Griffin iTrip now features iPhone OS 3.0 integration

Griffin, known for its accessories for the iPod and iPhone, has just announced its latest and greatest (though just how great is still in question). The latest iteration of the iTrip takes full advantage of iPhone OS 3.0, allowing you to control the FM transmitter from your iPhone / iPod touch itself. Aren’t luscious touchscreen controls preferable to the iTrip’s tiny buttons anyways? In addition to app integration, the transmitter features track and artist information on RDS-compatible radios, SmartScan technology for finding the best available frequency in any locale, and a micro-USB port for charging any USB-powered iPod or iPhone from a charger. iTrip is available for $49.99, and the iTrip Controller software can be downloaded for free from the App Store.

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Griffin iTrip now features iPhone OS 3.0 integration originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPod touch with “built-in video recorder” not for sale at Dabs

At this point, it’s pretty clear that something went horribly wrong in the development of the iPod touch causing Apple to remove the camera somewhere late in its lifecycle. But if you really need more evidence, take a look at the latest circular from dabs.com, a well-known UK retailer and official Apple reseller. This flyer was recently mailed to subscribers and still lists a “built-in video recorder” as a feature. Of course, clicking through reveals the same ol’ iPod touch launched sans camera. While the error could be explained as a simple editing mistake in the creation of the advert, we doubt that’s the case — not with all the case leaks, rumors, and that mysterious internal gap just big enough for a camera sensor. Honestly, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple sneak out a camera-enabled iPod touch replacement during one of its infamous “The Apple Store is down!” Tuesdays.

[Thanks, Peter M.]

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iPod touch with “built-in video recorder” not for sale at Dabs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Navigon adding live traffic to iPhone navigation app, asks ‘TomTom who?’

Practically all summer, the buzz surrounding TomTom’s forthcoming iPhone GPS app was near deafening. But said noise apparently didn’t penetrate the labs at Navigon, as that very outfit has produced what’s easily the most full-featured option on the market today. Just a week after updating the already-great app with text-to-speech, iPod controls and location sharing, the company is now proclaiming that live traffic will splash down in October (at least in North America). The update will enable the software to utilize real-time speed data from drivers currently en route as well as historical information in order to alert you of slow-downs and re-route you when necessary. We’ve personally seen live traffic functions fail more often than not, but we’re giving Navigon the benefit of the doubt here until we can test it ourselves. Best of all, it’ll only cost MobileNavigator users (priced at $89.99) a one-time fee of $24.99 for lifetime traffic, and if you snag it within the first four weeks after it goes on sale, that rate drops to $19.99. So, TomTom — what now?

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Navigon adding live traffic to iPhone navigation app, asks ‘TomTom who?’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New iPod touch gets a speed test, zips right on by

The new generation of the iPod touch, we’ve been told, is roughly 50 percent faster than the previous iteration. Well, the fine folks over at the iPhone Blog have done a bit of information collecting on just that topic — to see if Apple’s latest is actually that much faster. Both Macworld and TUAW did testing which showed a reduction in boot times from 31 to 19 seconds, web page loading (using the New York Times) went from 34 to 15 seconds, while app launching saw time reductions across the board. So — in essence — yes, the newest iPod touch is about 50 percent faster than the previous model in terms of performance. Hit the read link to hear even more tantalizing details.

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New iPod touch gets a speed test, zips right on by originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MovieWedge beanbag keeps your iPhone upright, costs ten bucks

You know, 2009 is turning into a banner year for pillow-assisted gadgetry. Not only has Philips introduced the CushionSpeaker, but we’ve just been hepped to a similar idea for the portable media set, an iPhone / Zune / etcetera stand called the MovieWedge. If you’ve ever wanted to spend $9.95 on a bean bag, now’s your chance, kids — this guy’s shaped like a pyramid, constructed out of micro-suede (perfect for wiping your display free of fingerprints) and who knows? It may free you from the tyranny of having to hold your iPhone upright on long plane rides. But one thing it won’t free you from? The shame of spending ten bucks on a beanbag. Peep ‘er in the gallery below.

[Via PhoneMag]

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MovieWedge beanbag keeps your iPhone upright, costs ten bucks originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier iPod touch with camera leak vindicated in light of 3rd gen teardown

That mysterious 6- x 6- x 3-millimeter slot found within the most recent iPod touch teardown? We were pretty sure it was the eventual resting place for a camera sensor, but now we’ve got mounting evidence with the discovery of a missing link. If you recall, there was an August-borne leak of an iPod touch with camera that showed said slot filled with a chip that, in hindsight, looks to match up well with the video camera sensor in the 5G iPod nano (check out step 17). This revelation doesn’t get us any closer to snapping videos with the touchscreen PMP, but we do have a few more questions for Steve to dodge.

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Earlier iPod touch with camera leak vindicated in light of 3rd gen teardown originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3rd gen iPod touch gets torn down, 802.11n and possible camera slot found

There’s no denying that Apple let the entire world (yes, even the native Easter Islanders) down by not shoving a camera of some sort into its iPod touch, but if a delicate teardown completed by the screwdriver-wielding fiends over at iFixit is any indication, a seasoned modder could certainly add one. A 6- x 6- x 3-millimeter space was spotted between a Broadcom chip and the wireless antenna, which is reportedly not enough room for an iPhone-esque sensor, but just enough space for the video camera module found in the 5G iPod nano. In potentially more interesting news, the aforesaid Broadcom BCM4329 chip actually supports 802.11n. For the nerds in attendance, you’ll recognize that even the iPhone 3GS can’t handle those high-speed airwaves. Furthermore, the chip supports FM transmission, so at least theoretically, the device could stream tunes to your old school stereo through an open FM station. Eager for more? Tap that read link, buster.

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3rd gen iPod touch gets torn down, 802.11n and possible camera slot found originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone OS 3.1 enforcing Exchange device encryption, only supported by iPhone 3GS

Noticing a “Policy Requirement” error when trying to use your Microsoft Exchange account after upgrading to OS 3.1? Then there’s a good chance you’re not using an iPhone 3GS, as Apple has just confirmed via a support page that the upgrade can now enforce the Exchange ActiveSync mailbox policy requiring encryption on the device, which just so happens to only be supported by the 3GS (guess that “S” stands for more than just speed). Not surprisingly, the only solution for non-3GS users is to contact their Exchange Server administrator and hope that they’re willing to change the policy to no longer require device encryption.

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iPhone OS 3.1 enforcing Exchange device encryption, only supported by iPhone 3GS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: The iPod touch and the big picture

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

In a New York Times interview of Steve Jobs conducted by Engadget columnist aspirant David Pogue, Apple’s CEO suggested that the company did not include a camera on the iPod touch because the company was now marketing the iPod touch as a game machine and that a camera was not germane to such a device. “We don’t need to add new stuff,” said Jobs.

But why is adding a digital camera any less germane to the portable game device of the iPod touch than it is to adding it to the media player of the iPod nano? Or, if price is an issue, why not exclude it only on the entry-level model? The iPod touch market will soon be large enough to support such diversity. And if the iPod touch is indeed being marketed as a gaming console and a low-cost point of entry to the app store, excluding a camera disrupts the continuity of the touch/iPhone platform, while the iPod imaging message is now more muddled: If you’re buying the iPhone 3G, you can capture stills but not video, while the “lower-end” iPod nano offers video capture but not stills, the iPod touch offers neither, and only the iPhone 3GS offers both.

Continue reading Switched On: The iPod touch and the big picture

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Switched On: The iPod touch and the big picture originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kaleidescape joins the iPhone as a remote party

It is only a matter of time before every single company in the world makes some kind of iPhone/iPod Touch app and if you make home theater gear that mean it is a remote. Remotescape for the Kaleidescape is the latest addition and from the looks of the Youtube video embedded after the break, it is a pretty slick mix of gestures and cover art goodness. The bad news of course is that the graphics in the interface are on par with the rest of Kaleidescape’s products and the price tag is $69 — but if you dropped the $50k on the Kaleidescape media server, then you probably think that is cheap for a iPhone app.

Continue reading Kaleidescape joins the iPhone as a remote party

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Kaleidescape joins the iPhone as a remote party originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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