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Media (Apple) Media

iPods get Bluetooth, Remote Control 48

Posted by michael from the conspicuous-consumption dept.
imagin8or writes "TheRegister tells us that Griffin, makers of various stylish Mac accessories, is adding remote and Bluetooth addons for iPods: BlueTrip, to connect your iPod to your hi-fi wirelessly, and AirClick, to remote control your iPod, iPod mini, or Mac/PC (3 products) via RF. The article also mentions FireWave (due Q2), which will be a FireWire connected (and powered) digital surround sound module. Now you can control your hi-fi from your iPod, your iPod from your remote and therefore lose both in the sofa cushions without pausing your electro-pop playlist."
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iPods get Bluetooth, Remote Control More

iPods get Bluetooth, Remote Control

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  • A remote? (Score:4, Funny)

    by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Thursday January 13, 2005 @11:34AM (#11349088)
    I think there is something a little amusing when the remote is not much smaller than the thing being controlled with it.

  • wireless? (Score:4, Funny)

    by underactive ( 161701 ) on Thursday January 13, 2005 @11:52AM (#11349284) Homepage
    now the iPod won't be as lame anymore. ;-)

  • WiFi would be cooler (Score:4, Interesting)

    by NardofDoom ( 821951 ) on Thursday January 13, 2005 @12:08PM (#11349461)
    Imagine if you could stream music from your iPod to an Airport Express from anywhere in your house that has WiFi. Or share music via 802.11 from your iPod to any other iPod or iTunes client in the subnet that has this feature turned on. That would also be cool.
    • I've thought about it. I picked up an Airport Express for the future a few days ago (my wife and I won't be living in a one-bedroom apartment forever, plus her mac is acting weird when I try to network print to it). I also picked up monster cables at half price from the Apple store. We ended up doing something like you describe.

      Basically, she wanted to play songs from her iPod on the surround sound system, which is connected via the Monster cables to the Airport Express... without getting off the couch. (W

  • Remote Control? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by tyman ( 831421 )
    You buy an iPod so you can fit your music in your pocket, not place it across the room and conrol it from the couch. And for 39.99 US, what a gimick!

    • Re:Remote Control? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Spytap ( 143526 ) on Thursday January 13, 2005 @12:29PM (#11349725)
      This is exactly what I've been looking for. I spend most of my iPodding time in my car. This way, my iPod spends it's time safely in my glove box and I can just use the remote to scroll through the songs.
      • I use the TuneDok [apple.com] in the car with an iTrip. It seems to work really well, keeping my iPod within arms reach. Then the dock folds up and fits in my armrest compartment to prevent the car thieves from getting any nasty ideas.

  • HTPC (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Commando ( 6326 ) on Thursday January 13, 2005 @12:12PM (#11349518)
    Get a Mac Mini, the FireWave, and the AirClick, and you've got yourself a nice little setup that can plug into your home theater system. The FireWave sounds exactly like what some people have been saying that the Mac Mini needs, better audio out options. Ask and ye shall receive...
    • Yup, one of those and an ElGato box, you've got a Tivo like that will drop right into a network, and allow other uses on the TV, email, web whatever. Very nice. Especially since for 20 bucks over the price of the mac mini, you can get the TV out, and then add the extra componets whenever. Which is what I'm planning on doing. Stereo DVD box with email and music streaming. Then tivo, then 5.1 sound or something. Very nice.
    • Exactly. I'm planning on getting a Mac mini to replace my stereo and dvd player. The Firewave is the icing on the cake.
    • Oh, almost forgot...add the Keyspan Express Remote and you'll be ready to go.
  • Any thoughts on adding the firewave to a Mac mini with an EyeTV 200 and a bluetooth wireless keyboard/mouse combo from Motion Computing?

  • Lame (Score:5, Funny)

    by Evil_Way ( 220281 ) on Thursday January 13, 2005 @12:33PM (#11349782)
    Wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Halfway lame.
    • Except Nomads have a tendency to stop working after the headphone jack breaks due to bad sautering. It happens often.
      • Sautering...is that where you make electrical connections by throwing the components in a pan, lightly coated with tin, and heat over a low flame for 3 - 5 minutes? Personally I solder but perhaps Creative are staffed by refuge chef's with a penchant for micro-electronics.
        • ... staffed by
          refuge chef's...
          You were doing so well up until the end. That should be refugee chefs. If you're going to rip on someone for poor spelling, at least have the decency to proof your own post.
  • blue trip is $149... wouldn't an iPod dock/airport express combo be more functional for about the same price?
    • actually, i stand corrected... blue trip will let you roam around with the iPod... but i'm still not sure if it's worth that much $$$. a nice gadget for those with cash, i guess.

      how's the battery life?

  • Sounds reasonable... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by singularity ( 2031 ) * <.nowalmart. .at. .gmail.com.> on Thursday January 13, 2005 @01:07PM (#11350251) Homepage Journal
    There is already a remote for the iPod [tentechnology.com], but it is IR, not RF. It is also priced at $49 (I believe) which makes the Griffin remote a little better the cheaper, to boot.

    The big thing that all the iPod remotes I have seen are missing is the ability to jump playlists.

    Keyspan has their new Express Remote [keyspan.com] which can plug into an Airport Express and offers a lot more power. I have a Keyspan Digital Media Remote [keyspan.com] attached to my computer and I love it. I simply mapped two of the buttons to an AppleScript that advances ahead a playlist and then text-to-speeches the name of the new playlist.

    I am wondering if the ability to skip ahead a playlist is built into the functionality of the iPod.
    • What I want is a big Dock with standard RCA out (if not optical audio), a remote control which mimics the scroll wheel, and a big enough display to see it from across the room. (A video signal to my AV-switching amp would be almost as good as a display, I suppose.)

      Then using the iPod with my home stereo would be just like using any other component, except I dock the iPod instead of loading media into it.

      I thought about building some of this once, but unless you are a company which is at least the size of
    • There is an other product calles remoteremote2 that has been out for a while. Here [ipodstudio.com] is a review of it, or the store [engineeredaudio.com] with images. It comes with a small keychain fob like the alarm ones for cars. I have wanted one so that my ipod could remain in my backpack and the controls im my pocket / hand without any wires in the way.

  • I lust after Bluetrip (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Dark Paladin ( 116525 ) * <jhummel&johnhummel,net> on Thursday January 13, 2005 @01:38PM (#11350691) Homepage
    I've had an iPod for about 3 years now (first a 5 GB that I sold on eBay 2 years ago when I bought my 30 GB), and Bluetrip is the "last thing" that I needed.

    I have a CD player that's gone unused for over a year now because of my iPod, but to play on my stereo receiver I've used a Monster RCA cable of sorts.

    Apple should be including Bluetrip as part of their hype, much as they used Belkin's to show off how to get photos from your digital camera to the iPod for storage.

    Only Bluetrip looks cooler. Sit the iPod down in a charging spot, and you've got a music remote control and never need a CD player again.

    The only way to make this better now is to let us sync our iPods to our computers as well. This way, I could buy music online, tell my iPod to Sync, and get my latest music on the Pod without having to move it from its perch (well, until I take it out to drive to work, but that's a different issue).
  • Better yet, let's see Apple apply their engineering to the problematic remote control, with its zillion buttons, labels that rub off within 8 months, and you need a pile of them to run your TV/satellite/DVD/etc.

  • My Dream (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Grayden ( 137336 )
    I just want to connect an iPod to my car's stereo (stock equipment) with a minimum of fuss. BlueTooth seems like a nice way to do it. Couldn't you theoretically build a BlueTooth receiver and the other relevant electronics into something the size of an audio cassette and still have room for a AAA battery or two to power it? Then you could slap your BlueTape© into the cassette player and stream music to your car's stereo from a BlueTooth-equipped iPod.
    • Then I suggest you read the Griffin site a bit more thoroughly. They sell a cassette adapter for the iPod named the Smartdeck [griffintechnology.com], which uses your car stereo's controls to control the iPod. It's not wireless, but it's clever, and connects an iPod to a car stereo with a minimum of fuss...
  • M-Audio Transit [minidisco.com] available now. Digital audio in/out via USB.
  • Griffin also released the "SmartDeck" - a remote/tape interface. This ought to make integration with car radios cheaper and nicer, sans the Alpine/iPod kit ($200 for the deck, $100 for the iPod adapter + installation).

    Link here: http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/smartdec k/index.php [griffintechnology.com]

    They automagically upped my shipping from $6 ground to $10 2nd day air without my approval though. Watch your shipping charge.

    Oh yeah, they say it'll ship in Q2 2005.

    • This adapter looks great but I can't help wondering if many people still have TAPE players in their cars, given the very low price of CD players nowadays (even those with MP3 decoding capabilities). But anyway, it's great for those who still own a old car radio and live in countries where FM transmitters are illegal...
  • I like the concept of the Bluetooth device. But I worry about the quality because it's being made by Griffin. I bought two iTrips -- one for my 1st gen iPod, and one for my wife's 3rd gen iPod. They both suck. They don't work in the car like they should, and at home I have to put the iPod on top of the stereo to get a clear signal. I've been very very disappointed with them.
    • I worry about the quality because it's being made by Griffin. I bought two iTrips -- one for my 1st gen iPod, and one for my wife's 3rd gen iPod. They both suck.

      I've had similar experiences with the iTrip (I agree, they suck), but from all the reading I've done, it seems that's mostly a function of the concept sucking, not the specific implementation. Said another way, most of the other radio tuner things by other manufacturers also suck, some more than Griffen's iTrip.

      The only one I've seen that looks
  • Now, Griffin, if you would feel so inclined as to offer us a stereo bluetooth headset with voice com capabilities that doesn't appear to be completely [engadget.com] worthless [xterasys.com] junk [bluetake.com]? Yours, -Frustrated by tangles and snags
  • Try the naviPlay. Bluetooth transmitter and receiver. Supposedly good quality, but I haven't seen an actual review, nor seen one out of it's packaging. (The Apple Store in Portland has them, but none out on display.)

    One story claims it will come with HP Bluetooth headphones 'when it is released', but I saw it in a store yesterday with no headphones...

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