in the power and connect to it using Bluetooth from your phone or tablet to stream music wirelessly to your speakers. Rs 3,999

Belkin BT Music Receiver

Quite like the Logitech, Belkin’s Bluetooth music receiver essentially adds Bluetooth capabilities to your existing home audio system using either a 3.5mm or RCA cable. Connect it with a smartphone, tablet or MP3 player using Bluetooth (it can remember up to 6 paired devices) and enjoy streaming music on your speakers. Rs 1,999

Nokia BH-214 Bluetooth headset

Nokia calls it a Bluetooth headset, but the Nokia BH-214 can also double up as a Bluetooth music receiver. It has a 3.5mm jack that can be used to connect with any speaker. Pair it with any Bluetooth audio device for music streaming and it will output the audio to the connected speaker or headphone. Rs 1,000

No. 5: DeLorean time machine – “Back to the Future” (1985)
Time machines are cool — no doubt about it. That one from 1960′s “The Time Machine” was certainly a sight to behold, but it had nothing on Doc Brown’s modified DeLorean from “Back to the Future.” And once it hit 88 mph, you saw some serious … well, you know.
Why is a time machine cool? Why isn’t it cool? Who hasn’t wanted to go back in time and tell an earlier version of yourself which horse to bet on, or that the particular girl you’re thinking of asking out is best avoided?
The core of the stylish, stainless steel time machine’s functionality was the Flux Capacitor, and Doc later pimped it out with a Mr. Fusion (no longer needing plutonium fuel) and a hover package.
If you wanted to go faster than 88 miles per hour, you’d find something cool in a galaxy far, far away …

No. 4: Speeder Bike – “Return of the Jedi” (1983)
Used by Imperial patrols on the Forest Moon of Endor, these bikes were cool to zip around, terrorizing the little indigenous teddy bears. They also came equipped with a blaster and a comms jammer.
The only problem was if some wise guy with a lightsaber cut the steering vane off your speeder, you were likely to spin wildly out of control and crash into a tree.
The bikes were great in the Star Wars universe, but would you want one here on Earth? You better believe it. You could zip in and out of rush hour traffic like you were the only one on the road. It wouldn’t be practical for going to the grocery store (your groceries would fly off the back), but it would be an awesome ride.
Some of the best gadgets had minds of their own, and even managed to be spunky little things …

No. 3: Johnny 5 – “Short Circuit” (1986)
Sure, when we think of movie robots our minds naturally conjure images of R2-D2, C-3PO, and the T-101 Terminator.
But in the ’80s, one robot took the automaton to a new, fun level — of course that robot was none other than Johnny 5 from “Short Circuit”. Johnny’s given name is SAINT 5 (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport) and Johnny 5 was the fifth (hence the “5″) in a line of sentient combat robots made by the Nova Corporation.
He took on the name “Johnny” after hearing the delightful DeBarge song “Who’s Johnny?” Johnny decides war isn’t his thing, so he runs away and pals up with Ally Sheedy and Steve Gutenberg (remember them?) and wacky hijinx ensue.
A lot of the gadgets we loved are, basically, some sort of tool. Johnny was a tool for one function — war. But there was even a more famous electronic tool in 1980s cinema …

No. 2: Proton Pack – “Ghostbusters” (1984)
The Proton Pack is a man-portable particle accelerator that creates a charged particle beam and is used to weaken ghosts until they can be trapped and taken back to Ghostbusters HQ.
Why did we want it? Well, the proton pack is great for not only apprehending rogue ghosts, but also shooting up swanky hotels. And, in the event there’s a super-phantasm bent on destroying the world — and you happen to be with a buddy who also has a proton pack — all you need to do is cross the streams.
Plus, when you switched it on, it was the coolest sounding gadget ever.
We’ve taken the term “gadget” to mean electronic devices. But sometimes, the best “gadgets” were the product of our electronics …

No. 1:Lisa – ” (1985)
For teenagers Gary and Wyatt, all it took to conjure the perfect woman were magazine cutouts, a Barbie doll and a hacked defense department computer system.
Of course, the perfect woman — Lisa — turned out to be Kelly LeBrock, and we can’t really argue with that. The guys also programmed her with the intelligence of Einstein and the fashion sense of David Lee Roth (remember, it was 1985).
While the little maniacs Wyatt and Gary didn’t use her for any of the things you’d expect from hormonally charged teenagers — save for showering with her while still partially dressed — she did teach them important life lessons (i.e., how to stand up to a gang of angry, scary, mutant bikers; and get the girls of their dreams).
And really, isn’t that better than any time machine, killer robot, nuclear backpack or speeder bike?

The CS6 creative suite apps are designed to cater to different individuals. Users have the option to buy these apps individually or as a part of 4 different suites namely Design Standard, Design & Web Premium, Production Premium and Master Collection. Pricing for the suites vary from Rs. 77,786 for the Design Standard suite up to 1,55,571 for the Master Collection suite.

While individual apps like Photoshop have a revamped user interface with newly added features, InDesign’s new layout system allows you to layout content for various devices, screen sizes, orientations in no time. And for the first time it also offers multi-language support in 10 Indian languages.

Apart from this, the company also announced May 11th as the launch date of its Creative Cloud platform, the digital hub that allows you to download and install every CS6 application.

The report also claims that Flextronics created a new testing team that was functioning away from the main company. Their job was to perform software, hardware as well as marketing tests for the next Xbox. Post testing, they started manufacturing the consoles.

“Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend its lifecycle like introducing the world to controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention. Beyond that we do not comment on rumours or speculation,” Microsoft told IGN.

Reports further suggest that even if these Flextronics made machines do release, they are more likely to cater to game designers and developers and may not be available for end-users to play games on. Microsoft  has made it clear that it will not reveal ‘Durango’ at E3 in June this year.

Microsoft recently announced the release of the $99 Xbox console bundle for primarily streaming and downloading content, available at a subsidised cost of $15 per month.

Taskrabbit
It sounds like an unlikely concept – people letting Internet-sourced strangers rent out their spare bedrooms and park in their garages, or relying on them to run errands and perform simple chores. But several fast-rising start-ups are built on the idea that a new economy is being forged around “collaborative consumption,” where people share resources they already possess, like extra square footage or time, in exchange for a fee. TaskRabbit, a service that lets people find “rabbits” to perform tasks and run errands, is one rising star in this field. Airbnb, which lets people rent out extra bedrooms or entire houses, is already looking like a juggernaut and may give a lift to its peers. Other potential contenders in this category: Skillshare, which lets people teach workshops, and Getaround, for renting cars.

Uber
There are lots of taxis in New York City, but outside Manhattan, grabbing one can be hit or miss – mostly miss. Uber, a start-up that pairs off-duty private car drivers with stranded passengers, aims to fill this need. The company gives participating drivers iPhones and software that manages passenger pickup requests. Using Uber’s smartphone application, users can alert nearby drivers that they need a ride, then monitor their driver’s progress on a map. “It’s almost like giving people a super power: Press a button and a black car arrives in two minutes,” said Shervin Pishevar, an Uber investor at Menlo Ventures. Uber started in San Francisco but has since spread to eight other cities, including Los Angeles and Boston. The start-up has raised $45 million from a slate of well-known investors, including Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive.

Quora
This question-and-answer Web site is everything Ask Jeeves never was. Questions range from the silly (“Would Ferris Bueller really have been able to hack into his school’s computer system?” ) to the serious (“What does it feel like to have your spouse die?”). It is not unusual to stumble upon answers from big names. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is on Quora, as are Ashton Kutcher and Mark Zuckerberg. Quora was founded by Adam D’Angelo and Charlie Cheever, two of Mr. Zuckerberg’s early employees at Facebook, who kept that site from crashing under the weight of hundreds of millions of users. The two now face a more intricate challenge: Helping Quora to grow without sacrificing its smarts and simplicity. Investors are optimistic: The company, which has already raised $11 million from top-tier venture capitalists, is now said to be raising more cash at a $400 million valuation.

Pinterest
Two years after it hit the Web, Pinterest, a kind of virtual pinboard, is already the third-most popular social media site, after Facebook and Twitter. Users can “pin” images they find around the Web – of a wedding dress, say, or a tasty-looking dish – so that the images appear on their Pinterest pages. Other users can then click to visit the source of the image. Pinterest still has a business model to figure out, but investors are intrigued by the site’s demographics; women, who are big online shoppers, account for 85 percent of its traffic. Pinterest is on the verge of raising cash in a deal that would value it at more than $1 billion, according to people close to the company. Bill Nguyen, founder of Color Labs, which makes an app for sharing photos and video, noted that Pinterest was building a network of people organized by shared interests, rather than social connections. “That’s originally what we were trying to build, and it’s very powerful,” he said. “They could be as valuable as any tech company.”

Path
When Path was first unveiled in 2010, people scoffed at the idea of a mobile social network that only let users share with a limited number of friends. But as Facebook and Twitter have swelled in size, the appeal of privacy and sharing with an intimate few has begun to look much more attractive – to users as well as venture capitalists. Dave Morin, Path’s chief executive, has said that more than 2 million people have signed up for the service, and this spring, Path raised $40 million from financiers, pushing the company’s value toward $250 million.

Square
This mobile payments company is barely three years old and already has tens of thousands of merchants swiping credit cards using its little white attachment for cellphones and tablets, instead of a cash register. Jack Dorsey, one of the founders of Square, was also one of the founders of Twitter. Square is on track to ring up $5 billion in payments this year, and its numbers have venture capitalists scrambling to get their wallets out. Less than a year after raising $100 million in financing, the company is said to be raising a $250 million round that could nudge its valuation as high as $4 billion.

Airtime
Not much is known about the latest venture from Sean Parker and Sean Fanning, co-founders of Napster, the infamous music-sharing service that shut down in 2001. The two men referred to their new company as a video-sharing site during an interview at South by Southwest, but the details are still under wraps. With the current funding frenzy around video-sharing apps like Viddy and SocialCam, it is clear that Silicon Valley sees video as the next frontier. Airtime has piqued the interest of Adam D’Angelo, one of the founders of Quora, who was an early investor in Instagram. “It could wind up being really, really intriguing,” he said.

Dropbox
This file-sharing service solved one of the biggest headaches of our time: How do you access files, photos and music across a myriad of devices? Instead of jamming up our e-mail in-boxes, Dropbox made it possible to store our digital clutter in the cloud. It was a simple proposition with huge growth prospects. Last year, the service had 50 million users, up threefold from the year before. Steve Jobs tried to acquire the start-up in 2009 and, when that failed, introduced Apple’s competing iCloud storage service. Google introduced its own take on the idea, Google Drive, just last month. For the time being, Dropbox, and its investors, seem confident that the start-up can go it alone. Last October, it raised $250 million in a fresh round of funding that valued the company at $4 billion – or four Instagrams.

Pinwheel
At first glance, Pinwheel, a service that lets you leave virtual notes that are tied to particular spots on the globe, like the best place to watch a sunset, may not seem like a sure bet. It’s not clear yet whether the service, which is still in invitation-only testing mode, will spark excitement beyond the crop of early adopters who are using it. But the founder of the service, Caterina Fake, has a compelling track record. She was a founder of Flickr, which was purchased by Yahoo in 2005, and one of the founders of Hunch, a recommendation service, which eBay bought for $80 million last year. Adding to the heat around her latest company: A crop of newly minted competitors, including Wallit and Dabble.

“Government is aware that several calls and SMSs are being sent from private numbers i.e. by subscribers not registered as a telemarketer. 44,810 notices have been issued to unregistered telemarketers and 27,984 telephones have been disconnected till April 24, 2012 since inception of the regulation i.e. Sep 27, 2011,” Communications Minister Kapil Sibal said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

In order to provide relief to millions of mobile subscribers nagged by telemarketing companies, the government last year brought into force a regulation — The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010 — barring such communications.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), if pesky calls or messages are sent through individual numbers then notice will be served to the customers while the number will be disconnected on second violation.

The guidelines regulating commercial calls levy hefty penalties on offenders including fines ranging from Rs.25,000 to Rs.250,000 depending on the number of times the violation is detected. On sixth violation, the telemarketer’s connection is to be terminated and get blacklisted for two years.

All telemarketing firms are now easily identifiable as their phone numbers will hence forth begin with ’140′.

To avail the service, customers have to get registered with the National Customer Preference Registry, earlier known as the National Do Not Call registry, by dialling toll free number 1909. They can also send a SMS — ‘start 0′ — to the same number to get registered.

The pricing is expected to around Rs 17,000, as both the retailers have listed similar prices in the listings. As per the retailers, Xperia U is expected to ship sometime this week

Sony Mobile India had already announced the smartphone in the country along with Xperia S and Xperia P last month. It features a 1GHz dual core processor, 3.5-inch display with 854x480p resolution and 5MP camera.

Xperia U currently comes with Android 2.3 on-board, but company has already promised the Android 4.0 update for the smartphone.

Key Specifications

• 1GHz dual core processor
• 5MP rear camera, VGA front camera
• 8GB Internal storage with 4GB accessible to the user
• 512MB RAM
• 1320 mAh battery

Interestingly, his total estimated tax payout amounts to more than 85 percent of the total proceeds of about $1.045 billion Zuckerberg is expected to rake in from part sale of his own shares in Facebook — leaving him with a net cash proceeds of just about $142 million (about Rs 700 crore).

Facebook’s IPO is slated to hit the market later this year and could fetch in between $77-96 billion, depending on the investors’ appetite. The IPO roadshow, which would seek to attract investors for putting in their money in the social media behemoth, would begin tomorrow.

As per an analysis by US-based research firm, PrivCo, the 27-year old Zukerberg stands to pay as much as $714 million in national taxes and another $189 million as state taxes to California, while still pocketing $142 million.

“According to our calculations, Mark Zuckerberg will be paying an estimated $189 million payment to the State of California this year as a result of the Facebook IPO, expected to be completed this month,”

PrivCo Founder & CEO Sam Hamadeh said. PrivCo assumes total tax of 43 percent, a combination of maximum federal tax of 36 percent and the maximum California tax of 9.3 percent, less partial federal deductions for state taxes paid.”He will have to incur a combined state and federal tax rate of 43 percent on the $2.1 billion for a total tax payment of $903 million incurred at the IPO date,” PrivCo said in its report.

The agency added that the tax proceeds from Zuckerberg will help the State of California deal with budget deficits. “The funds are badly needed as California continues to suffer from budget deficits, and could not have come at a better time for the state,” Hamadeh said.

Zuckerberg, who holds a total of 533.8 million shares, would sell 30.2 million shares in the IPO, garnering about $1.05 billion in cash at the high end of the proposed price range of $28-35 for the sale of shares. The 30.2 million shares, PrivCo noted, would be used to finance the tax liability due at the time of the IPO. The remaining 504 million shares held by the young CEO after the IPO would be worth $17.6 billion, if Facebook hits the top of its IPO price range.

“More taxes will come due as more shares are sold beginning in December and well into 2013 after the traditional 180-day post-IPO ‘lock-up’ period expires and employees can sell even more shares, resulting in new capital gains taxes to California – and the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) – with each new stock sale,” Hamdeh noted.

“Our smartphone market share in India was 45 percent at the end of the first quarter of this year. We are looking at capturing 60 percent of the market this year” Country Head, Samsung Mobile and IT, Ranjit Yadav told PTI. The Smartphone market in India is set to grow from around eight million units in 2011 to around 18-19 million units in 2012, he said.

In the first four months of the current year, the company has announced the launch of 10 new mobile handsets. This includes its new dual-SIM smartphones like Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos, taking the basket to 19 in the price range between Rs. 7,830 and Rs. 38,290.

To consolidate its position in India, the company is planning a series of launches in the coming months. The third generation version of its successful “Galaxy S” series was recently launched in London. “India, one of the world’s largest mobile market, is indeed very important to us as it contributes substantial portion of our global sales. We see India as one of key growth markets 2012 going forward, especially in smartphone segment where we have observed overwhelming growth in last couple of quarters,” he said.

Yadav said company’s India strategy is to provide the best possible mobile devices to enrich customers’ mobile lifestyle. “Based on this strategy, we are focusing on maximizing our reach to Indian customers and fulfilling their needs through active customisation and localisation for the Indian market,” he said

Nearly a year and a half on, and with Nokia’s Lumia mobile phone range failing so far to revive sales, its position still looks frail. Its shares have lost 90 percent in five years and its debt is rated junk by two of the three major ratings agencies.

Might Microsoft Corp , Elop’s former employer and whose software Lumia is based on, have to step in to help Nokia out, seeing the Finnish company as a valuable point of entry into the cellphone market?

Analysts have attributed Nokia’s decline in large part to its late response to Apple Inc , whose iPhone redefined the smartphone market in 2007, and some see a marriage with Microsoft as possibly a last chance to turn the group around.

For Microsoft the relationship is important, because Nokia was its first major break into the smartphone market after a decade of heavy investment. During that period other cellphone makers either chose to use their own software – as did Apple – or favoured Google Inc’s Android.

“If Nokia ends up in financial difficulties I believe the helping hand would be there,” said Sami Sarkamies, an analyst at Nordea.

Nokia and Microsoft declined to comment.

More support
Microsoft is already paying Nokia $1 billion a year to use its software on Lumia smartphones. And investment bankers familiar with the technology sector said the support could extend well beyond that amount, if Nokia’s problems intensify.

“I don’t see Microsoft owning Nokia, but it would definitely provide financing to the tune of a couple of billion dollars,” said one veteran technology banker.

Any Microsoft support for Nokia would be more likely to take the form of an inter-company loan, or an equity stake, rather than a full takeover, a second banker said.

Even though Microsoft has nearly $60 billion of cash on its balance sheet, the company has traditionally steered clear of the hardware business, because it does not want to compete with the manufacturers that use its software.

Yet other priorities may override that consideration.

At the same time, some bankers said they thought Nokia, which has a market value of 9.3 billion euros, was an unlikely target for other cellphone manufacturers because of its deep integration with Microsoft.

“I don’t see it as a target for private equity either. It is still too expensive and too volatile,” said a third banker. “You would have to be prepared to catch a falling knife.”

With a full takeover of Nokia seeming unlikely, some bankers and analysts were equally sceptical about asset spin offs as a way for the company to raise some much-needed liquidity.

Other assets
Nokia is in talks to sell its British luxury subsidiary Vertu, which makes some of the world’s most expensive mobile phones, a source familiar with the company’s strategy told Reuters previously.

Yet Vertu is expected to generate only a few hundred million euros if it is sold to private equity firm Permira. And bankers said Goldman Sachs’ mandate to sell the business did not extend to any other Nokia assets.

“Banks are pitching ideas to them like they always do, but I’m not aware of any other mandates to sell Nokia businesses or any wider mandate to advise the company on options,” the first source said.

Nokia’s other assets that could be of interest to potential buyers include its intellectual property portfolio, which a fourth banker described as “the best in the industry”.

Yet Elop told the company’s shareholders’ meeting on May 3 he was not planning any wider patent sales. He also said he saw the location and mapping business, built on the $8.1 billion acquisition of U.S. firm Navteq, as a core asset the firm would aim to keep, despite some expectations it could be sold.

The fourth banker said Microsoft was likely to urge Nokia not to put its patents on the block in any case, because it would not want them to fall into the hands of Google.

The only other asset of any size that Nokia could potentially sell would be its half of Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN).

Yet its parent companies Nokia and Siemens tried to sell NSN last year to private equity, a process that collapsed over price, and there seems no obvious reason why they would be more successful now.

For Elop, there remain painful decisions to secure his legacy as head of what once ranked as one of Europe’s biggest technology success stories.

“Elop was not hired as a boss for a burning platform,” said John Strand, founder and CEO of Danish consultancy Strand Consult. “He put the platform on fire.”