Filed under: Audio, iPhone, iPod touch
AirPhones turns your iPhone or touch into a wireless speaker
AirPhones is an interesting application for your iPhone or iPod touch that turns your mobile device into a set of wireless headphones. The idea is similar to Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil, but instead of routing audio from your Mac to an Airport Express, AirPhones sends your Mac's audio to your iPhone or touch connected to the same WiFi network. For this to work you have to install the free Mac server application. It adds an additional output device to your Sound preferences pane. Once that's installed on your Mac you'll also need the mobile application (iTunes link) installed on your iPhone or iPod touch. After they're connected through the same network, your handheld should play your Mac's sound output.
This actually strikes me as a great idea. I spend a lot of time at my work desk listening to music through headphones and I inevitably get tangled up in the cord. My main concern, I suppose, would be running down my iPhone's battery, but that may be worth it to get rid of that cord.
AirPhone is $4.99 from the iTunes Store. You'll also need to download the server application from smashart. Unfortunately, the server app is Intel only, but they're promising both a Universal binary and a Windows version in the future.
[via 9 to 5 Mac]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Gary Fung said 12:29PM on 2-27-2009
Doesn't this just kills your battery? Doesn't sound like a useful app at all
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joelisfar said 12:35PM on 2-27-2009
It's very useful when you realize how much cheaper it is than an Airport Express ($99), if you liked using AirTunes for wireless music throughout your home.
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newave said 12:42PM on 2-27-2009
This would be great if it works in conjunction with the apple remote app for the iphone. Basically you could have a ipod/iphone speaker dock in another area of your house (say the bathroom) and control itunes from that area and then have the audio play through that speaker dock.
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Dave said 1:43PM on 2-27-2009
I agree. Maybe this is something we'll see in a future version of Remote. If not, maybe Apple will allow background apps so one could use AirPhones to listen, and Remote to control iTunes.
rayray14 said 1:44PM on 2-27-2009
If you jailbreak your iphone, you can enable background applications and switch back and fourth between apps seamlessly
Rick Stratton said 1:01PM on 2-27-2009
I wonder how well this works when using it for things like EyeTV, or watching a movie in iTunes. One of the problems I had with using AirFoil/AirportExpress for this type of application was the wifi latency, causing a lip sync issue. For $4, it might just be worth a try. At the very least, it would be nice to listen to music from my mac mini media center while walking around the house. My current solution (bluetooth headset) works only so long as I stay in the same room as the mac mini.
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Mark said 1:15PM on 2-27-2009
I'm kind of wondering how this will impact battery life, and if the program terminates after your iPhone/iPod Touch goes to sleep mode.
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rayray14 said 1:45PM on 2-27-2009
Just a quick FYI that there's a slight delay when watching videos.
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Rudy said 1:56PM on 2-27-2009
$4.99? ouch.. if it were $1.99-$2.99 i would consider it
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Hobbes said 2:03PM on 2-27-2009
Why don't you write your own App and then give it away for free?
Luigi193 said 4:40PM on 2-27-2009
He was just expressing an opinion...
Modano said 4:53PM on 2-27-2009
Really? "Ouch" over a measly couple of bucks difference? Really?
newave said 1:59PM on 2-27-2009
Actually now that i think about it, I already have an old airport express i could hook up to my bathroom speaker dock....
Still it would be cool to have it built in.
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mr. Obsession said 2:06PM on 2-27-2009
Cool idea...price is fine...
But the execution is weak.
No support for multiple sources.
No way to listen to audio at source of origin AND on iPhone - it mutes your computer while the iPhone's streaming.
Hopefully, these glaring oversights will be fixed in the near future. It's potential is AWESOME.
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Adrean said 2:18PM on 2-27-2009
"Use the iphone to wirelessly listen to my music"
That makes no sense!!!
Why don't you just use the iPod app on your iPhone to listen to your music???
Isn't that much easier???
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Will Scott said 2:39PM on 2-27-2009
"That makes no sense!!!
Why don't you just use the iPod app on your iPhone to listen to your music???
Isn't that much easier???"
Give you a quick example of how I'm using it:
I have larger than iPod capacity music laptop on my mac, I have my iPod sitting in my dock by my bed, connected to my main speaker system (which my mac isn't). I can now play any track from my mac - whether or not it is on my iPod and change tracks without moving from my desk.
And for £2.99/$4.99 - well worth it!
Soybean said 3:16PM on 2-27-2009
I might use this to listen to satellite radio while cleaning the house until Apple allows a Sirius player app in the App Store.
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J said 3:19PM on 2-27-2009
First post... but I had too, how is this different then saaaay... SimplifyMedia which is free!
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Yves said 3:20PM on 2-27-2009
"I have larger than iPod capacity music laptop on my mac, I have my iPod sitting in my dock by my bed, connected to my main speaker system (which my mac isn't). I can now play any track from my mac - whether or not it is on my iPod and change tracks without moving from my desk."
Why don't you use simplify media?
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spookysean said 3:24PM on 2-27-2009
Odd - I am looking for the exact opposite - something that will allow me to listen to the music on my iphone over my Airport Express - or does that exist already?
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