Monday, July 30, 2007

The Apple Blog (2 сообщения)

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The Apple Blog, published by and for the day-to-day Apple user, is a prominent source for news, reviews, walkthroughs, and real life application of all Apple products.
http://theappleblog.com
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  • Of iPhones and Hearing aids…

    Yes, I realize I brought up this topic before, but I wanted to revisit it, now that the beloved iPhone has landed. My hope is that some people can answer a couple of questions I have:

    1. M3/M4 Hearing-aid compatibility?

    - This is a quick one: how well does iPhone play with hearing aids? In the past, GSM phones have been known for their terrible interference with hearing aids when in a “telephone/telecoil” mode. My Verizon-based Treo is okay with my ‘aids, but my dad’s Cingular-backed Blackberry (fairly recent model) is terrible. If I remember correctly, the U.S. has some sort of law now in effect that most cell phones be compatible with hearing aids, so this might not be a problem.

    2. Better headphones?

    - Apple’s been including the white earbuds with iPods since day one, so this may not change, but I’m not a big fan of them, as my ears are already too crowded. There are some that agree with me, but for different reasons. Indeed, these earbuds don’t fit too well in smaller or differently-shaped ear canals. I’m a frequent user of the around-the-ear (”studio-style”) headphones, which often provide better bass, and keep out outside noise better than Apple’s earbuds. I take the Metra train on my commute into Chicago, and most people on the trains use something other than earbuds because of the noise.

    This will especially be an issue with the iPhone, as you can’t answer any calls with your average set of headphones… if you can even get the plug to fit without an extra bulky adapter. Are there any 3rd party headphones coming for the iPhone that will allow for answering calls?

    Sadly, due to the lack of advanced Bluetooth in the iPhone, we’re unable to use stereo Bluetooth headsets. Here’s something funny, though: Bluetooth often causes interference with telecoils in the form of a “click… click… click…” sound, but my Motorola Bluetooth headset works fine for me. Are they improving the Bluetooth spec?

    3. Volume?

    Even if I don’t use the “telecoil” mode to use the iPhone, will it be as loud as my Treo? I was unable to really test the volume, as the times when I was testing the iPhone, it was in noisier areas. My Treo 650 is great for volume… how does the iPhone compare when you put it up to your ear to make a call?

    Note: The M3/M4 compatibility may not be as much of an issue on second thought: the two primary sources of interference with the telecoil of most hearing aids are the Bluetooth/GSM chipsets (CDMA is not quite as severe) and electrical interference from the display screen backlight on some phones. Older Motorola phones were especially bad, giving off a horrible “bzzttt” while the backlight was on. If the iPhone turns off its display, then that may be fine. Hopefully, they’ve worked out the radio interference issues. Some of this same interference is the reason that we’re asked to turn off our phones when getting ready to fly.

    If any of you current iPhone owners out there are familiar with what I’m talking about, and have answers for these questions, please drop me a note in the comments slot below. Thanks!

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  • Traveling with a GPS and an iPod

    I have recently found myself traveling to new locations that I have never been to before. For these treks, I usually take my Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS which I hook up using my tape adapter. However, this knocks out my normal use of my iPod for music and podcasts on my trip. Perhaps you are like me and would like to still use your iPod while you are driving.

    There are several ways around this. Anyone could simply print out directions and refer to them while driving. While this is the easiest solution, it also makes me uneasy in the car when the directions get local or off-highway. If you can easily read directions while you are driving in a town, this might be the way to go.

    I could get a new GPS that can control my iPod like a TomTom. This makes me think I should have picked up a TomTom instead of a Garmin. A GPS that permits the use of an iPod is a great idea. TomTom is supposed to be making a GPS that allows you to dock your iPod into it (Link), although, I do not know when it will be available.

    Everyone could wait for Apple to come out with its own GPS/iPod device. There were rumors of this device, but no official word exists. This would be very interesting if Apple did indeed create a GPS system. Personally, I do not suspect that Apple would be introducing a stand-alone GPS system, but would expect Apple to integrate GPS into the very popular iPhone. The iPhone already has multiple functions, why not add one more thing?

    Hackery is always a solution. Connecting both the iPod and the GPS through a tape deck or auxiliary in. My car does not have an auxiliary in, so I have to use my tape deck adapter. I am sure with a trip to Radio Shack, I could create or pick up a mixer. Connect the GPS into the mixer, connect the iPod into the mixer, and make sure the GPS can be heard over the iPod. A more advanced solution would involve a dock connector that would pause the iPod while the GPS outputs a signal. I don’t know if I have the know-how for something like that, but I’m sure someone out there does.

    I have been using another method to ensure hearing the iPod and the GPS. I attach headphones to my GPS and place one earbud in my ear for GPS notifications and plug the iPod into the tape adapter. I have tried using the built-in speaker of the GPS, but that means I have to listen to my music at a very low volume. If anyone has other ideas how to put together an iPod and a GPS let everyone know in the comments section.

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