Great advertisement by Ford Germany advertising bluetooth in Ford vehicles by showing iPhone/iPod headphones in various forms of knots.
Since the bluetooth on iPhone is reserved for only wireless headset they actually used WiFi to transmit data between the GPS receiver and iPhone. To make this possible the GPS receiver integrates a processor, Wi-Fi antenna, and even a microSD card slot to store the maps. The navigation software itself will also be accesssed via the WiFi GPS receiver using a web interface. The navigation software used and customized for LocoGPS is iGO 8.
Impressive young Skywalker, Hopefully they will ditch the web interface now that the SDK is available. Hopefully Apple opens up the bluetooth interface so this sort of overdone interface isn’t needed.
I will so buy one of these when it finally comes out. What took you so long, Apple?
Looks like Apple forgot to file for ye olde confidentiality agreement, but today an FCC filing showed off Apple’s latest device: the Mighty Mouse with Bluetooth. If anyone’s surprised, well, that’d be pretty silly of you being that a wireless / Bluetooth Mighty Mouse is what’s been asked for of Apple since day one of the peripheral’s release. So, who’s got odds that they’ll finally freaking fix those pitiful squeeze triggers on the side? By the way, for those not interested in poring over the manual, expect the “M6″ (the device’s listed codename) to be powered by AA cells — not by an internal rechargeable battery (i.e. don’t expect a little dock or USB plug, bucko).
Update 07/25/06: It’s been released!
An Apple exec talks about iPod integration in cars, and why Apple wants integration instead of add on stuff.
Borchers explained how Apple wants to steer consumers away from the inelegant mess of cassette adaptors and wires, which is currently the most popular way to rig an iPod into your car stereo. Apple itself has no interest in producing a car stereo, says Borchers, but is working with third parties to improve iPod integration in new cars.
I have such an inelegant mess, a Griffin iPod Cassette Adapter (with an dock connector instead of a mini plug). I looked at new stereos with iPod integration, I wasn’t that impressed.
Not only could I not find one with a bluetooth interface (that was only a few hundred dollars) but the interfaces suck too. I think I will hold off for a while until something really good comes out.
This came out of no where. Apple quietly introduced a new mouse today. “Yawn” you say, everyone has a multi-button mouse. Being Apple and all, they have some innovative features.
Innovative Scroll Ball and Button
Perfectly positioned to roll smoothly under just one finger, Mighty Mouse’s Scroll Ball offers full 360-degree scrolling capability — up/down, left/right and diagonally. You can scroll long web pages, pan full-size images, maneuver around large spreadsheets, control a video timeline and more. And you can even click the Scroll Ball to access your favorite Tiger features such as Dashboard, Spotlight or Exposé.
I’m buying one, and I will buy a bluetooth one when it comes out.
Update 08/02/05 07:00PM: The first review that I’ve seen is out. Looks like you can get them right now at the Apple Store. I suck because there is no Apple Store in New Mexico so I have to wait 5 days for shipping. I could have driven the nearest store and picked one up myself quicker than the shipping.
The first one that will be released is the Tungsten|T5. It will come with Cobalt, 128MB RAM, HiRes+, bluetooth, WiFi, and a 520MHz PXA270 chip. The slider will be gone, and the D-pad will be Tungsten|C-styled. The battery is good enough to survive a workday. Expect it in November.
The second model is the Tungsten|E2. It won’t be released before April 2005, and surely won’t have a HiRes+ screen. It will however run OS6, have 64MB RAM, and the same processor as the Zire72. The built-in bluetooth will be limited to 2 meter. The price will be around $250.
An OS6 upgrade will be available for the Tungsten|C and Tungsten|T3 a month after the release of the Tungsten|T5. The Tungsten|C will still be sold with OS5, but that will change as soon as the current model is out of stock.
Aw crap. Figures. Cobalt is the biggest driver for me to upgrade. Mainly I want to be able to use multiple apps at the same time (MP3 player and GPS for example). The good news, if this is accurate, is there will be a upgrade for T3 owners. So I will be able to hold off for a while.
A big “if it’s true” on all of this. That picture looks a little suspiciously photoshopped for me.
[Updated 08/01/04] It’s a hoax. Bummer.
The NR70V came out May 31st 2002. I bought one locally as soon as a store had one. It was my 5th PDA. My 1st was a orginal Palm Pilot. I bought it on eBay (my first eBay purchase that I paid way to much for) and I dropped it on a metal floor after 1 week. My 2nd was a Palm II, 3rd a Palm IIIxe. I may have broken the screen on one of them and the other one had problems from dropping it. In either case I was just looking for an excuse to replace them. My 4th PDA was a Handspring Color Visor. Nothing was wrong with it except it was big and clunky compared to the newest handhelds. I think I covered them all.
Sony has been the most innovative for years now. The NR70V was a great machine and although I had been dying to replace it with a Palm OS 5 machine I just haven’t seen anything worth it. The UX50 is nice but I never use the keyboard and would rather have the tablet form factor. Since I had to replace it I went with the Palm Tungsten T3.
The only problem with it is it doesn’t have WiFi. It does however have bluetooth and a tablet mode (virtual graffiti). I already have a bluetooth cell phone and mouse. The Sony’s have some cool stuff but there not worth the extra coupla of hundred dollars.
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