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Gigaware In-line Control With HD
Radio For iPhone
As soon as I pull the trigger on the Griffin
Navigate I talked about in the previous post, I find this: the Gigaware In-line Control with HD radio for iPhone. It allows remote control of your iPhone or Touch, and when used in conjunction with the Gigaware HD Radio app it doubles
as an HD tuner.
Sounds great in theory, but
I’m cool with the Navigate for now. The Gigaware costs a whopping $79.99 and
it doesn’t have an LCD screen like the lower priced Navigate. The app only works on devices running iPhone OS 3 to boot,
and I still haven’t made that jump on my Touch. That also means that it wouldn’t work with my 3rd gen
Nano, and that’s the device I like to carry around when I’m traveling light. Plus the few user reviews available
list poor HD reception and noise distortion as major issues.
So, as nice as it would be to have HD Radio
on my iPod, this isn’t the device for me, at least not yet. I’ll wait ‘til the reviews and the price get
better.
To Add An FM Tuner, Or Not To Add
An FM Tuner…
That is the question.
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to
wait, suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and add one now?
The device I speaketh of is my iPod Touch,
and the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that I suffer is that when I’m out and about, like today, and the Pats
(insert your favorite team here) are on, I need to carry my little micro AM/FM radio with me. Apple didn’t see fit to
bestow upon my Touch an FM tuner, so I have little choice in the matter. They added one to the latest generation Nano and
iPhone, but sadly, not to the Touch.
Luckily, there’s an FM tuner that
works with the Touch, iPhone and 3rd gen and up Nanos, The Griffin Navigate. It’s a slick little inline remote with an OLED screen, and it doubles as an FM tuner. It can also be used with Griffin’s
free iFM Radio Browser app, that will look up all the available stations in your area and auto program them into your Touch
or iPhone. Pretty cool!
Ay, but here’s the rub; 9to5Mac and other sources are reporting that there’s a dormant chip in the 3rd gen Touch, that when activated, will allow both Wireless
N and FM receive and transmit. Hmmm, sounds a little like their Bluetooth chip that an upgrade, for a price, to OS 3 gave
greater functionality to. It’s been hypothesized that Apple may unveil this little on board extra as soon as this January.
So, is it worth shelling out 50 bucks for
FM tuner functionality today, when the device may be unnecessary in a couple of months?
For me, yes. I have a 2nd gen
Touch and a 3rd gen Nano. The Navigate works with both devices and neither has the dormant onboard capability,
but if you own a new 3rd gen Touch, nuh-uh. Wait awhile, and you may save yourself some money. 50 bucks will buy
you a pretty decent dinner, or a couple of my T-shirts!
By the way, the Patriots bested those knaves
from Miami today, and I would have missed our plucky knights great moment of victory,
were it not for the lowly FM broadcast.
What say you now, Master Porter?
iPhone OS3: Gotta Have It, Gonna Wait...
Apple’s long awaited iPhone OS3 is out, and although I really want to download and install it right
now, I’ve decided to hold off for a while.
The reason? In a word; vacation.
Yup, I’m a chicken.
I’ve already got my digital bags packed, so to speak, and I’m not taking any chances this late in the game. My
2nd gen Touch has podcasts, videos, games, and most importantly, a boat load of music on it, plus all of my contacts and personal
email accounts. This will be my first “downtime only” trip in a long while, and there’s no way
I’m brickin’ that thing just before I leave.
There are always initial problems with any new iTunes
or iPod upgrade, and here’s why: There’s no way on Earth for Apple to test on every possible configuration out
there, because there’s just too many of them.
Different computer platforms with different operating systems at
different version levels, running different apps (also with different version levels), coupled with different iPod models
running different apps (also at different version levels!), makes almost every iPod user unique, and creating a one
size fits all product for them is a mind boggling task.
The trick is to hold off until Apple has time to address all
the little glitches that surface after a major release. It would be a double upgrade for me. First, I’d have to upgrade
to iTunes 8.2.23, then iPhone OS3.
In Apple’s iPod Touch discussions thread there are 163 pages
of user comments regarding problems with WiFi signal strength and speed after upgrading.
In the iTunes discussions thread there are 83 pages of comments regarding
iTunes not recognizing both iPhone and
Touch devices after upgrade.
So, while downloading movies via WiFi, or playing the iPod through
the car’s stereo via Bluetooth would be very welcome additions on a road trip, I’m going to pass for
now. Last minute problems would really harsh my vacation mellow, and that just wouldn’t do.
4th gen Nano and 2nd gen Touch
This year’s crop of iPods have all been tweaked up a bit, especially
the 4th gen Nano and the 2nd gen Touch, and either one would be a great gift choice for that discerning geek in your life.
The
Nano has been redesigned, again. It’s gone back to (roughly) its original size and shape, but with a few new
curves. It’s also got a longer screen coupled with an accelerometer chip that allows you to flip it sideways and view
it in wide screen mode. The chip also makes it possible to shuffle your music with a shake of your hand, and control game
play with a simple tilt of the device. Too cool!
Once again, Apple has doubled the memory of the Nano, this time to
8 and 16GB, while retaining the same price points, $149 and $199, and introduced yet another palette full of weird
and wonderful colors.
The new 2nd gen Touch has undergone a few changes also. It’s my personal favorite, and
by far and away the slickest personal media device on the market this holiday season. It’s still a bit pricey, but if
you’re looking for a gift with wow factor, this is the one. Billed as “The funnest iPod ever” by Apple,
it lives up to that claim and more.
From a design standpoint, the biggest change is that it’s grown external
volume controls and an internal speaker, and yet gotten even sleeker than the previous model. Add in improved video, ultra
responsive touch screen, push email, and the availability of a dazzling array of applications, and you’ve got quite
the package.
From a pure media player standpoint, the audio and video on the 2nd gen are excellent, but this device
is as much a handheld computer as it is a traditional MP3 player. The WiFi has outstanding range and response time, and the
device is loaded with useful apps right out of the box. Google an actor while you’re watching a movie, find out what
channel the big game is on while you’re parked on the couch, look up a recipe on the web while you’re cooking,
or check and respond to your email without having to boot up, pay for a monthly plan, or worry about running down your cell
phone. How sweet is that?
The add-on apps are pretty amazing also. Download Shazam, and you can hold the player up
to another music source and it will identify the music being played and retrieve it from iTunes Mobil, or store the info until
you’re in WiFi range, or until your next sync. Stream Internet radio with the Pandora app, or grab a game that takes
advantage of the accelerometer like Labyrinth or Super Monkey Ball.
The Touch comes in 8, 16 or 32GB models. Its OS
takes up about 1.5GB, so if you have a large media library and plan on downloading a lot of apps, you’ll want the 16
at least.
Check out the video review here on Cnet
Stuff we like:
iPod accessories
We're always on the lookout for accessories that combine good sound quality with
function, durability and cost.
This is a great HD table radio with a built in iPod dock, and perhaps the best
iPod accessory I’ve come across yet.
These are a must have if you’ve got a 2nd gen Touch and are interested in using it for VoIP or applications
like Shazam or voice memos, and at $13 they're a steal.
Beautiful design and great quality. The only drawback is that you can't use your headphones at the same time, but
with the built in speaker on the Touch it's not a problem.
Ear buds and canal phones sound great, but for me they get uncomfortable
after a while. They also block out a little too much of the real world for certain situations. That's why I'm always on
the lookout for really good portable headphones.
Check these Sennheisers out. Spacious sound with very good bass reproduction for
an open design. Light, comfortable and priced around $49. They also fold up and fit into their own case. I seriously
like the sound of these babies, they are by far and away my favorite travel and work accessory. Give them a listen, you won't
regret it!
I've also tried the 200 series, which are a more expensive, closed version of
the 100, and the bass sounded a little muffled. Remember, more expensive doesn't always equate to better.
An iTunes Mystery -
Solved
Back in November I did a post
on my blog called An iTunes Mystery - The Case Of The Disappearing Cover Art . I think I can finally say that the case is closed, mystery solved.
I was having problems with artwork disappearing
from iTunes, and consequently from my iPod the next time I synced.
I won't bore you again with all the details, but
you can read them in the link to the original post above if your not one of my three dedicated readers. The bottom line is
that once I unchecked “Automatically download missing album artwork” on the General Tab under Preferences, it
stopped happening. Although it was an intermittent problem, it's now been 5 months since I changed it and I haven't lost any
artwork.
Now remember, this worked for me on a specific platform (XP Pro/Windows Media Center 2005), and in a specific
situation (the disappearing artwork was all added by hand to ripped music when iTunes couldn't find it). This solution also
has one obvious drawback. While iTunes purchased music is still downloaded with cover art, once you uncheck the "automatically
download missing album artwork" box, music you rip and then import into iTunes won't have cover art. I think this is the lesser
of the two evils. I'd rather add cover art once when I import a song, then constantly have to re add random batches
of artwork. It was an insidious problem because usually by the time I noticed it I had synced repeatedly and then I'd have
to go back through the entire library looking for the newly naked tunes.
I finally decided enough time had passed
to give you an update on this one plus I noticed recently that the search keywords that bring the most traffic to
my site are variations on "Missing iTunes Artwork". I guess there are quite a few others out there who have shared my misery.
You know, I'm almost afraid to upload this, 'cause I know that as soon as I do...
Nah. Never happen.
Here's a fun thing to do with your iPod:
Our iPods have become our music source of choice in
our home and vehicles. Whether it's via a docking station or FM transmitter, they play through every device we own.
I noticed that visitors would invariably ask "Is this a radio station?" and that gave me an idea.
Being the gadget freak that I am, I have a little digital
recorder, an Olympus VN-3100PC that's about the size of a Nano and has a USB port for uploading the .WAV files it creates
to my PC.
When we have family and friends over to visit I hand them
the recorder and ask them to record "You're listening to Radio Free Boston" in any manner they see fit. The
only constraint is that they pause for a 3 count before speaking after they hit the record button, and a 3 count
when they're done before hitting stop. This is to have proper spacing on the track. It never ceases to amaze me how
many different spins people can put on this simple phrase!
Once I upload the files to my PC I import them into iTunes
as an MP3. Once I have them in iTunes I right click on them and select "get info", then add the persons name in the artist
field. Done.
Now the next time you're having a backyard barbeque and have
the iPod on shuffle, you'll randomly hear your 70 year old Aunt Mary or your 5 year old nephew Little Mikey booming out
of the stereo with your "call sign".
It's fun recording them, it's fun listening to them and it's
also a neat way to preserve memories. You don't need to buy a digital recorder, you can use a lot of cell phones and MP3
players as recorders or record directly onto your PC. You can also get the Griffen iTalk to record directly to your
iPod.
Radio you should be listening to:
WMVY is our all time favorite radio station. They play a great mix of Folk, Blues, R&B, Jazz and Pop and highlight
up and coming local musicians. This is a station that really bucks
the big corporate play list formula, and that's a pretty rare thing these days.
Listen to their live stream from the website or download a podcast. Also
available through iTunes. Be sure to check out Blues @ 8 and localmusiccafe.
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