Parrot Backtracks on PARTY Black Edition Bluetooth Speaker Featuring NFC

Only a couple of days ago we featured Parrot’s up and coming PARTY Black Edition Bluetooth Speaker which we cited as coming with integrated NFC connectivity but now it transpires the device will NOT feature NFC, regardless of Parrot releasing a press release stating the contrary.

You’ll find the initial press release clearly stating the PARTY Black Edition Bluetooth Speaker was to feature NFC below as well as the new press release that now confirms that the new PARTY Black Edition Bluetooth Speaker will merely offer extended battery life as well as a number of ‘audio improvements’.

Original Press Release Claiming NFC Connectivity:

Near Field Communications World Europe 2008, London April 16th 2008 – Parrot, leader in wireless mobile telephony devices, today announced the launch of Parrot PARTY Black Edition, the first commercialised speaker system to integrate Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

Where in the past pairing phones with Bluetooth devices has involved navigating menus, the Parrot PARTY Black Edition’s NFC technology allows pairing simply by touching the phone to the speaker system.

Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot commented “The added value lies in the fact that NFC is fast and easy to use, while guaranteeing a high level of security.”

Experts predict that by 2010, more than 500 million handsets will incorporate NFC capabilities. The technology will be used for payments both remotely and at point of sale as well as to access information from smart objects. Parrot has been a member of the NFC Forum Initiative for over two years and the incorporation of NFC in the PARTY Black Edition underlines Parrot’s continuing role a leading innovator in the industry.

Henri Seydoux added “Parrot welcomes and embraces any industry initiative such as NFC that helps improve the customer experience via simplicity of use and more user-friendly features: there is a wide range of applications in consumer electronics, from digital photo frames to music and car kits which will add real value to the consumer.”

NFC-enabled Parrot PARTY Black Edition

As well as the NFC technology the PARTY Black Edition includes a built-in Class-D amplifier and two drivers with a total power output of 6 W. The speakers can be paired easily with any Bluetooth device including mobile phones, MP3 players, PCs or Macs.

The PARTY Black Edition also boasts two exclusive audio effects developed by Parrot. Stereo Widening, gives the music a surround sound effect and Virtual SuperBass reinforces the bass frequencies.

New Press Release (no mention of NFC):

Parrot, a leader in wireless peripherals around the mobile phone, introduced the improved Parrot PARTY Black Edition, the newest in its line of sleek, Bluetooth®-enabled digital compact speakers.

In addition to its trendier look with a sleek black body, this new version of the Parrot PARTY has an extended battery life of eight hours.

Just like the original Parrot PARTY, the Parrot PARTY Black Edition features a built-in Class-D amplifier, two drivers with a total power output of six watts and exclusive audio effects developed by Parrot. With enhanced audio featuring Stereo Widening for more expansive sound, and Virtual SuperBass to reinforce the bass frequencies, the sound quality remains unrivalled for such a small system.

As with all products in Parrot’s audio range, the Parrot PARTY Black Edition is compatible with all Bluetooth stereo (A2DP) phones and PCs and Mac OS® X Leopard TM.

“After the success of the Parrot PARTY, our star speakers of 2007, we wanted to offer users a sleeker version with even better performance,” said Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot. “With this new black version, we have maintained the exceptional sound quality, doubled the battery life and extended compatibility to Macs, offering a superior product to consumers.”

The compact, nine-inch Parrot PARTY Black Edition offers space-saving size and featherweight design — a mere 23 ounces — for easy portability.

Users can instantly share music with friends with just one click to stream music from a Bluetooth stereo source such as a smartphone, MP3 player, PC or Mac. And, the analogue 3.5 mm line-in jack allows listeners to connect with traditional audio sources such as CD players and tuners among others.

In addition to the Parrot PARTY, Parrot offers today’s consumer a wide range of digital stereo options. The Parrot DS1120 is a pair of high-design wireless stereo speakers that deliver quality audio in a sleek and compact package while the Parrot DS3120 is a single countertop Bluetooth advanced speaker unit that integrates wireless music and hands-free calling technology

Our thanks to Phone Area for not only getting to the bottom of this but for also phoning Parrot to confirm that the initial press release claiming NFC compatibility has been somewhat revised.