We love Bluetooth technology, since it lets us go all hands-free with our cell phones (and iPods) with no wires, but it has its limitations. One big one is battery life — you may have noticed that your cell phone gets a lot more standby time with Bluetooth disabled. And although it's miles ahead of FM, Bluetooth's audio compression can take a chunk out of sound quality.

Now a new company called Kleer comes to the table with a wireless technology that's said to kick Bluetooth's butt six ways from Sunday. Claiming the new technology has 10 times the battery life of Bluetooth as well as capable of transmitting "full CD-quality" audio, Kleer gives credulity a good stretch, but the company means it. It's just debuted its KLR3012 module, which is meant be built into portables like cell phones in lieu of the ol' BT.

The folks at Kleer don't make gadgets themselves; manufacturers buy components from them, so it's an open question whether this supposedly fabulous technology will ever catch on. It sounds like progress, though Bluetooth is pretty entrenched at this point, and the recent 2.0 standard already boasts better performance, including improved battery life. In any case, we'll sound the alarm if any products with Kleer tech make their way to stores. Appreciate the tip, Chris! — Peter Pachal

Via Kleer