iPod Bluetooth Audio Transmitter

[MacRumors]

No, it's not from Apple... but this ExtremeTech article (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1365257,00.asp) reports on currently prototype designs of Bluetooth (wireless) audio transmitters from a company called Infinite Range.

According to the article, a number of companies will be producing devices based on this design in the coming months. In particular, iPod add-on vendor XtremeMac (http://www.xtrememac.com/) admits that they plan on releasing an "iPod enhancement" based on this design.

The design is a simply a transmitter/receiver pair that transmits audio over Bluetooth. Of note to audiophiles, the devices does on-the-fly compression to transmit the audio possibly compounding the already lossy compression of AAC/MP3.

Apple has recently been partnering with companies (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/10/20031024122801.shtml) such as Altec Lansing and Belkin to introduce new accessories to the iPod line. One recent unconfirmed rumor did claim that a bluetooth dock/headphone pair (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/10/20031009151815.shtml) was in the works. While this rumor was largely dismissed, it's possible that this development may have been the basis of it.

[joed]

Also, another web site of interest is CSR - which is linked from http://www.apple.com/bluetooth

And something they are working on is:
High-end headsets: CSR is sampling its next-generation (Bluetooth v1.2-compatible) BlueCore3 platform, including a variant called BlueCore3-Multimedia. This chip, with integral BlueCore, codec and DSP core – provides a single-chip solution for high-end headsets. The codec is stereo, also enabling OEMs to develop products for emerging markets such as wireless headphones capable of Bluetooth voice and MP3 music.

http://www.csr.com/applications/headset.htm


James.

[LimeLite]

Ya hear that competition? Bring it! :D

[punter]

If I bought a bluetooth adapter from a company called infinite range, could I sue for false advertising? :)

I think we have just seen the tip of the iceburg in terms of ipod accessories. An although I don't find any of them very cool yet, I'm sure there are good things to come!

[windwaves]

I knew this was going to happen: what I wait, hope for of course is wireless headphones. Certainly, the whole story when it comes to headphones is ... how much will it cost in terms of quality lost ? but dudes, that day when we'll be able to do w/o cable with our iPods shall be huge !!

[groovebuster]

In all honesty... who really needs gadgets like that??? To have an iPod with some headphones to listen to some music is just what people need! It reminds me of all those cell-phones having tons of useless features (including taking pictures and playing streamed video). After all I use my cell-phone for doing phone-calls! Who would have guessed? All the other features (except the address book) I never use.

The market for that kind of accesories must be very small (just some freaks who need overpriced toys). I defnitaly would rather spend that kind of money to buy another few dozens of tunes in the iTMS...

Just my 0.02€.

groovebuster

[poultryfarm]

Originally posted by windwaves
... but dudes, that day when we'll be able to do w/o cable with our iPods shall be huge !!
don't get me wrong it's always nice to see advances, but what's the big whoop with wireless headphones? especially at the cost of reduced sound quality. is the wire really that problematic?

i also wonder about design issues. does one then have a wireless remote? (suddenly lots of wireless things to lose). how does it fit in your ear? will it just be a little bud like a hearing aid (barely visible) that would be interesting - but i realize improbable, or will it be like normal over/behind the head headphones just without a wire?

interesting. it has a cool factor that would certainly sell more ipods, but i hope that some of the more basic accessories that the ipod is lacking have a higher priority.

[Fredo Viola]

Originally posted by groovebuster
The market for that kind of accesories must be very small (just some freaks who need overpriced toys).

Chill, dude. Be nice!

[x86isslow]

well these are 3rd party accessories. its not as if the ipods will stop shipping with the white bud earpieces, and come out with only bluetooth variety.

[Le Big Mac]

Originally posted by groovebuster
In all honesty... who really needs gadgets like that???


I'd love it for my car. Plug the receiver into the back of the car stereo. Pop the transmitter on the top of the iPod, and instant tunes on the stereo with no wires.

Of course, I assume it's better quality than the FM modulators.

[agentmouthwash]

I want to be able to sit on my couch with my powerbook and send my itunes music to my Stereo - wirelessly.

Please somebody make this happen!!

[groovebuster]

Originally posted by Fredo Viola
Chill, dude. Be nice!

No offense intended. Just my point of view. I'm just wondering for what kind of stuff people are spending money and celebrate it as if it was the best invention since electricity.

Bluetooth just doesn't have the bandwidth for HQ audio (no matter if compressed or not) unless you put an AAC or mp3 decoder in the headphones, which makes it pretty much useless for an audio device like the iPod. It's just as if you buy 400.- € headphones to listen to AM radio...

groovebuster

[paulc]

Is everyone forgetting that you need "bluetooth transmitting" hardware in the Pud? Unless it's in there (and I sure do doubt that) it means you're going to have to plug something in to transmit wirelessly.

A big part of why I love my Pud is that it does what it was intended to do (play music portably) mostly really well (major flaw is that if it's filling the cache, a slight jostle will freeze the unit). Start loading a bunch of nonsense and you start diminishing it's basic purpose and the focus becomes on adding features and not focusing on the role of playing music.

[windwaves]

Originally posted by poultryfarm
don't get me wrong it's always nice to see advances, but what's the big whoop with wireless headphones? especially at the cost of reduced sound quality. is the wire really that problematic?

i also wonder about design issues. does one then have a wireless remote? (suddenly lots of wireless things to lose). how does it fit in your ear? will it just be a little bud like a hearing aid (barely visible) that would be interesting - but i realize improbable, or will it be like normal over/behind the head headphones just without a wire?

interesting. it has a cool factor that would certainly sell more ipods, but i hope that some of the more basic accessories that the ipod is lacking have a higher priority.

No, no, I for myself could hardly care less about the cool factor (at least in this case) but indeed FOR ME it would be a huge whoop to have wireless headphones - I can't stand those cables around me. Clearly they don't bother you, which is great ! As to the loss of quality who knows what that will be, so pointless to discuss however I must doubt that it will be so dramatic.

[windwaves]

Originally posted by paulc
Is everyone forgetting that you need "bluetooth transmitting" hardware in the Pud? Unless it's in there (and I sure do doubt that) it means you're going to have to plug something in to transmit wirelessly.

A big part of why I love my Pud is that it does what it was intended to do (play music portably) mostly really well (major flaw is that if it's filling the cache, a slight jostle will freeze the unit). Start loading a bunch of nonsense and you start diminishing it's basic purpose and the focus becomes on adding features and not focusing on the role of playing music.

...sh**t , you do have a point here, I had not thought about that. Hopefully they can make such device small enough for it not to constitute a big handicap

[the_mole1314]

If the sound quality is there, I will buy wireless headphones. Trust me, there's a market, especially for kids in school and other times when the coard can get you into trouble or in the way.

[Wigletbill]

"I'm just wondering for what kind of stuff people are spending money and celebrate it as if it was the best invention since electricity."

Now that you mentioned it... I just realized that the iPod IS the best invention since electricity!!!:D


-Joel

[BCoop]

I think that what some people are forgetting is that this is an option. There is no "have to buy this toy." If you find it to be useless and a waste of money then dont buy it, but please dont spoil everyone else's fun!

Personally I would love to see some bluetooth headphones. First of all, they would be great to wear when listening to music on my 12" powerbook. I am a college student and I have roommates that sometimes dont want to hear my music. The short wire on my iPod headphones is very limiting and gets in the way when trying to do work. (my arms get tangled in them when writing)

As for using them with an iPod, I am sure a small external unit could be designed because I find it highly doubtful that there is bluetooth built into the new units. The only drawback that I see to this, other than reduced sound quality, is a power drain from your iPod battery to power the bluetooth transmitter.

All in all I would love to see this product produced......but I think we are a little ways from seeing this on the shelf.

[m.r.m.]

i think it would be great to have cordless earbuds (or rather in-ear earphones). just think no more cable disturbing while working out etc. etc. . however, it remains to be seen how the lossy compression of already compressed files works out. what use is your newfound freedom, if the music only sounds half as good?!

[jeremyw]

I came up with this concept back in January. Still waiting on it...
my bluetooth ipod remote (http://www.moonpost.com/jeremy/archives/001486.shtml)

[Websnapx2]

the most important thing here is not that it will revolutionize the way we listen to our Pod, but that it's a step forward in innovation that will that will evolve in to technology that eventually change the way we listen to our iPod. Cordless phones sucked when the came out, but as soon as the platform technology was out there, the innovations started. Just like USB was upgraded to USB 2, these products will create a demand for higher throughput within this technology to keep up with more demand for higher quality sound. It's exiting because it should be seen as the tip of the iceberg.

[idkew]

unless is sounds great, i don't see the point in this. more batteries to worry about, interference to worry about.

come on- a wire running from your pocket to a TINY heaphone is not that hard to deal with. i wold rather have my tiny headphone than a bid wireless one.

[SiliconAddict]

Lets see:

-First off you have some fairly major bandwidth issues. BT only supports 723.2 kb/s asymmetric, and 433.9 kb/s symmetric transfer rates. This is rather low for streaming audio. I’d question the quality of the audio you’d get across a BT headset. I believe you would have a massive tradeoff on quality for the ability to go wireless. However there is always the possibility of Apple pulling a Houdini. Maybe have a sep BT receiver\transmitter for the L/R channels. :confused:

-Then there is batt life. Say goodbye to even 8 hours of batt life on the iPod and don’t even expect that on the headset. (Even more so if we are talking the idea I posed above.)
What’s the point of having a decent battery in your iPod if your headset dies at the 1/2 way mark on your iPod? Every BT headset I’ve ever seen for cell phones gets about 3-4 hours of batt life. There’s no major magic that can be done with batteries and BT radio’s to get better performance out of their batt life.

-BT can be affected by outside interference and can affect other devices. I have a BT GPS unit for my laptop. It’s rather cool. However it also cuts the signal strength of my 802.11b card in 1/4 to 1/3 which somewhat sucks :p While its remote there is the possibility of outside interference with the headset. (Can the same be said of typical headphones?)

BT headsets are a gee wiz gadget. Unless the first two hurtles (I’m less concerned about #3) can be overcome I wouldn’t ever consider BT headset.

[macshark]

I do agree that BT bandwidth is kind of low if you were to transmit uncompressed audio, however, a next gen high quality BT "music" headset (as opposed to a "talk" one intended for cell phones) is likely to be capable of uncompressing MP3 or AAC files so that the total net bandwidth of 128Kb/s or 192Kb/s between the headset and the base should be sufficient.

The only reason something like this may not fly is because of DRM issues, not because of technology limitations. Maybe Apple will build their own headset, or license a few manufacturers to send the AAC directly from the iPod and decode and play in the BT headset.

Integrating BT into (at least some models) of the next generation iPod is almost inevitable at this point. Apple is upgrading their entire product line to be BT capable, and many 3rd party accessories are becoming available. Obviously, the most useful one would be car stereos with BT connection to iPod so that you don't have to use a FM modulator that degrades the quality of the music.

[Rajj]

Finally!!!
I’ve been asking for a device like this since the iPod came out.
I just hope the adapter and headphones are not to clunky and big.

[bryng]

A bluetooth dock would be pretty cool ... I'm not sure about syncing or audio, but for those of us who have their iPod connected to our home stereo, if the dock published menus over Bluetooth, you could easily control the iPod with a remote, or just your bluetooth cellphone or Mac or whatever.

The agreed protocol for that is already there. Some of you will have seen that the Sailing Clicker software implements it very well.

Bluetooth could (under reasonable conditions) also enable streaming of music.

There are lots of applications of bluetooth beyond just a pair of headphones.

[the_dalex]

I, for one, would not want to wear a headset that incorporates a decent battery, bluetooth chip, and an AAC/MP3 encoder. Why not just mount the iPod on your head and call it a day? ;)

The technology will be available to make this work WELL, but the idea is ahead of its time. Apple doesn't implement half-baked technology, because a disappointed customer will lose faith in them and will not freely spend money in the future. A wireless bluetooth headset right now will not live up to your average consumer's expectations, because they will either be heavy, have short battery life, and have bad audio quality.

If a cellphone BT headset lasts 3-4 hours, imagine how a stereo audio headset will burn through batteries (audio decompression, two headphones to drive instead of one, louder volumes, bigger frequency ranges and sampling rates). Trust me, you don't want one now.

[sethypoo]

Originally posted by agentmouthwash
I want to be able to sit on my couch with my powerbook and send my itunes music to my Stereo - wirelessly.

Please somebody make this happen!!

That's exactly what I'd use it for.

:) :rolleyes: :D

[Linksgolfer84]

Here is my dream iPod bluetooth device... A bluetooth enabled dock that I could connect to my stereo and a bluetooth transmitting iPod that could be be used as a wireless remote for the system. Lets face it, there is no need to develop a fancy bluetooth remote with another screen when the iPod is small enough in and of itself to be used as a remote. If the bluetooth transmitter was there, and the range of bluetooth was long enough (and not line of sight) this could be an amazing feature.

[Phil Of Mac]

Originally posted by the_mole1314
If the sound quality is there, I will buy wireless headphones. Trust me, there's a market, especially for kids in school and other times when the coard can get you into trouble or in the way.

If you're a kid in school trying not to get caught listening to your iPod by the telltale cords into your ears...wtf? Bluetooth headphones would need batteries, an AAC or MP3 decoder, and an antenna unit. It'll be pretty obviously clamped to your head.

[cheesy]

Originally posted by jeremyw
I came up with this concept back in January. Still waiting on it...
my bluetooth ipod remote (http://www.moonpost.com/jeremy/archives/001486.shtml)

you rule! i've been thinking of this exact same thing for awhile as well. i added a few features in the comments section of that page. anyway, that device would be AWESOME if Apple did it right.

[macshark]

Originally posted by the_dalex
I, for one, would not want to wear a headset that incorporates a decent battery, bluetooth chip, and an AAC/MP3 encoder. Why not just mount the iPod on your head and call it a day? ;)

The technology will be available to make this work WELL, but the idea is ahead of its time. Apple doesn't implement half-baked technology, because a disappointed customer will lose faith in them and will not freely spend money in the future. A wireless bluetooth headset right now will not live up to your average consumer's expectations, because they will either be heavy, have short battery life, and have bad audio quality.

If a cellphone BT headset lasts 3-4 hours, imagine how a stereo audio headset will burn through batteries (audio decompression, two headphones to drive instead of one, louder volumes, bigger frequency ranges and sampling rates). Trust me, you don't want one now.

Bluetooth decoder, AAC/MP3 decoder and the audio amplifier for headphones can all be combined in one (relatively small) chip. If this chip was manufactured in the right technology, it could burn very little amount of power. There are rechargeable batteries that come in a variety of form factors, including flexible strips, which could be integrated to the head-band. Overall, with the right design and right technology, it should be possible to build a Bluetooth Stereo Headphone with MP3/AAC decoding capability which weighs less than 100g.

The heaviest components of the iPod are the harddisk, followed by the screen and enclosure. You don't need these in wearable unit.

[poultryfarm]

Originally posted by macshark
Bluetooth decoder, AAC/MP3 decoder and the audio amplifier for headphones can all be combined in one (relatively small) chip. If this chip was manufactured in the right technology, it could burn very little amount of power. There are rechargeable batteries that come in a variety of form factors, including flexible strips, which could be integrated to the head-band. Overall, with the right design and right technology, it should be possible to build a Bluetooth Stereo Headphone with MP3/AAC decoding capability which weighs less than 100g.

The heaviest components of the iPod are the harddisk, followed by the screen and enclosure. You don't need these in wearable unit.
possible, sure... reasonable use of apple's resources i don't think so (imho).

[Bilv]

I hate wires, I have thousands of dollars worth of wires under my desk, connected to my laptops and stuffed behind my satellite dish, tvs, stereos , racks of musical equipment, their hanging from my phones, guitars, their hanging from head and even coming out my ears. So far they have freed my mouse and partially feed my cell phone & tv but they require a dozen remote controls.
Enough with the wires & mindless remotes! I'd even implant a chip inside my head to be free!!
Give me more and better BT & 802.11

[robjmurphy]

How come no-one's mentioned this yet?

TEN Technology Introduces Bluetooth® Wireless Stereo Adapter and Remote Control for the iPod

MACWORLD EXPO, San Francisco – January 6, 2004 – TEN Technology, the company that introduced the naviPod™ wireless remote control for the best selling Apple iPod, is demonstrating TEN naviPlay™, one of the first Bluetooth® wireless stereo adapter and remote controls for the iPod, at the MacWorld Expo in San Franscisco, CA.

The TEN naviPlay brings Bluetooth wireless CD-Audio quality stereo sound and remote control to the latest docking iPod models. iPod users no longer have to be tethered to their iPods with their headphone cord.

"iPod users are going to find the naviPlay BT adapter a must-have for the ultimate wireless freedom and remote control," says John Lin, Founder and CEO of TEN Technology.

"iPod is the best-selling digital music player with its stunning design, amazing storage capacity and ease of use," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "The naviPlay from TEN is a great addition to the growing line of third party products available for the iPod today."

The naviPlay includes a Bluetooth adapter that attaches to the iPod’s dock connector, and a BT headphone adapter that allows use of any stereo headphones or speakers with a standard 3.5mm stereo plug. The headphone adapter also has an LCD display and buttons for basic remote audio functions as well as playlist and menu navigation. Each adapter is powered by rechargeable lithium ion battery that provides approximately 8 hours of airtime.

TEN plans to introduce additional BT-based products including stereo headphones, stereo speakers, and BT car stereo interfaces in the coming months.

Download the naviPlay product sheet.

Compatibility
naviPlay will be available only for 3rd generation iPod models with Dock Connectors. Pricing has not been finalized.

About TEN Technology:
TEN Technology is a division of TEN Ventures Inc., a California-based developer and manufacturer of innovative products that enhance leading consumer technology products. (http://www.tentechnology.com) For more information about naviPlay or TEN Technology, plase call 1-866-765-4834 or email info@tentechnology.com

The Bluetooth ® word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by TEN Technology is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

[hiptobesquare]

I ride a motorcycle, and bluetooth would be great for that. An iPod and a rider intercom using wireless bluetooth to headphone speakers in your helmet. Wires can really get in the way there. That is why I don't use those products when I ride now, but I know those who do, and it is a hassle.

Another good pair would be bluetooth from your ipod and cellphone to your car stereo. Instant hands free setup for the phone, and a way to listen to your ipod in the car without having to wire a 1/8th inch jack to your stereo, or use poor quality cassette adapters or fm modulators. Both of which perform very badly, in my experience.

A bluetooth ipod and cell phone could share earphones (while not in a car) and both would be un-tethered by wires. I like the idea of the jabra bluetooth cellphone earpiece. Something similar for both ears on a band behind the neck could be really nice for cell phones and music. The iPod's address book feature could be linked to the cell-phone, as well, and music could automatically mute for calls.

Bluetooth from iPod to home stereo could be nice, too, but there I am more worried about signal loss. automotive use is less critical for signal loss for me, since ambient noise will prohibit full enjoyment of the music anyway, but I still want some music, rather than just noise on the road.

I am all for interoperability. That seems to be the whole point of bluetooth. different devices working together, for more seamless use. Too bad it hasn't happened yet. I am still looking for a CDMA tri-mode bluetooth phone in my network. I'm not having good luck.