Filed under: iPod Family, Bluetooth, iPhone
Brando offers A2DP adapter for iPhone & iPod touch
A lot of folks had been hoping for support for the A2DP Bluetooth audio stack in the 3G iPhone. (A2DP allows for stereo music over Bluetooth in addition to the standard mono Bluetooth headset audio.) Unfortunately, Apple did not gratify this particular wish, but now Hong Kong-based accessory maker Brando is stepping to the gap with the INFINXX AP23. Basically, it's a small dongle that plugs into the iPhone or iPod touch Dock port. You can then sync a pair of Bluetooth headphones (with microphone) to both the dongle and the iPhone allowing for phone as well as music support. While the INFINIXX is far from the first A2DP Bluetooth dongle, it is one of the smallest (~5 grams) and clearly takes its design cues from the iPhone.
The Brando INFINXX AP23 is $62. Standard shipping is $3 (7-20 working days) while express shipping (2-7 working days) is $39.
[via Gizmodo]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Unknown said 8:27AM on 7-18-2008
FINALLY: Those that don't care about the quality of their audio reproduction will stfu!!
No, BlueTooth in any form has been hype from day one... cool name, cool logo... but only delivered on one, perhaps, two, useful promises: wireless telephone quality audio for phone calls, and wireless file transfers (so long as the files are tiny... BT is slower than USB1).
A2DP quality, while better than previous BT implementations, is still woefully lacking when compared to wired audio. It simply does not do the iPhone justice, and with the Steve being such a perfectionist, its easy to see why he left it out (along with Flash and Java... just didn't cut the mustard for his elite tastes).
What these whiners SHOULD be complaining about is that there is NO quality wireless stereo audio available anywhere... and its friggin' 2008!
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chair_tard said 8:32AM on 7-18-2008
FINALLY: Those that don't care about the quality of their audio reproduction will stfu!!
No, BlueTooth in any form has been hype from day one... cool name, cool logo... but only delivered on one, perhaps, two, useful promises: wireless telephone quality audio for phone calls, and wireless file transfers (so long as the files are tiny... BT is slower than USB1).
A2DP quality, while better than previous BT implementations, is still woefully lacking when compared to wired audio. It simply does not do the iPhone justice, and with the Steve being such a perfectionist, its easy to see why he left it out (along with Flash and Java... just didn't cut the mustard for his elite tastes).
What these whiners SHOULD be complaining about is that there is NO quality wireless stereo audio available anywhere... and its friggin' 2008!
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Bender Bending Rodriguez said 9:02AM on 7-18-2008
We are in the minority, but A2DP is pretty bad for listening to audio if you aren't an audiophile, which I am not. Plus, it drains your battery quickly. If you think you BT Jawbone for calls was a power eater, you're going to hate A2DP.
On the other hand, Apple should have included support for it.
Joel said 9:08AM on 7-18-2008
It seems that adding an open standards method of controlling a media player and wirelessly transmitting audio from it would interfere with Apple's ability to collect licensing fees for accessories. Currently all third-party accessories that connect to the dock connector can only be sold if the maker of that accessory pays 10% of the wholesale price of that device to Apple. With the addition of AVRCP (which is a profile supported by many A2DP accessories) iPod remotes could be made and sold that bypass Apple's licensing fees. With the addition of A2DP then household wireless streaming solutions would be available for the iPod (and could potentially compete with airtunes).
As for quality A2DP equipment is available with a range of audio quality capabilities. A2DP offers some sampling rates that are below CD quality (16khz and 32KHz) along with a CD quality sampling rate (44.1 KHz) and one that is slightly above CD quality (48KHz) in 16-bit stereo. While you may have had experience with lower quality A2DP devices, those devices are not representational of the limits of A2DP quality.
The historically used bit rate for tracks purchased from iTunes (128 kbps) is slightly below CD quality. So A2DP is capable of transmitting the audio signal with no perceptual audio quality loss.
xcrunk said 9:01AM on 7-18-2008
Open letter to Apple:
Apple, PLEASE will you add a speaker and camera to the touch? Pretty please?
I already have a cell phone(BB) from work. I don't need a second phone. But I just love that you can take pictures and mail them with the iPhone. And surfing while listening to music via speaker is neat.
Please...
Thanks. That will be all.
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Data said 9:04AM on 7-18-2008
iAgree with the quality part, but i think they did not activate this feature because it drains the battery, and we know how good battery life is with the 3G.
Even do the quality is not up to par with wired , i would love to have the abillity to use a wireless Stereo head set, wich i also can use to answer phone calls with, and the tech is in the phone it's just not activated, so i hope there will be a hack, or even better een official update from Apple to activate it.
I don't use my iphone for High quality audio any way , because of the lack of space , so i don't mind if the quality of BT is a little less then wired,so i rather be able to listen to music and answer my calls without having to take out my phone.
Apple PLEASE open up de BT stereo on the 3G. ;-).
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Tired_ said 9:15AM on 7-18-2008
The $64,000 question is: How much battery time does this eat up? I don't want one if it means my battery life is down to an hour.
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Bob said 10:53AM on 7-18-2008
I want this in a dashboard mount with a GPS chip in it for the iPod Touch so turn-by-turn GPS software can be added along with bluetooth cellphone connectivity and a FM transmitter (standard features on modern GPS devices). Just clip in your iPod and you have turn by turn GPS, your music through your car stereo and hands-free phone calls. Are you listening, 3rd parties?
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Nathan Palmer said 11:04AM on 7-18-2008
Does this mean you could use voip with the iTouch? Because it lets you have an audio in.... right? Maybe I missed something, but that feature alone makes me want one for my current iTouch.
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Chris Aubeck said 12:10PM on 7-18-2008
I use BT on my iPod Touch virtually every day. I alternate between different kinds of dongles, two of which slot straight in like the one pictured, and two slot into the earphone jack. The latter are powered by their own batteries, which makes the iPod battery last much longer, and themselves take around 6 hours to drain. For listening to music at the best possible quality I use in-ear earphones, but I also use the iPod to listen to the news, podcasts and so on, during which hearing every belch and creaking chair would actually be detrimental to the experience. Used with the Motorola S9 headset I don't mind listening to music, either. Curiously enough, as I type this, a song by Liu Fang is coming through loud and clear on the speaker in the kitchen, from my iPod in the bathroom.
However, I see no reason they can't make a smaller dongle, as they have done for the USB ports on PCs, instead of the standard paddle hanging off the iPod pictured.
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TeflonFong said 1:29PM on 7-18-2008
I have a iPhone 1.0 and have been using the iCombi adapter from Oakley- i use it in combination with Lubix LC1 headsets which is great because I can skip tracks (forward and backward) volume, and pick up/end calls without touching my iPhone. I am very picky with my music, but I am willing to sacrifice a little on audio quality- apple was never known as the best mp3 player for quality anyways.
My Lubix rivals my Sony Nudes in audio quality- i dont get the bass or the highs as well on the Lubix but in general they sound great. The music I listen to is a lot of reggae- foundation, culture/roots/conscious and R&B which are not very demanding.
For superior quality I use my Creative/Sony Nudes (I want to try Shure, but am lacking funds currently) combination and use those when I am on long trips or I really want to listen to a particular album.
the Lubix/iCombi situation is ideal for public transport/commute/college life. It was truly ideal for my study abroad in Germany on the Sbahn. The battery life is sufficient- the iCombi itself uses the iPhone and is not self-powered. On Airplane mode you can still use the Lubix because it is the iCombi itself that is supplying the bluetooth. It is necessary for the bluetooth to be on however for the Lubix to be used as a headset. I would recommend the Lubix/Icombi for iPhone users...the Lubix is also easier to pair than the Motorola S9.
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Tim said 2:27PM on 7-18-2008
It has electrolytes!
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nz said 2:29PM on 7-18-2008
I don't understand, though. Is this a software problem, or hardware? Will my 3G ever have A2DP without a dongle?
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Joel said 8:43PM on 7-18-2008
I think it hasn't A2DP by design.
dave said 4:42PM on 7-18-2008
I'm wondering if the microphone would work on iPod Touch. It might be a good way to Voice Over IP. Of course the best course of action here is for Apple to simply address the issues that revolve around their Bluetooth implementation.
Or maybe I should say lack of implementation, as they have completely forgot about many key profiles that the community at large could make use of.
Dave
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KyleK said 8:16AM on 7-19-2008
Has anyone tested the iLuv i151 BT dongle with the iPod Touch or the iPhone? I can't find any info whether it works.
Thanks!
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