Parrot debuts Bluetooth photo frame, speakerphone
updated 01:30 pm EST, Sat January 6, 2007
New Parrot products at CES
To coincide with CES, Parrot has announced two new products: the Photo Viewer 7, and the Conference speakerphone. The Photo Viewer is a new, seven-inch LCD picture frame, an upgrade to their 3.5-inch model released in 2006. Images are displayed at 720x480 with 262,144 colors, and stored in 128MB of internal memory, which Parrot claims can hold over 500 JPEG images versus their earlier frame's 120. The main catch to the device is that photos must be transferred via Bluetooth, as there are no card slots or USB ports. The Photo Viewer 7 will be available in Q2 2007 for $249.
The Conference uses Bluetooth as well, but is not dependent on it. Instead users can transfer up to 6,000 contacts to the phone via any Bluetooth device, such as a PDA, a laptop, or a cellphone. The Conference also has integrated Skype support for VoIP calls, and can pair with as many as 50 Bluetooth units at the same time. Three microphones ensure a 360-degree coverage area and have reduced echo thanks to Parrot's onboard DSP technology. When the Conference ships in Q2 2007, the base price of the product will be $299; adding a USB dongle will raise the price to $339 however, and including the Phone Base will bring the tally to $489.
