Apple to add Bluetooth to iPods?

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Apple to add Bluetooth to iPods?

Apple plans to introduce an iPod or accessory with Bluetooth wireless technology, according to Bogdan Nedelcu, automotive product manager at Motorola. In an interview on radio station France Info, Nedelcou reportedly said that Motorola is close to releasing a system that allows users to listen to music from their iPod through their car stereo speakers. He also said that users will be able to have hands-free conversations with their mobile phone through their car speakers.

At the DEMO@15! conference in Scottsdale, Arizona earlier this month, Motorola showed off a forthcoming product called “iRadio.” According to the company, iRadio will “mobilize hundreds of commercial-free Internet radio channels and your personal music collection, letting you enjoy your favorite genres, artists, and tunes whether at home, in the car, or on the go.” Motorola went on to state that the service “uses a high-speed Internet connection, Bluetooth technology, and a mobile phone to offer listeners a continuous entertainment experience—you can start a song on your car radio at exactly the point where you stopped it on your living room stereo.”

iRadio is planned for launch “later this year.”

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Comments

1

would bluetooth be added to current 4g ipods or future ones?

Posted by KAZ in Bronx on February 21, 2005 at 6:15 PM (PDT)

2

i liked it better the first time when it was called iTrip

Posted by Humungus in NJ on February 21, 2005 at 6:48 PM (PDT)

3

bluetooth is a far superior technology to FM transmission. You could actually get digital sound through BT. The new BT standard (BT 2.0) which is offered in the newest powerbooks, has an even faster transfer rate. Imagine if you could use your BT laptop in your satalite linked car to surf the internet via BT 2.0. Or have an “automatic” car kit hooked up via BT. You just get in your car, and your car uses your phone to work. But when you get a new phone, your new phone just works in your car. BT is awesome. Now with BT in the iPod, you could just play digital sound through you car stereo, or any other amplified source with BT capabilities. No station tuning, no bad reception… just link and go convenience. Its more secure than FM transmission (not that it matters for music) and its far more convenient. Oh, and BT isn’t a battery hog, it uses very little battery juice to do its thing… Get used to it, cause BT’s here to stay.

Posted by apple juice in USA on February 22, 2005 at 5:04 AM (PDT)

4

They’ve had a patent on this possibility for some time

Posted by Whyren in Midwest on February 22, 2005 at 5:58 AM (PDT)

5

im sorry apple juice but when im driving a car, i am keeping my eyes on the road and not on a computer surfing the net. Most people cannot even driving while talking on their cell phone. I have the iTrip for a bit now and ive never had any problems with interference or bad reception and it sounds just fine for me. BT is justfor people who want a status symbol. Improving SLIGHTLY on something that is only available is not worth the cost.

Posted by Humungus in NJ on February 22, 2005 at 4:06 PM (PDT)

6

Hey Apple, here is a suggestion. A talking Ipod that will read the MP3 tags and announce the name of the song, artist, and album before the song begins to play. This would be a useful feature for anyone who carries the Ipod in a pocket or purse and can’t always see the display. Perfect for those occasions when you wonder just who did that song or what album it was from and can’t access the display easily to find out.

Posted by Fred H. on February 23, 2005 at 7:31 AM (PDT)

7

Posted by Fred H. on February 23, 2005 at 7:31 AM (PDT)

8

Bluetooth a status symbol? C’mon. It’s far superior technology than transmitting a crappy analog signal to a receiver. I live in the city where the radio signals are too strong for my iPOD FM transmitter to work (any of them), and a bluetooth solution would be perfect. And it won’t just transmit sound, but data as well. I use a bluetooth connection for my phone and it’s incredible. 7-Eleven isn’t a status symbol, but I go there because it’s convenient!

Posted by bodom on February 23, 2005 at 9:49 AM (PDT)

9

Bluetooth is a status symbol. I mean does the wires from ur cell to ur ear annoy you that much to spend 80 bucks? I live in the New York City Metro area and my college is in manhattan and ive never had a problem there. Bluetooth is just another pointless product to keep techno-geeks feeling cool

Posted by Humungus in NJ on February 23, 2005 at 12:28 PM (PDT)

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