Mavizen myBlu solves the iPhone blues, adds caller ID / voice dialing to iPods

You all know by now that June is a long ways away, and even when that glorious month finally dawns, there's a good chunk of us who won't even be able to partake in the iPhone fun due to location. Thankfully, Mavizen has a svelte alternative to pair up the functions of your phone with your current dock-connecting iPod courtesy of the myBlu. This wired / Bluetooth device provides a wired set of headphones and a microphone that you connect to your 'Pod, while the integrated Bluetooth module syncs with your handset. Upon receiving an incoming call, the tunes are halted and the incoming number even shows up on your iPod's screen, quite similar to how the original ROKR functioned, except we're adding an external DAP. Aside from caller ID, it also supports voice redial, most recent call list, and adds an FM tuner to boot, and since it pulls power straight from your docking port, no extra batteries are necessary. Of course, for as sensational as this little gizmo sounds, getting it over here on American soil could prove to a chore in and of itself, but if you're down with locating a Hong Kong importer, you can snag one for around HK$598 ($77).

[Via Slashphone, thanks Kory]

[Thin Man @ Jan 17th 2007 8:17PM]

Very cool but the clarity of the call and how badly does it destroy the battery life is the question.

[nivz @ Jan 17th 2007 8:35PM]

Dont care how much battery it'll drain.. I want one... I mean how many times have you had to check your phn on the train or bus while listening to your ipod, worrying that you'll miss an important call? even a non important call.. This is genius.. and for $77, thats bloody cheap!!

[Ellianth @ Jan 17th 2007 8:39PM]

So why don't you set your phone to vibrate and ring, or just vibrate.

[Mark @ Apr 1st 2007 10:50PM]

Hey Nivz, it is finally arrived. MyBlu is available at MSGDigital.com for $89.99. If you buy it let us know what you think of it. I will grab one too.

[derek @ Jan 17th 2007 8:38PM]

That is pretty cool.

[nivz @ Jan 18th 2007 12:31PM]

@Ellianth

Well because, I have an O2 XDA mini S (HTC wizard) , which is kinda uncomfortable keeping in my jeans pocket. (Out of PDA phones i reckon the XDA mini S is actually smaller than others but it still is uncomfortable). Sooo most of the time I end up putting it somewhere in my jacket. So as you can imagine, vibrate doesnt really help.

[Mark @ Apr 1st 2007 11:00PM]

Ellianth, setting your phone on vibrate is one thing, but the good thing about MyBlu is that you can answer the phone call using the iPod and talk on the phone using the same set of headphones that you use to listed to your iPod. It simplifies the process and is very helpful.

[Zorque @ Jan 17th 2007 8:44PM]

It's kinda nice, but the external dongle seems like it would irritate me. It'd be really cool if they could just integrate it into the dock connector.

[mitch @ Jan 17th 2007 8:55PM]

Sounds good to me, but battery life could be a problem.

[bboyskidz @ Jan 17th 2007 8:56PM]

i reckon this is bloody pro.

now all they need to do is incorperate this into the logitech freepulse headset for complete wireless bluetooth control!!!

[Lachlan @ Jan 17th 2007 8:57PM]

i reckon this is bloody pro.

now all they need to do is incorperate this into the logitech freepulse headset for complete wireless bluetooth control!!!

[ScOObyDoo @ Jan 17th 2007 9:05PM]

Been out in the UK for almost 6 months now...

http://www.gear4store.com/product_details.php?&products_id=235

GBP50 with GBP9 shipping to the US.

[Kory @ Jan 17th 2007 9:10PM]

Hey, cool! I'm the person who sent this story into Engadget!

Woot, woot!!!

[Kory @ Jan 17th 2007 9:12PM]

By the way, I talked to the manufacturer, and they said these will be available here in the States in the next month or so. At your local Apple store, nonetheless!

How about that?!?!

[Mark @ Apr 1st 2007 11:10PM]

Kory, looks like it is available in the USA from MSGDigital.com and authorized distributor for MyBlu.

[Andrew Rahimi @ Jan 17th 2007 10:15PM]

Personally I find it stupid to go back to wired gadgets when bluetooth can do so much more. I use the iMuffs (http://wi-gear.com) and find that the best solution for now; caller ID BT wristwatch would be nice to go with the iMuffs though.

[jason @ Jan 17th 2007 10:21PM]

or, I could just pause my ipod, pull the earbud out of my ear and just answer the phone.

don't see why this is worth the trouble, let alone the money

[Josh* @ Jan 18th 2007 5:02AM]

Ohhhh why can't we all have a bit of your common sense jason. WHY????

The point of this is for people who listen to music and might otherwise miss a call. This allows them to keep their iPod in their pocket and leave their phone in a bag / case.

[Wolfrain @ Jan 17th 2007 10:58PM]

I have been using these for a month and I say they are truly the best accesories for the iPod, out of my twenty hour battery life on my 80 gig iPod I would say it takes about 1 hour and a half. The iMuffs are decent but these shows the caller ID on the iPod screen and you can skip throught the last 9 recieved numbers. FM radio as well. Firmware upgradeable and allows you to use your own headphones.

I heard on some forums that they were trying to be able to access the address book from the iPod.

[ENA5TEE @ Jan 17th 2007 11:43PM]

Thats awesome. I just bought some bluetooth headphones for my blackjack phone. Music quality is noticeably worse on bluetooth as opposed to wired headphones.

So instead of using my phone to play music via bluetooth, i can tuck an ipod in my pocket and use it as my phone/music player. SWEET!

I just might buy a nano for this.

[JP @ Jan 18th 2007 1:54AM]

Small Dog has had this out for some time http://www.smalldog.com/product/35528

Uses the now obsolete remote port, and no caller ID, but my dad has one for his Treo and loves it, and it doesn't drain the iPod battery.

[Steve @ Jan 18th 2007 5:28AM]

Think this is already on sale at the Regent's Street Apple Store in London. They come in black and white, though I wasn't clear how compatible they were with a wide variety of mobile phones. The website and packaging were a bit less than clear last time I checked.

[Xinerauqs @ Jan 18th 2007 7:06AM]

iPods = Lame.

[Richard @ Jan 18th 2007 10:30AM]

This is cool! Mavizen stuff usually is. But why pull out the corded iPod to check who is calling and risk unsightful iCord entanglement, when you could pull out the uncorded phone and have a look see...unless your precious iPhone is locked up in the Haliburton that is handcuffed to your wrist (couldn't resist).

[driftingdunk @ Jan 18th 2007 1:28PM]

The absolute best iPod accessory yet... The comment on the subway is the truth, 100%, The worst part is having your phone on, and a loud ringtone filling the bus, ferry or train...Now who is going to be the first mainstream company to manufacture this?..It wouldn't be that great if the phone needed to be wired, as keeping an 8125 and 80gb iPod wont fit in one pocket..

[lazygamer @ Jan 18th 2007 2:44PM]

I have one of these (the Gear4 bluEye version) and here's my thoughts:

Good:
With the bluetooth on standby, the battery use is negligible.
Having fully charged the ipod (5th gen), and taken/made a couple of calls, the battery ran dry only an hour earlier than without the bluEye connected.
Call making/answering is simple, and works well.
The FM radio got a better signal than the iPod Radio Remote.
The bluEye is firmware upgradable (via supplied USB adaptor)
Call quality is on a par with your average bluetooth headset

Bad:
The range on the bluetooth is poor, with the ipod in my jacket and the phone in my hand outstretched, the two can lose their bluetooth connection.
The FM radio, although it seems to be of better quality than the iPod Radio Remote, is a bit trickier to use (it does not use the standard radio interface, and can only be controlled by the bluEye.)
Receiving calls is fine (pausing and unpausing the music when required), but it does not resume when you end the call after first making it.
The ability to view your call list on your ipod is let down by the fact it only displays the number (not the name) and only logs calls made/received with the bluEye (not calls made on the phone itself).

[ThePete @ Jan 18th 2007 3:10PM]

I'm waiting for this:

http://www.jabra.com/JabraCMS/NA/EN/MainMenu/Products/StereoHeadsets/JabraBT320s/JabraBT320s

It's Jabra's BT320s. You need to get a BT adapter for your iPod (or other audio source) but the device lets you use your own headphones and it's not connected to anything aside from your head. I don't know about caller ID on your iPod, but you can check that by looking at the phone anyway. Seems odd to bother with your iPod for something like that, in my mind. Anyway, the BT320s is pretty small, very light, has a good battery life and the price seems to be pretty reasonable, too.

Just my two yen...

[tohams @ Jan 19th 2007 11:02AM]

Now if they add Shure's Push-To-Hear to that controller, you can get ambient sounds as well! What else would there be? (Well, I guess an adaptor to my office phone...)

[NeidRider @ Mar 8th 2007 7:01AM]

For those who know the shop: Brando sells these. Check brando.com.hk's iPod-accessory shop.

[Ellianth @ Apr 1st 2007 11:05PM]

Dude this post is like 2 months old :P.
My phone stops playing music when it rings. And the headphones i use also have a microphone on them. Anyway, how did you find this post?