iPod Bluetooth Audio Transmitter

[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.

🙂 🙄 😀

 

[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]

Re: bluetooth remote

Originally posted by jeremyw
I came up with this concept back in January. Still waiting on it...
my bluetooth ipod remote

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]

Desperately Wanting Wireless

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]

NaviPlay?

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]

a good use for bluetooth headphones

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.