Category: Voice & Music’

If you’re a regular visitor to the CSR blog you’ll notice that we’ve made some changes in the last 24 hours. We have a new logo, new tagline and new artwork to better reflect what CSR represents in today’s market.

Over the last five years CSR has embarked on a journey to evolve from a runaway Bluetooth® start-up success, to a more diversified platform company with world beating IP and products in several markets. And what a journey it’s been. We’ve invested in development of technologies like Wi-Fi® and Audio, merged with SiRF® and Zoran®, added aptX®, DDFA® and MAPX™ to our company and divested our handset connectivity and location business to Samsung.

The company is unrecognisable to what it looked like when we started. Yes, changing the company hasn’t always been easy, and many outsiders have openlyquestioned our ability to deliver the transformation. However, for me it was always clear that we would be able to achieve our goals.

The reason for my confidence is simple: our history at CSR is filled with examples of re-imagining what is possible, of being stubbornly inventive, of asking ‘when’ not ‘if’. We never settle, we keep pushing and we know that ‘impossible’ is just a word.

We are in the right markets, we have the right technology, we have leading market share and we have ambitious product ideas. Our new brand reflects all of this plus the tenacity of our people and their ability to push every boundary, which is at the heart of everything we do.

I am truly excited about our new brand as I feel it communicates an essential part of our culture that has made us successful in the past and will help us deliver against the opportunity in front of us. It would be great to hear your thoughts on the new brand – from the values behind it to the artwork itself. We look forward to hearing your feedback and taking you on the next stage of our journey with us.

By Joep van Beurden, CEO of CSR

Earlier this week the Daily Mail reviewed the latest SmallPod speakers by Scandyna. There’s no denying that they have eye-catching qualities, but however good they look, wireless speakers need the audio quality to match.

In the past, many higher-end audio companies were reluctant to dabble in Bluetooth stereo because of the perceived ‘so-so’ sound quality. They didn’t want to damage their audiophile reputations by producing products that could deliver poor listening experiences for end-users. However the Scandnya speakers are a great example of how more and more high-end audio companies are dipping their toes into wireless audio. So what has changed?

CSR’s audio codec aptX is the key. In order to fit within the Bluetooth ‘pipe’ and be transmitted wirelessly, audio needs to use a bit rate reduction technique. aptX audio technology uses a non-destructive solution to ensure the audio is transmitted over Bluetooth’s available bandwidth. It replicates the entire frequency of the audio, maintaining CD-quality audio over the Bluetooth connection and ensuring that users can hear everything as the artist originally intended.

In addition to this, smartphone manufacturers haven’t prioritised wireless audio quality historically and therefore haven’t invested in high-quality audio codecs. This has meant that even if peripheral devices, such as headphones and speakers, did contain them they would not be compatible with the smartphones streaming the audio. However, this is changing, as smartphones including Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and a whole host of other recent releases now include aptX.

This means that tech-savvy consumers can now expect to be able to stream their music wirelessly from smartphones and other mobile devices while still being able to tweet, message friends and talk on the phone. They can lift their speakers from the kitchen to the garden when they have friends over for a barbecue and they can do all this without compromising on audio quality.

So, along with Scandya’s SmallPod speakers, which other high-end devices can consumers get their hands on to enjoy a high-quality wireless audio experience? Here’s our pick of some of the best new aptX enabled wireless audio solutions on the market:

• Jarre Technologies AeroSkull
Another design that is sure to turn people’s heads! The AeroSkull features two 15 Watt speakers hidden behind sunglasses with an impressive 40 Watt Sub Woofer covering the whole of the back of the skull

• Beats Pill by Dr. Dre
The Pill is the latest speaker system to emerge from Beats. With wireless audio, tap-to-pair NFC functionality and an 8-hour battery life – it’s just what the Dr. ordered

• Harman Kardon BT headphones
As over-ear cans go, you could do much worse than the wireless BTs. Harmon Kardon have all bases covered, even including a built-in microphone and playback buttons for use with your smartphone

• Braven Six Series Speakers
Although it appears to be recycled from the 2012 Olympic torch, the Braven 650 takes gold for having a 20-hour playtime and wireless capability from up to 33 feet away

Braven 650 aptX enabled speakers

• Monster Clarity HD Micro
You’ll be surprised by the monstrous sound that comes out of this miniature speaker. The Micro even has voice functionality letting users pause, skip, and answer calls while listening, all wirelessly and with great audio quality

• Logitech UE 900
Should you ever need to spend some quality time with your music, the wireless UE 9000 offers intuitive controls so you can change tracks, turn up the volume, or take a call and get back to the music without missing a beat

This year’s Bluetooth World event – the highly successful reboot of the Bluetooth SIG’s venerable All Hands Meeting – evidenced the return to “booming” market growth for all things Bluetooth fueled by the much-anticipated arrival of a slew of both Bluetooth Smart enabled “Appcessories” and Bluetooth Smart Ready devices. CSR and other Bluetooth Smart providers, developers, and brands showcased an impressive array of Bluetooth Smart and classic Bluetooth technology. A number of medical device manufacturers displayed a bevy of health and fitness devices, including heart-rate monitors, glucose meters, and blood-pressure monitors, to name a few.

Not surprisingly, Internet of Things (IoT) permeated the agenda of the event’s conference proceedings and was the central theme of both the opening keynote and the closing speech  Several panel sessions were devoted entirely to IoT with attendees animatedly asking panelists and speakers the kind of questions only those developing products and platforms for IoT would field. Consequently, the atmosphere in the main auditorium was absolutely electric given that IoT is expected to be one of the major drivers of the market growth – some indeed predict “hockey-stick” growth – of Bluetooth 4.0.

But the real star of Bluetooth World 2013 – this year held in Shanghai, China – was undoubtedly Bluetooth Smart itself, the “low energy” iteration of Bluetooth wireless connectivity standard. CSR staff were there to show and tell a buzzing crowd about an exciting array of CSR µEnergy® based Bluetooth Smart devices: the biggest draw for many of the 640 plus attendees was the demonstration of a µEnergy based “airmouse” smart remote control with embedded voice recognition. Also on show on the busy CSR booth was the new Dexin Bluetooth Smart mini keyboard and mouse for the Surface by Microsoft, a Windows 8 tablet. CSR also put the µEnergy based MadCatz GameSmart gaming mouse through its paces, and CSR’s Patrick Cullen wowed visiting audio engineers with a demo of CSR aptX Low Latency enabled Bluetooth Stereo gaming speakers.

As CSR’s David James observed: “…the combination of competitors, prospects, technologists and potential development partners all with burning questions about the latest ways to use Bluetooth Smart is a reminder that we are collectively building something more than the next new widget: we are changing the way the world connects and improving our lives with wireless connectivity.” CSR will be back at Bluetooth World in 2014.

Cambridge-based BlueCreation has introduced a certified dual-mode Bluetooth® 4.0 audio module together with a development kit for rapid prototyping for products for the fast-growing wireless audio accessory markets. In addition, BlueCreation offers a customization service to OEMs to help bring “classic” Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart Ready products to market in a matter of weeks.

Based on the CSR8670 audio platform and measuring just 11.8mm x 18mm, the BC127 (pictured) sports a complete set of profiles (HFP 1.6, etc), codecs (SBC, MP3, AAC and aptX®) and connectivity to iOS® and Android® apps using a simple control and configuration interface. BlueCreation says that the BC127 offers the capability to stream high-quality audio over a distance of 20m; the module supports user-defined sampling rates and differential analogue output with an integrated DAC offering 96dB SNR and -87dB stereo separation.

With CES now over for another year, we’ve had some time to look back at what the most interesting trends were to come out of the show.

In the above video, Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President, Business Group, offers his opinions as to what the sheer amount of consumers wandering around with powerful portable devices means for the future of consumer electronics, as well as for CSR.

CES 2013 is playing host to a wealth of gadgets that include Bluetooth connectivity, and we have noticed many more to take advantage of the exciting new Bluetooth standard, Bluetooth Smart. In the latest of our video blog series detailing our presence at CES 2013, Paul WIlliamson, Director µEnergy®, explains the difference between the new standard and traditional Bluetooth, and also talks through the multitude of Bluetooth Smart demos CSR has on display at the show.

You can find the CSR at booth MP25179 (LVCC South Hall 1/2 Ground Level). View a map here.

CES 2013 is well and truly underway, and CSR is especially excited to be part of the whirlwind of technological innovation by demonstrating its latest solutions in a number of products at our booth. In the above video, Chris Havell, Director of Audio Marketing, gives some insight into the demos he is most excited about showing attendees and also offers his expert opinion on what he thinks will be the most important developments in consumer audio in 2013.

Are you currently navigating the maze that is CES 2013? If so, you can find CSR at booth MP25179 (LVCC South Hall 1/2 Ground Level). View a map here.

In the second of our series of videos detailing CSR’s presence at CES 2013, Joep van Beurden, CSR CEO, offers his opinion on the products and developments that he is most excited about experiencing at this year’s show.

You can find CSR at booth MP25179 (LVCC South Hall 1/2 Ground Level). View a map here.

CSR is making its annual voyage to Las Vegas next week for CES 2013, and we’re looking forward to showing off our latest innovations in consumer technology.

In the first of a series of videos exploring the breadth of CSR’s presence at CES, Joep van Beurden, CEO of CSR, gives an overview of what visitors can expect to see at CSR’s booth.

You can find CSR at booth MP25179 (LVCC South Hall 1/2 Ground Level). View a map here.

There are smartphones, and then there are Samsung flagship smartphones. The South Korean electronics and IT powerhouse that is Samsung Electronics recently announced that shipments of its latest Android 4.0 powered flagship model have surpassed 10 million units in just two months. According to Samsung, sales of this globally popular model could eventually top 40 million, which would make it the all-time best-selling smartphone for the company. (Just to put these figures in perspective, if this smartphone was an album, it would surely be on track to out-sell 21, English chanteuse Adele‘s record-breaking collection of Grammy Award winning songs, and a sure bet to out-sell global sales of Fleetwood Mac‘s evergreen Rumours).

Much is said about the vital statistics of this particular flagship model: a generous 4.8-inch screen with 720p HD resolution, with an 8-megapixel camera and 1.9-megapixel front camera to boot. And its lightweight and svelte, weighing in at 4.7 ounces and measuring 8.6 millimeters thin. But this model also packs a special treat for the ears that many beady-eyed gadget reviewers have overlooked in their haste to post their glowing critiques. That sonic treat is CSR’s aptX® *

Already installed in a fast-growing ecosystem of top-notch Bluetooth headphones, hot speaker docks, and Bluetooth adapters for in-car and home-based audio sytems, aptX® audio coding technology super-charges the fidelity of stereo audio when streamed over a Bluetooth wireless connection. So next time you use aptX® enabled Bluetooth headphones to enjoy the plaintive voice of Stevie Nicks streaming from your new Android powered Samsung smartphone, listen up to the positive difference aptX makes.

* CSR aptX audio coding technology replaces the standard audio codec Bluetooth employs for streaming stereo audio wirelessly from audio devices to headphones and speakers, delivering improved, high-fidelity sound comparable to the CD quality consumers have come to expect from their home entertainment systems.  As a result, aptX technology is becoming the de facto industry standard for premium quality Bluetooth stereo audio.