Scottish hi-fi company Linn adopted a radically new approach for products it debuts, unveiled at a London briefing Tuesday. Its new Akurate Exaktbox corrects for room acoustics and speaker positioning, not just with all Linn speakers, but other brands of speakers as well, Linn said. For the London event, Linn’s demonstrators used a pair of B&W Nautilus speakers and Linn’s new compact Akudorik units. They acknowledged that they could not recall ever before demonstrating Linn hardware with a competitor’s product. The Akurate Exaktbox is software-configured, with a dropdown menu that lists all suitable speakers. The original analog crossover in the speaker is bypassed and the Akurate Exaktbox performs the crossover digitally and optimizes sound for the room. The speakers are run actively, with separate amplifiers for each drive unit. Linn claims this eliminates magnitude and phase distortion. The 24-bit/192 kHz signal is carried by Cat 5 cable, using a proprietary protocol -- Exakt Link -- rather than Ethernet. Ten channels of digital-to-analog conversion handle a stereo pair of speakers with five drivers each. Exaktbox has 13 inputs, including an RCA phono jack, such as for a turntable. Exakt Akudorik is a new compact speaker with the Exakt electronics housed in its floor-standing column. A pair costs nearly $29,000. The London demonstration showed Exakt to provide a clearly audible improvement in bass and imaging when the speakers were moved from the acoustically ideal but family-unfriendly position that is away from a room wall, to an acoustically un-ideal, but visually neater, position that is close to a wall.

The NFC Forum released a free white paper (http://bit.ly/1wLwwox) targeted to developers so they can give consumers “seamless access” to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi services using near-field communication (NFC), the group said Wednesday. The white paper describes the process for the connection handover capability built into the NFC technical spec that enables secure one-touch setup of NFC combined with high-speed, longer-distance communication of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, the forum said. Use cases include situations where the amount of data to be transferred is too large to be sent over NFC or when data is to be streamed for a longer time, the forum said. Examples include enabling audio streaming between a smartphone and speaker or headset, streaming between a smartphone and TV or the transfer of a photo from a digital camera to a smartphone over Wi-Fi, it said. NFC spokeswoman Ruth Cassidy told us the NFC Forum and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group formed an alliance and jointly created a document that gives examples for simple, secure pairing of Bluetooth devices using NFC. “Wireless technology providers are increasingly turning to NFC to help ensure a positive user experience during device-to-device communications, whether pairing consumer electronics or enabling the Internet of Things,” said Koichi Tagawa, NFC Forum chairman, saying a revised application document will make it easier for developers to implement the two technologies. The NFC Forum also partnered with the Wi-Fi Alliance, and the latter recently added NFC to its Wi-Fi Protected Setup, which allows consumers to “tap-to-connect” to wireless networks using smartphones or tablets, Cassidy said. That capability enables devices including cameras, gaming devices, smart home appliances and thermostats to connect to networks with a single tap, she said.

Vizio exerted more pricing pressure on the 4K Ultra HD TV market Tuesday with a three-figure starting price point for a 50-inch full-array LED-lit LCD TV. The lineup of P series TVs, Vizio’s first foray into 4K, ranges from $999 for the 50-inch P502ui-B1 to $2,499 for a 70-inch P702ui-B3. Vizio’s $2,499 price for a 70-inch model compares with the same $2,499 suggested retail price for a Samsung 50-inch 4K Ultra HD TV, but Samsung’s 50-inch UN50HU8550 had a street price of $1,797 Tuesday at Amazon in a competitive market. Vizio’s P series has full-array local dimming LED backlights, supported by 72 active LED zones, the company said. Each zone dynamically adjusts to control the backlight based on the content on screen for deeper black levels and higher contrast than edge-lit LED TVs, it said. The P series includes an HEVC H.265 codec, 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi for faster streaming and the HDCP 2.2 support for playback of protected Ultra HD content, Vizio said. A V6 six-core processor -- comprising a quad-core graphics processor plus a dual-core CPU -- powers the TV and enables an “even faster smart TV” experience, Vizio said. The TVs will be available “soon” at retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart, it said. Walmart was taking pre-orders for the 50-inch model Tuesday at a dollar off, $998. Prices for additional models are $1,399 for the 55-inch model, $1,699 for the 60-inch and $2,199 for the 65-inch, it said.

Doppler Labs launched tech-infused earplugs Tuesday that are designed to protect ears from loud sounds without sacrificing sound fidelity. The Dubs use mechanical filters made up of 17 parts that use dynamic attenuation to protect ears by reducing audio levels by an average of 12 dB, the company said. More than 6 million people in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 44 suffer from hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds, including settings such as live music venues and sports stadiums, which can lead to permanent hearing damage, Doppler said. The earplugs began shipping Tuesday for $25 at SoulCycle, through TAO Group locations and online (www.getDUBS.com). They'll be sold at Best Buy beginning Nov. 3, Doppler said. The earplugs are the first product from Doppler Labs, whose founders include Dan Wiggins, a former transducer engineer for Sonos, and ex-Microsoft executive Fritz Lanman.

Rovi program guides have been deployed on more than half a million standard-def and HD digital terminal adapters (DTAs), the company said Tuesday. Rovi is providing its TV programming guide “throughout the U.S. and Latin America” through deals with Armstrong, Arris, Cablevision Argentina, Evolution Digital, Pace and “more than a dozen leading cable operators,” Rovi said. DTAs convert incoming digital signals into analog signals that can be viewed on older television sets, the release said. The devices help cable companies upgrade local systems from analog to digital and optimize bandwidth to support high-definition channels and high-speed data, the release said. Rovi’s DTA Guide “eases the digital transition and enhances the experience for consumers by offering cable subscribers an Interactive Program Guide for navigating content choices,” the release said.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers warned several government agencies against allowing in-flight cellphone conversation, earning praise from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA). The 77 House members sent a letter to the heads of the FCC as well as to the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation and Attorney General Eric Holder. Reps. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., led the Monday letter. “We urge you to continue the ban on voice calls on all commercial aircraft, and believe that your agencies must also work collaboratively to address safety and security concerns raised by the potential introduction of other wireless capabilities before they are permitted in-flight,” the lawmakers said (http://bit.ly/1tXz2si). They are “extremely concerned” over the FCC proposal “to allow the use of wireless communication devices on commercial flights that does not fully address these safety and security issues, nor does it seem coordinated with your other agencies,” they said. The FCC has said it is examining this issue from a technical standpoint, and the Department of Transportation has begun examining a potential ban of in-flight cellphone conversation. “For over ten years, AFA has been a leader in pushing for comprehensive and ongoing consideration of the risks associated with new in-flight communications technology,” AFA International President Sara Nelson said in a statement. “As first responders and the last line of defense in our nation’s aviation system, Flight Attendants remain strongly opposed to cell phone use in the aircraft cabin. ... In far too many operational scenarios, mobile broadband use could be far worse than a mere nuisance: It could have catastrophic effects on aviation safety and security.”

Mojio will introduce a cloud-based device in time for the holiday selling seasons that will let most vehicles manufactured after 1996 become connected cars via AT&T’s wireless network, Mojio said Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1riGtYU). The Mojio device plugs into any car’s onboard diagnostic port, which is found on most cars made after 1996. With AT&T’s wireless network connectivity, car owners will be able to locate, monitor and diagnose their car from an iPhone or Android smartphone. Unlike other aftermarket connected car devices, Mojio is built on an open platform that supports an ecosystem “where developers can focus on continually improving the driver experience by creating apps that run on Mojio’s platform,” it said. Third-party apps in development include parking payments, automated trip expensing, simplified car rental and home automation connections, it said. The Mojio device will be available for $149, which includes the first year of service, it said. The second year will cost $4.99 a month, it said.

Samsung bowed the Ryder Cup TV App, an interactive app developed with Turner Sports that’s designed to let users follow live scores, access behind-the-scenes video footage and view course details via virtual hole flyovers during the Ryder Cup tournament held in Perthshire, Scotland, Sept. 23-28. The app is a way for consumers to enjoy “new and immersive experiences across our products,” including smart TVs and mobile devices, said Eric Anderson, Samsung vice president-content and product solutions, Tuesday. A broadcast mode allows users to toggle between checking live video feeds, an interactive leaderboard and their favorite Team USA golfers, Samsung said. The app is available on select 2013 and 2014 Samsung smart TVs, it said.

MediaTek launched MediaTek Labs, a global initiative that allows developers “of any background or skill level” to create wearables and Internet of Things devices, the chip maker said Monday (http://bit.ly/1wGFNhL). Its launch will open up “a new world of possibilities for everyone -- from hobbyists and students through to professional developers and designers -- to unleash their creativity and innovation,” the company said. “We believe that the innovation enabled by MediaTek Labs will drive the next wave of consumer gadgets and apps that will connect billions of things and people around the world."

"Europe needs to reform and forge a true digital single market,” said Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt in an essay published on the European Commission’s website (http://bit.ly/1ylRKhy). If Europe establishes a digital single market, “the macroeconomic benefits would be enormous,” he said. Citing European Policy Centre research (http://www.epc.eu/dsm/1/), Schmidt said a single digital market in Europe could raise EU GDP by at least 4 percent by 2020, generating 250 billion euros of “additional growth.” But European companies have lagged in technology adoption, partially due to hesitancy about obtaining individual licenses to operate in each of the 28 EU countries, he said. “If regulatory barriers are removed, startups could directly access half a billion European consumers, a market that’s larger than the US, where technology companies have the ability to achieve scale before they expand internationally.” The essay was posted on the site for Neelie Kroes, a European commissioner and head of the EC’s digital agenda. Kroes has made a single digital market a top priority of her tenure, but Google has faced ongoing pushback from EU antitrust officials.