The Dialive Bluetooth stereo audio adapter

Logitec is selling a new Bluetooth stereo dongle called the Dialive that lets you wirelessly stream audio from a cellphone, MP3 player, personal video player, etc. to your stereo over Bluetooth (sort of like the AP 11 from icombi that we covered back in March). Not bad, but how badly do you need to use Bluetooth to beam music to your stereo from your iPod, as opposed to doing it on the cheap with either a $10 FM transmitter (the Dialive costs something like €180) or just hooking everything up via a cable? It'd be one thing if you could use Bluetooth to stream stereo audio directly from your cellphone/iPod/portable video player to your stereo, but there are hardly any cellphones or MP3 players that support A2DP (one of Bluetooth's stereo audio profiles) on the market yet.

[Steve @ Dec 19th 2005 12:14AM]

"hooking everything up via a cable" is a better way of doing this?

I'm sorry, I must've clicked on the "EnLuddite" blog instead of Engadget. I guess it's time I exhume my corded Ma Bell telephone too.

[Peter Rojas @ Dec 19th 2005 12:14AM]

I never said it was better, just that is MUCH cheaper (like $180 cheaper). There's a cost/benefit to going wireless (at least with Dialive), and most people will probably not really see the point to spending two hundred bucks for this.

[Brion @ Dec 19th 2005 12:14AM]

I would pay about $50 for something like this if my BMW stereo supported it. The FM transmitter sound quality is pretty rough to deal with.

I am not at all thrilled with the idea of paying $150-$200 to buy a BMW or 3rd party Ipod adapter for the car. I suppose even at $200 I would almost prefer a solution like this, because I could possibly use it outside of the car.

Speaking of ELuddite, though - this is a bluetooth device. Bluetooth seems to be rappidly becoming a luddite technology, esp. with the recent announcement that Bluetooth is joining UWB.

[dhpss @ Dec 19th 2005 12:14AM]

My Dell Axim X50v supports BT High Quality Audio profile! :-)

[scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:14AM]

whatever happened to the griffin bluetrip and the belkin tunestage? are either actually happening? they were both promised march 2005 at CES. peter - time for an investigation?

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:14AM]

Would the sound quality be any better than with the typical FM transmitter?

[aws910 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:14AM]

dhpss, have you tried the HP Bluetooth wireless headphones with your X50v? They work great with my iPaq 6315 (with a slug for a processor) and at $95, I guess they are a bargain!

[aws910 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:14AM]

dhpss, have you tried the HP Bluetooth wireless headphones with your X50v? They work great with my iPaq 6315 (with a slug for a processor) and at $95, I guess they are a bargain!