Is Touch 2G waiting on devs for voice apps?
There are over 13 recording Apps for the iPhone, but zero for the Touch 2G. What's the holdup?
During last week's review of the second-generation iPod Touch I uncovered something interesting: the new Touch hardware supports recording input through its headphone jack, but there's no software to take advantage of it. It seems odd, but Apple representatives confirmed the details with me by phone. Existing iPhone voice-recording applications aren't yet compatible with the iPod Touch 2G, and Apple hasn't developed their own voice recording application for the Touch, like they have with the 2G Classic and 4G Nano.
So, what needs to happen in order to get recording Apps for the second-generation iPod Touch? Well, first off, Apple needs to release its two headset options (due out in October), which are required to enable the voice recording functions of the latest Classic, Nano, and Touch. So far, we've been able to use the 4G Nano's recording feature by plugging in an old iPhone headset, however, third-party iPhone headsets with in-line microphones don't seem to do the trick.
The second part of the equation is software, and Apple seems to be pointing to application developers to provide the solution. At least, that's the sense I got from Apple last week. Considering that there are over 13 voice-recording Apps written for the iPhone, I shouldn't think it would be too hard to port a few of these existing Apps over to the new Touch.
There's more potential in a microphone-enabled iPod Touch than basic voice memos, however. This thing has VOIP written all over it. Up until now, making a VOIP call on the iPod Touch took some jailbreaking and some unofficial hardware to get the job done.
An official VOIP App might be a tall order from Apple, considering the restrictions it's already placing on Apps that don't fall in line with Apple's own best interests. Personally, I don't think that a VOIP-enabled iPod Touch comes close to competing with the go-anywhere calling ability of the iPhone, but Apple and AT&T may not see things as I do. If so, unofficial VOIP Apps for the iPod Touch will likely be one of the best reasons to jailbreak the device, and an exciting space to watch in the coming months.
Anybody out there hell-bent on getting their iPod Touch to work as a VOIP phone? Be sure to share your ideas and opinions in the comments section.
Donald Bell is CNET Reviews' senior editor for MP3 players and portable audio, and one half of the MP3 Insider blog and weekly podcast. He also likes getting his hands dirty with digital audio tools for musicians and DJs.
Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.
Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.
Probably requires the big VOIP provider to make it - exactly what AT&T would block/protest. I'm not sure they could legitimately block a "Touch-only" app, though. I suspect their exclusivity contract is limited to the iPhone.
Please forward this to Jobs.
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by limweiseng
October 9, 2008 7:13 PM PDT
- But VOIP (FRING) is off once you exit to use other apps like music, etc.
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(3 Comments)Kind of doesn't work like computer where you can leave the VOIP/messenger on standby with online status.
I try to Fring-ed it without earphone mic and guess what.
I heard a repeat sound of myself coming from the speaker but it didn't goes to Fring.
The delay sound was like half second.
Does that mean iPod Touch actually has built-in mic but not enable?