Facebook’s big bid to take on Groupon and other deal sites is coming to an end, at least for now. The company said in a statement to Reuters that it is killing Deals in the coming weeks after four months of testing.

“We think there is a lot of power in a social approach to driving people into local businesses,” Facebook said in the statement. “We’ve learned a lot from our test and we’ll continue to evaluate how to best serve local businesses.”

It’s an interesting turn of events considering how much interest went into Facebook’s offers effort. We talked about how the power of Facebook Deals because of how social it could be, as opposed to Groupon and Living Social. But it looks like the deals business is harder than we thought, especially if it’s not unique enough.

This would appear to be good for Groupon: As it prepares for its IPO, it’s now lost one big competitor. Facebook’s exit from the space might also favor incumbents who are already committed to the model and have those relationships with consumers and merchants. And it might underscore how much manpower is needed to make something like this work.

Or does this signal some more inherent weakness in the larger deals model? It’ll be interesting to get more reasons as to the decision. Facebook also pulled back on its check-ins and is closing its Places tab on Facebook mobile in favor of a broader tagging system that allows users to add location tags to any action.

It’s still early in the daily deals business and with a lot of questions swirling around Groupon’s IPO, we still don’t know how viable this will be over the long haul. But at least for now, there’s one less competitor in the game.

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• GigaOM Euro 20: the European startups to watch
• Mobile payments: forecasts, technologies and opportunities
• How American Express could be a monster in the local-deals market

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Bose just launched a computer-based speaker system that plugs into the back of your PC and streams music wirelessly to a single SoundLink speaker. As a fan of their SoundDock I’d say it’s pretty cool but $549 for this thing is a bit much in anyone’s book.

The SoundLink simply shows up as a USB speaker and you route all the audio through it to the remote part.

The device includes a rechargeable battery so you can carry it out to the back porch for a barbecue or to the basement to tend to your “rabbits.”

NEW BOSE SOUNDLINK WIRELESS MUSIC SYSTEM
Computer Music in Any Room –- Easy and Wireless

Today, Bose has introduced the SoundLink wireless music system, a one-
piece portable speaker system that allows users to play music from their
computer –- wirelessly — in and around the home.

The new SoundLink system was designed as a simple solution for people
who listen to music stored on their computer, but don’t want to be at
their computer to enjoy it. Setup is easy. No software or Wi-Fi
connection is required. Just plug the included SoundLink USB key into
the computer, select music — from iTunes, Pandora, or any other
Internet radio or music source — and the audio will stream to the
SoundLink system via a long-range wireless link that works through most
walls and floors.

“Many people use a computer as their primary source for music,” said
John Roselli, category business manager for Bose Corporation. “But that
convenience and experience is diminished by having to be at the computer
to hear it. The Bose SoundLink system unlocks that music, streaming it
almost anywhere in the home –- even outside –- quickly and easily.”
New Bose SoundLink Wireless Music System

For added flexibility, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is included,
making the SoundLink wireless music system truly portable. It’s charged
by the system’s AC power supply and then no outlet is required. The
battery provides all the power the system needs for up to three hours
when played at full volume or for longer periods at more moderate
listening levels.

Advanced Bose engineering in electronics efficiency and speaker design
enable the same high-quality audio performance whether plugged-in or
operating on battery power. The SoundLink system features a proprietary
acoustics package, which combines exclusive Bose waveguide speaker
technology and neodymium transducers to deliver room-filling, high-
quality audio from a very small enclosure.

The system’s infrared remote control operates the power and volume, and
can send transport control commands to most applications, allowing users
to skip tracks or play/pause from a distance. Touch-sensitive volume
buttons also are located on the unit itself.

Although designed primarily for wireless connectivity to a computer, the
SoundLink system features an auxiliary input for connecting additional
audio sources, including an iPod, iPhone, MP3 player or CD player.

The new SoundLink wireless music system comes in Gloss Black, and will
be available from Bose beginning August 27, 2009, for a price of
$549.95. It will be sold at authorized Bose dealers, Bose retail
stores, www.Bose.com or toll free at 1-800-444-BOSE (2673).
New Bose SoundLink Wireless Music System

Toshiba is remaining pretty tight lipped as to the exact technical specifications of their new laptop range but we do know that all models will feature an eco utility management system that allows users to reduce the amount of energy being used. And remember, green is good kids. Here’s a quick look at what we do know about the four models that have been announced: A500

This looks like being the more multimedia based one of the litter. A 16-inch TruBrite HD screen, 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1366×768 resolution will be perfect for movies and games, particularly on the premium version which will have a flush screen – i.e. an edge to edge picture. The impressive picture will be assisted by equally impressive sound – all versions will ship with Harman Kardon stereo speakers. A HD webcam that records in widescreen will also be a welcome addition to web-video creators. The premium version is the only one which will contain a DVD drive, sadly, though. Available on all versions, however, is the Multi-Touch control pad that provides the ability to use fingers to pinch, swipe or rotate using just the trackpad – a bit like you use the iPhone screen I imagine. Looks wise, it doesn’t look too dissimilar to the A350, which we previewed back in January although there will also be a silver version available. Also, looks like there is a little remote control in there which would be a nice touch for a multimedia machine. U500

This looks like a scaled down version of the A500 to be honest, this time with a 13.3-inch screen which isn’t quite HD but 1280×800 WXGA instead. Again, they’ll be a premium and a standard model with, again, only the premium containing a built in DVD drive, to go with its edge-to-edge (or “chrome-trimmed” as they’re calling it) screen. Interestingly it will be available in “Luxe Brown” in order to “give a big impression” whilst “on the move”. Can brown ever give a big impression on the move? Err, well I suppose…… L500 and L550

I’ve lumped these two together because Toshiba has done the same in their press-release. And if they’re going to be lazy then so am I. These are the wide screen versions, both HD, the L500 is 15.6-inch and has a resolution of 1366×768 and the L550 is a mammoth 17.3-inch and has a resolution of 1600×900. That’s about all I know on these ones, apart from the fact that the keyboard is available in silver as well as the black as shown in the picture. Keep your eyes peeled for further details of this range on Tech Digest, as always we’ll do our upmost to keep you all in the loop.