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ipod remote possibilities?

B

bertagert

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 13, 2003
326
0
I have been doing some thinking about how Apple could make the ipod go one step further. Add a wireless remote! I know this may have come up before but I think now is a good time to implement it.

First, I use my ipod for listening when working out, driving in the car and sometimes its hooked up to the home stereo. The problem with the last one is, I have to get up or walk over to the ipod to change a song. This gets annoying!

My idea (if its possible): Put a wireless receiver in the dock and add a wireless remote. The remote could look like the ipod, even with the lcd, except much much thinner (maybe longer and skinner like a regular remote you have around the house). Then, with a little bluetooth built into the remote and ipod, the remote would receive all the songs/playlist/artists/album inforamtion so you would be in perfect sync with the ipod.

I'm wondering if the dock and the new connection would allow such a setup. I've read that all the pins on that connector aren't in use, so maybe this idea could work. I'm not a engineer so I have no idea if this is possible. please comment back with your ideas.

This would fulfill my ipod expectations. I really do believe Apple is trying to replace the CD with the ipod and also have the ipod be your one and only source for music. Its exactly what I'm trying to do anyway.

Now, Apple get to work because this would sell!
 
I don't know if there's enough demand to justify the research and development. I assume most people use the iPod when it's in a pocket or in the car, two places wireless remotes aren't really necessary.
 
i thought the same thing just yesterday...i had my ipod hooked up to my stereo and wanted to change songs, but i was too lazy to get up off the couch so i just let it play. woulda been nice to have a remote.
 
get a t68i

I agree, i would like a wireless remote as well, but to compensate, i just run my PB through some nice speakers and use my t68i to control my iTunes and such, it works pretty damn well...:D
 
I knew i had some in my camp. I believe there would be a big market for a remote like this. Maybe I need to call Apple to let them know.

But really, a remote that had the same buttons as the ipod and a screen but nice and thin, all through blue tooth and the dock with bluetooth! If I had a little programing and engineering experience I would make it myself. Come to think of it, maybe I will. Anyone want to help in this endeavor?
 
I would like a wireless remote but not just for home use, but for walking. Maybe make a bluetooth remote with headphone jack, or bluetooth headphones as well. Totally wireless. If it had bluetooth, you could have it pause the music when your bluetooth cellphone rings, and use your remote to answer the call.
 
I think that this is a fine idea, but I question the BT implementation of it. It would be much easier to create an IR remote that would utilize the same functions as the plug-in remote currently available. In fact, it would be almost trivial to do this. You'd just need to have a unit that would plug into the audio-out/remote jack on the iPod. I could almost make this in my sleep. In fact, maybe I will ;).

Seriously, if you're interested, I know I would be. My iPod is becoming the center of my musical life, and being able to control it by remote would be quite helpful when it's plugged into my stereo.
 
Snowy,

I want to use the bluetooth to transfer the playlist/songs/etc. over to the remote. Bascially, you would be holding the remote that looked exactly like the ipod but the remote of course doesn't have to hold the actual files just the songs. This way you could scroll right to the song you want just like on the ipod. I even want the lcd to see what weere doing.

Now we have to keep this on the downlow cause we don't want apple or anyone else stealing our thunder!

Think you could help me with that?
 
Nope, won't ever happen-- too complicated, and too easy to lose. Plus it would probably be more battery consuming, and you'll have people who want the remote to charge from the iPod, so that's yet another thing to figure out...

i agree about the home stereo thing, i think Apple should stick a little IR port on it that accepts basic foward/back play/pause buttons-- but not provide a remote, just use your universal...

pnw
 
Its not too complicated. Its actually pretty straight forward.

Having the play list stream over bluetooth to another screen doesn't seam that tuff. Its just a text file of sorts (or something similar). Think of it this way: you can have all your contact info synced with your cell phone and computer through bluetooth. Whats so different about that and having a remote do it to an ipod? Not much is what I say.

Just having a Forward, Rewind, Play/Pause remote would be worthless when your trying to go from song 1 to song 1000.

This remote isn't for any other use than in the home while connected to the stereo and dock. You use a remote to change your cd player, why not replace the cd player with an ipod? If it would be better to have the remote used as a univeral one for tv, stereo, etc. than maybe thats what it should do as well but not neccessary.

I bet if this was built, there would be a ton of people that buy it!

[Edit] The bluetooth wouldn't have to be in the ipod, just in the dock. The dock would then send/get info through one of the unused pin connectors in the new connector [/Edit]
 
How about this, use iTrip to hook your iPod to your stero, and then the iPod IS a wireless remote...you can change songe from anywhere, and have the full functionality!
 
Originally posted by BubbaTAC
How about this, use iTrip to hook your iPod to your stero, and then the iPod IS a wireless remote...you can change songe from anywhere, and have the full functionality!
Click to expand...

I thought about this. Some reviews say its the best FM transmitter out there while others say its still a pain in the butt to find the selected channel. I guess we'll have to wait for more people to get an iTrip to find out the truth. If someone has one, please test this out. Try using on the home stereo and then go and do your regular stuff you would do with the ipod, then come back in and see if you have to adjust the channels and stuff again.
 
Originally posted by bertagert
I thought about this. Some reviews say its the best FM transmitter out there while others say its still a pain in the butt to find the selected channel. I guess we'll have to wait for more people to get an iTrip to find out the truth. If someone has one, please test this out. Try using on the home stereo and then go and do your regular stuff you would do with the ipod, then come back in and see if you have to adjust the channels and stuff again.
Click to expand...

well i haven't heard anything about my preorder status, but i don't see why you'd have to readjust-- you just select the channel you want on the iPod, set that channel in memory on the stereo, and there you have it :)

pnw
 
Paul -

Heres one review site. the other one, which I can't seem to track down, had someone say that everything was fine while playing in the car and then he left, went some where, came back to the car and had to adjust the frequency again. Actually two people said that. Who knows what they were doing or why it happened.

Ipodlounge itrip review

As for your order, oone guy called up and asked where his itrip was and they sent it right away. If your in europe, Griffin isn't sending them there because of the laws over there.

So, anyone with a itrip before i start designing my remote?
 
Has anybody else seen this?

May 09, 2003 - New Advanced iPod Dock Coming

We have had two different Taiwan contacts tell us that Apple is preparing what one source described as "an ultra-dock" for new design iPod. While specific features are not certain at this time, it is clear the new dock is headed toward production very soon.

What we are being told is that the new dock is intended to mate the iPod to a home stereo system, providing a variety of data management functions, multiple I/O connections, some intelligent music file management capability in the dock itself, and, according to one source, a wireless remote control handset. Both contacts spoke as though the product is a very near term item. However, we are digging deeper to locate the actual manufacturer, and to try and gather more specific information about features and release date.
Click to expand...

MacWhispers Article
 
Well, it is a very remote possiblity.
Sure it would be nice and all but it would have to be a bigger remote so as not to get lost.

Because if you had a remote the size of the (current) wired remote you would be able to drop it and never to be found again, so if you made it bigger so as not to disappear it would be too clunky.

Mabe use wireless over the AirPort to allow you to control it from a wireless computer.
 
As for the Mac Whispers thing:

Thats Jack Cambell's site. This guy is full of hooey. I would explain further but it needs its own thread.

It would great if true but I just don't see macwhispers/jack cambell as credible.

As for the wireless remote:

Think of it as a regular sized remote you might have for your tv or dvd player. Just throw the ipod controls on to it (scroll wheel, lcd screen, play/pause, etc.). I wish I was good at photoshop so I could make a picture. I'm not but maybe someone else could do it?

The airport thing wouldn't work well because then you'd have to have airport just to run a remote. It needs to universal so anyone in any situation could use it. A bluetooth dock and remote are the way to go.

I say that Apple will have this type of remote control out in November/December 2003. That's my prediction and I'm sticking to it.
 
hmm... thanks for that, i've been waiting months already :) i emailed 'em, will try calling if they don't respond. I want it yesterday dammit! :)

especially since it's illegal to drive with headphones here (i think) but i do every day to work... :( i just can't be without my QOTD soundtrack :)

pnw
 
Originally posted by bertagert
Snowy,

I want to use the bluetooth to transfer the playlist/songs/etc. over to the remote. Bascially, you would be holding the remote that looked exactly like the ipod but the remote of course doesn't have to hold the actual files just the songs. This way you could scroll right to the song you want just like on the ipod. I even want the lcd to see what weere doing.

Now we have to keep this on the downlow cause we don't want apple or anyone else stealing our thunder!

Think you could help me with that?
Click to expand...

I think that you're asking for something that only Apple could provide, at least without a tremendous amount of R&D. The connector on the bottom of the new iPods is a proprietary connector and only Apple knows what the communication protocol over that connector is. Further, to the best of my knowledge, there is no evidence that an audio signal can be sent through that connector. (I wouldn't be surprised if it could, but we don't actually know that it could.) So, I'd recommend that you either wait until Apple comes up with such a thing, or consider a much simpler remote akin to the wired remote that comes with the iPod (as that communication protocol could very easily be reverse engineered).
 
Originally posted by bertagert
The airport thing wouldn't work well because then you'd have to have airport just to run a remote. It needs to universal so anyone in any situation could use it. A bluetooth dock and remote are the way to go.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean putting 802.11x into the remote, I meant controlling the iPod from another computer using AirPort.
 
Originally posted by Wardofsky
I didn't mean putting 802.11x into the remote, I meant controlling the iPod from another computer using AirPort.
Click to expand...

why would you need to control it it from another computer? and yyou wouold have to have 802.11x in the iPods.
right?
 
not yet..

another member posted a thread like that. here are the drawbacks

1. they have to let some market share to the accesory companies.
2. it has not enough sound quality
3. ipod would become more heavy
4. it will consume more battery.
 
I think Apple will bring this out before to long. After thinking about it I've come up with the followinfg reasons:

1. This type of remote woould be well received because there are a lot of people that want to use the ipod as they're sole source of music playing on their entertainment system and not the cd player. Ease of use, a juke box with something the size of a credit card, having allyour cd's wrapped up in one solution, etc.

2. The ipod will not contain bluetooth or any other type of wireless communication. This will all be done in the dock. This because of size, battery and speed as said like above.

3. It will probabily be hard for a nice looking 3rd party solution because you would want the remote to act very similar to the controls on the ipod and Apple would probably grib over that.

I hope Apple does come out with one. Sell it $69.00 and they got a deal.
 
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