IMOD
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Color mirasol-equipped Freestyle Audio DAP gets spec'd, no closer to release
Well, wouldn't you know it? Just after we bash Qualcomm for talking up its second color mirasol-based design before shipping the first, along comes a little justification of our actions. Over in San Francisco, said company is trumpeting an item that we first heard about back in May, but regrettably, it doesn't sound as if we're any closer to getting a release date. What we are told is the device's name: the Freestyle Audio Soundwave Ltd. Edition, or -- more formally -- the FA300. It'll boast a 0.9-inch color mirasol display, a waterproof casing, built-in Bluetooth, and a whole host of other niceties that we're sure to find out about before the next decade dawns. 'Til then, we'd suggest a hearty helping of patience.
Qualcomm announces first IMOD-based Mirasol displays
You've got your LCDs, you've got your OLEDs, and you've got your E Ink, but Qualcomm's gearing up to push a new kind of display your way: the technology's called reflective interferometric modulation (IMOD), which is something of a mouthful, so Qualcomm intends to market it as Mirasol. These IMOD displays should have many of the same qualities we've come to know and love about OLED, like low power consumption, visibility in outdoor lighting, and no backlighting requirement, and apparently the first, very tiny 0.9-inch Mirasol screen will be showing up in a future Freestyle Audio player (technology sample shown above).Read - Press releaseRead - Mirasol site (not a lot there, unfortunately)
Lubix's UBHS-PH2 sports world's first MEMS display
Oh goodie, a world's first. This time it's courtesy of Lubix's UBHS-PH2 Bluetooth headset sporting Qualcomm's Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) display. The reflective display sports Interferometric Modulation (IMOD) technology to avoid battery-draining backlighting. Otherwise, we're just looking at the nub end of a stereo Bluetooth 2.0+EDR headset presumably offering the same A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, and HFP profiles available in their rest of their lineup -- which isn't a bad thing.Read -- Lubix UBHS-PH2 Read -- Qualcomm MEMS display
Red Wine iMod: audiophile iPod mod
Audiophiles are a picky bunch and willing to pay out the nose for the privilege of (perceived) improvements in audio quality. Audio Junkies has the story that Red Wine, a purveyor of "battery powered purist hi-fi," is planning to offer their iMod modification for 5th generation iPods (they previously offered an iMod for 4th gen iPods). Basically, they bypass the iPod's built-in (relatively low quality) audio amplifier and send the line-out signal straight from the internal Wolfson Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) to the iPod's Dock connector. Together with a proprietary Dock cable this allows for improved audio quality using an external amplifier.The iMod will be offered at the end of this month for $249 and you have to supply the iPod. Obviously this isn't intended for all those 128kbps MP3s you got from Napster years ago, but for high quality encoding using something like Apple Lossless.[via Engadget]
Red Wine Audio's iMod hack tweaks the iPod for audiophiles
Granted, the untouched iPod doesn't sound half bad to the average ear, but for the audiophiles in the house, you all somehow know better. Enter Red Wine Audio, which took its discerning ways and channeled them into a nifty iPod hack that "reduces the analog signal path by taking the signal directly from the internal Wolfson DAC and then hard-wiring it to the dock connector." Additionally, the original case was stripped in favor of a bulkier, roomier aluminum shell that could house the new electronics, and "high-end Black Gate non-polarized NX-Hi-Q coupling capacitors" were used to ensure the highest audio fidelity. Onlookers noted that they "couldn't tell a difference" between the iMod iPod's WAV playback and a normal CD player, and while the company looks to be readying these pre-modified units for sale by the end of the month, there's no telling how many hundies you'll be throwing down for it. Click on through for a few more snaps.Update: Looks like Red Wine Audio will actually be modding user-provided 5G iPods for a charge of $249 (plus $15 for shipping). Be sure to hit the read link for the latest.
New display tech could make mobiles "glanceable"
We hesitate to bring up anything to do with the ongoing debacle that is SPOT, but the guys over at Microsoft's most left-of-center division helped popularize the concept of "glanceable" information -- ubiquitous, high-demand data (weather reports, for instance) that can be gleaned quickly and with little or no user input. Cellphones, despite the fact that they have ready access to such data, have been largely left out of the party; always-on displays are a backbone of the glanceable concept, and the dazzling, hi-res screens necessary to keep the modern consumer entertained drain far too much power to be left on when no one is interacting with the device. Manufacturers have taken baby steps to solving the power problem by introducing OLEDs, but more is needed. Qualcomm, when it's not busy filing lawsuits, has been working on its iMoD (short for Interferometric Modulator) technology, which uses an array of microscopic mirrors to stay highly visible in well-lit conditions. Meanwhile, Philips spin-off Liquavista is taking the electrowetting approach. Either way, we're all for always-on cellphone displays that afford us more than a few hours of standby, but both groups have yet to name any commercial devices in the pipeline. In the meantime, there's still a chance to jump on the glanceable bandwagon -- grab a handful of Ambient Orbs, turn down the lights, and soak in the psychadelic data.[Via textually.org]
iMod, YouMod, WeAllMod for the iMod Hifi Audio Mod
If you've been dreaming of "A tighter, more articulately defined bass" and "A firmer and more expansive image" for your 4G iPod, look no further than the Red Wine iMod service. For $199.00 plus $15.00 return shipping, your 4G iPod will be modded as follows: New SMT Coupling Caps after the Wolfson DAC DHLabs silver wire connecting the DAC's output to the 1/8th inch jack (rendering it only a line-out jack) Bypass of the Opamp output stage after the DAC Bypass of the surface mount components in the signal path Free battery installation If anyone has A-B tested the audio between a standard 4G iPod and an iModded iPod, please let me know in the comments!
