Gigaware adapter brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80
By Darren Murph 
posted November 9th 2009 12:29PM
posted November 9th 2009 12:29PM
iBiquity has made its first foray into the mobile market and it's third in the portable market (Best Buy's Insignia NS-HD01 and Microsoft's Zune HD). Introducing the Gigaware Navigation Control HD Radio Receiver accessory and the HD Radio application. The accessory/app combination enables iPhone and iPod touch devices to tune into HD Radio broadcasts for the first time!
Adding HD Radio Technology to the iPhone and iPod touch (compatible with models updated with 3.0 software) is an easy two-step process:
▪ Step 1: Buy the Gigaware HD Radio accessory, designed for and sold exclusively at RadioShack for an MSRP of $79.99.
▪ Step 2: Download the FREE application by clicking on the Apple App Store icon on the actual device or though the iTunes' App Store link (under the Music category) in the top left column.
The application software, features an intuitive, user-friendly interface; a manual tune wheel or auto-seek option; and the ability to connect with friends through e-mail, Twitter and Facebook. Users can also preview content currently airing and directly select a main station or multicast channel stream, in addition bookmarking their favorite stations and multicast channels. An iTunes Tagging button on the Gigaware navigation accessory also allows users to "tag" songs for future review and purchase via iTunes.
Now, iPhone and iPod touch users can now enjoy the CD-like digital quality, crystal-clear sound from more than 2,000 HD Radio stations on the air, and 1,000+ new FM multicast channels (HD2/HD3).
Adding HD Radio Technology to the iPhone and iPod touch (compatible with models updated with 3.0 software) is an easy two-step process:
▪ Step 1: Buy the Gigaware HD Radio accessory, designed for and sold exclusively at RadioShack for an MSRP of $79.99.
▪ Step 2: Download the FREE application by clicking on the Apple App Store icon on the actual device or though the iTunes' App Store link (under the Music category) in the top left column.
The application software, features an intuitive, user-friendly interface; a manual tune wheel or auto-seek option; and the ability to connect with friends through e-mail, Twitter and Facebook. Users can also preview content currently airing and directly select a main station or multicast channel stream, in addition bookmarking their favorite stations and multicast channels. An iTunes Tagging button on the Gigaware navigation accessory also allows users to "tag" songs for future review and purchase via iTunes.
Now, iPhone and iPod touch users can now enjoy the CD-like digital quality, crystal-clear sound from more than 2,000 HD Radio stations on the air, and 1,000+ new FM multicast channels (HD2/HD3).
Aww snap, HD Radio in the hou--$80, what? WHAT?!
many people still listen to radio during their daily commute, including me, my local radio changed their HD2 channel from comdy to some dance music though, so ther'es nothing special on HD radio for me now.
I listen to TWiT podcasts on my way to work.
I'm just about to reply to your comment, but first....
.. a word from our good friends at Audible!
HD radio is nice to have (I use it on my Zune HD) but only if it's in the player itself. Definitely not worth dragging around another crappy accessory with cables, even if it was free.
Wow....commercials and lousy, repetitive programming on my iPod. And only $80!!
Don't AOL Radio and iHeartRadio have HD radio stations from across the country in 128k stream quality anyway, for free?
lol, 128kbps
am i the only one who thinks that HD radio is a scam?
what a waste of money
It's free...
On the Zune HD too.
If AT&T's 3G network wasn't so pathetic during my commute to/from work, I would delete all my music content and listen to everything via iheartradio, Pandora, AOL Radio, and Simply Media 2.
But, aren't we waiting for an OS upgrade from Apple that will supposedly enable the FM transceiver chip in the 3G/3GS and provide a native FM Radio application?
http://9to5mac.com/iPhone-fm-app
This article explains the Broadcom chips that have been in the iPhones. Initially, they were FM receivers, but the latest versions are FM transceivers, so we could even see the iPhone 3GS being able to transmit to a nearby radio, like my car that has no aux input.
Hurry it up, Apple. Don't spend another 9 months turning on a dormant piece of hardware.
Did that article also explain that having a chip with the ability to decode FM transmissions != the ability to take a radio signal and play it through the player? That other things like antennas are neccessary?
Because if that article didn't at least take into account that unless the wireless chip is connected to the headphone jack, it is unlikely the chip will even get a strong enough signal to decode it properly into music. Unless you live right next door to the radio station you want to listen to (which is how the existing Nike+ stuff works- only short-range signals)
No teardown of the iPhone/iPod has revealed either a large internal antenna nor a connection between the wireless chip and the headphone jack. That isn't to say it's definately not there...but it does mean getting your hopes might be premature.
audiophiles listening to the radio? on an iphone? are you kidding? go spam somewhere else.
Cool that the iPod Touch/iPhone are finally getting HD radio, but the dongle kills it. The radio addition is really only worthwhile if it's built in to the player.
What do you all use/want Radio for?
I personally want/use it for talk shows. Not music. Shows like Dr. Drew or NPR.
just NPR/ PRI / BBC
thats just another reason why i love the radio on the zune, my music and news on the radio.
Why the he*# would anybody buy this?
.
Ever heard of internet radio?
.
DOH
Are you saying audiophiles wouldn't use iPhones? Haha, how wrong you are.
The rollout of HD Radio is one of the worst handled, worst promoted things I've ever seen in the history of commercial radio.
But it still puts the non-marketing of DVD-Audio to shame.
I'd be more excited about this if there were more than 2 stations that actually broadcast HD Radio in my area. One of them is an NPR station and the other is a classic rock station.. No subs on either channel, and the classic rock station doesn't even display the song information right most of the time. With the economy in the toilet, most of the local stations aren't even considering the new format, especially when they have to pay a $5,000 (somewhere in that range) royalty to iBiquity per year. With that said, who wants to pay $80 for an HD Radio attachment for a format that is having a hard time getting off the ground.. If you live in an area where only a couple of stations are broadcasting HD Radio, then it's really not worth it.
Shoutcast or bust!
Nice, it's the U2 edition shuffle.
Dr. Spaceman,
You're right; they use them begrudgingly.
$80 for something that is free with ZZZZ with OLED screen...
$80 bux my behind..
If you wanted HD radio you should've bought a Zune HD. I love how people were saying "there's no FM radio because nobody wants radio on their iPod" yet Apple and others were still making and selling FM radio add-ons and now Apple has included FM radio. Now it's "there's no HD radio because nobody wants radio on their iPod" , we'll see if this sells or not. Companies, even those as shitty as Radio Shack, rarely invest the time or money to bring products to market that nobody wants. In a few years every Touch (or whatever replaces it) will have FM HD radio and you knuckleheads will be praising it as another Apple innovation.
If this device was priced for half as much I might've considered it but $80 to listen to HD radio when there's plenty of radio stations you can stream these days is a bit much.
On EDGE? Are you kidding?
GJ, Engadget comment system. This was a REPLY to a post above.
The newer iPhones are rumored to have a dormant FM tuner. Anyone know of an app to utilize that for a jailbroken iPhone 3GS?
I hate the music they play on the radio (My local station appears to rotate 6 songs... 3 of them are lady gaga.) but I do enjoy morning talk radio. I ride a motorcycle and use an FM radio on the way to work and Pandora on the way home. I'd like to have 1 device that does everything. I've tried OOTunes which streams from each local stations online radio stream and has all my local stations but it hangs. Sometimes it works the whole way to work, sometimes I might get 10 seconds of radio every 10 minutes.
if apple really gave a crap about its customers it would have included this for free like other companies. I would not buy apple. Far to underhanded with its customers and poor quality devices.