iPod Shuffle: The perfect Apple GSM Phone ?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Up to a couple of months ago I used to think the iPod mini would evolve (?) into a GSM phone. But now I think there is a much more evident candidate .

The iPod Shuffle.



Here is how and why .



- The GSM phone would be contained in a small USB Shuffle cap , like the lanyard cap complete with a 4 line display with adress book and call functions.

- The GSM phone would only make calls ( NO SMS, NO PDA functions )

Simple and to the point.

- It would store call data in the Shuffle flash memory.

- The GSM USB cap would have a lanyard attached to use it as you use it now.

- It would only have a small mic in the GSM USB cap. The earphones would function as the phone speaker.You speak by holding the Shuffle upside down while hanging from your neck.

- No ringing !!!! The call would only signal through the earphones with a simple beep, eventually interrupting while you listen to music.



Price. 99 USD.



What do you think ? A minimalist phone attached to your neck-hanging iPod ?



Makes sense ?



It does to me .



I hate pda-cheapcamera-pda-ringtones-allinone-annoying phones.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally posted by nsousansousa

    I hate pda-cheapcamera-pda-ringtones-allinone-annoying phones.



    Ignoring the fact that producing a cell phone small enough to clip onto the shuffle would likely push it into statospheric pricing, I'm not sure that you'd like a cheapphone-cheapmp3-annoying phone any more than you'd like the smartphones that you deride.



    If you are looking for a cheap basic phone that doesn't take up much room, buy a Sony Ericsson T39 on ebay. It has bluetooth, for your iSync pleasure, yet is a very basic phone.
  • Reply 2 of 21
    cubistcubist Posts: 954member
    Maybe it could use the Shuffle feature to call someone in your address book at random!
  • Reply 3 of 21
    jaredjared Posts: 639member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by cubist

    Maybe it could use the Shuffle feature to call someone in your address book at random!



    I was waiting for someone to say that
  • Reply 4 of 21
    Quote:

    [i]



    If you are looking for a cheap basic phone that doesn't take up much room, buy a Sony Ericsson T39 on ebay. It has bluetooth, for your iSync pleasure, yet is a very basic phone. [/B]



    Nah...Don't really feel like wearing a T39 around my neck... ;-)



    So, you think the price would be the only obstacle to producing it ?



    I think it would be really cool... It would sync with Address Book as soon as you plug it in ( as well as with iTunes). You could talk handsfree without wearing a silly earpiece...





    Me likes... !

    I 'm just no fan of the newer phones...I think simplicity is still the better way.
  • Reply 5 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally posted by nsousansousa

    So, you think the price would be the only obstacle to producing it ?



    Well, price and a whole pile of technical hurdles, I'm sure.
  • Reply 6 of 21
    I don't hate phones, I only hate the people that use them with no manners (you know who you are!)



    Anyhow- now that I'm used to being able to take a picture of, say, neat things at MacWorld and email it to my sister in NY by just pressing a few buttons, or to know that the ringtone I set to my boss is ringing at dinnertime so, hmmm, do I answer?, or even that my daughter can send me a movie of where she is at midnite so I won't worry, well- I'm used to that, and I wouldn't give it up-



    I think if Apple is going to come out with a phone (and service, if what I've read at other sites has any believability), they're going to have to give me something I can't get otherwise- syncing is a big one, quick and cheap internet connectivity (via bluetooth?) as well as file sharing for my laptop/pda is another, maybe even iSight chat. Oh, and of course, the size of the phone would have to be small, and it would have to be dropdead gorgeous. . .



    No?
  • Reply 7 of 21
    None of the limitations you imposed on your concept are actually the important ones, aside from the 4 line display and keypad, which bulk up the form factor. You can buy a chip that's smaller than 10mm square that can handle more features and comm functions than you can fathom. By far the biggest component in the Shuffle is the battery, followed by the mini-plug connector, followed by the operation switch. The chip and flash are small.



    Moreover, GSM is dying really fast in the USA. In Europe its days are numbered as well, but it will be a while until it's gone completely. Of course, there's no reason a true 3G chipset with limited multimedia functionality could be used.



    The big problem is that in order for the display and the keypad to be usable, it needs to be much bigger than the iPod Shuffle itself. At that rate you have at least a Motorola Razor, or whatever, and it's entirely trivial to throw in the Shuffle chipset and flash into that form factor. Perhaps this is why Motorola is already making iTunes phones that we'll see soon.
  • Reply 8 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Splinemodel

    None of the limitations you imposed on your concept are actually the important ones, aside from the 4 line display and keypad, which bulk up the form factor. You can buy a chip that's smaller than 10mm square that can handle more features and comm functions than you can fathom. By far the biggest component in the Shuffle is the battery, followed by the mini-plug connector, followed by the operation switch. The chip and flash are small.



    Moreover, GSM is dying really fast in the USA. In Europe its days are numbered as well, but it will be a while until it's gone completely. Of course, there's no reason a true 3G chipset with limited multimedia functionality could be used.



    The big problem is that in order for the display and the keypad to be usable, it needs to be much bigger than the iPod Shuffle itself. At that rate you have at least a Motorola Razor, or whatever, and it's entirely trivial to throw in the Shuffle chipset and flash into that form factor. Perhaps this is why Motorola is already making iTunes phones that we'll see soon.




    I wasn't thinking of a keypad. Just a step forward - backward using the player controls.

    Keypad is out of the question. The whole dialing process would be done through name selection on a syncable address book list.

    ( Number dialing is two much of a hassle in the 21st century ;-))

    The small plugable cap with the GSM phone , not 3g , just plain GSM, would probably be small enough, but I agree the Shuffle would have to have a more generous battery capacity.

    When you plug your Shuffle to the MAc or PC the revamped AdressBook Application would sync with it updating NAme and number data but also downloading all the call records . This way you would have them in your PC or MAC, and not on the phone.



    Hell, Address Book could even calculate your charges using your call plan !

    The shuffle would be just for quick name selecting , calling and answering.



    Imagine ....

    Your listening to your favorite tunes and you hear through the earphones a gentle beep, you flip the Shuffle in your neck and see who's calling.... and click in the Play button twice ( or any other Shuffle key combo) to answer...

    Heaven.



    ;-)
  • Reply 9 of 21
    I don't think they'd base a phone on the Shuffle. The mini or the full-size? Sure, why not?



    If they decided to make an iPod phone (and that's a big IF), it could basically look like a typical iPod or iPod mini. However, when you either receive a call, or want to make one, you simply open the phone (slider style, rather than flip-phone style... that way, you get to re-use the same screen). All of the standard number buttons are now displayed, and the iPod is automatically switched into phone mode. And if you have to navigate any phone-related menus, the iPod's wheel is still available, so you don't need any buttons aside from 0-9, *, and #.



    Of course, little features could be implemented, like automatically pausing your music as soon as you open the iPod into phone mode. And when you close the iPod, returning it to music mode, it starts playing again.



    Could be very cool. I'd definitely want one.
  • Reply 10 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally posted by nsousansousa

    I wasn't thinking of a keypad. Just a step forward - backward using the player controls.

    Keypad is out of the question.




    It's possible, of course, but without a keypad you're eliminating the potential for text messaging, which is a staple in the only market where GSM has any longevity: Europe.



    You'd also have to do something creative with the antenna, like winding it into the lanyard, because in such a small device the reception would be otherwise miserable. But that's not a big issue. The big issue is trying to find a display that you can use functionally on the Shuffle, given that it's very small, and that operation would be very clumsy with only a scroll button.
  • Reply 11 of 21
    Basic concept would be like this.



  • Reply 12 of 21
    I see what you're getting at, but an LCD screen is at least 2.0mm thick, and you need to allow at least 1.0mm for the bezel. Plus you'll need an LCD that has a very high resolution. A 16x4 graphic display needs at least 96x32 pixels, and needs to be I don't know if there's anything on the market today that will suit those needs.



    The mini dimensions of note are:



    width: 25mm

    thickness: 8.4mm



    Now, given the recent developments in thin-film polymer-matrix batteries, thin-flim "digital ink" displays, and etc, it is conceivable that fairly soon the technology will exist to cram a cell-phone chip (1mm thick), a board (1mm thick), a diplay (1mm), and even some space for an additional battery (3mm). That would be a pretty tight squeeze, but it would work.
  • Reply 13 of 21
    dglowdglow Posts: 147member
    An Apple ad-on won't turn the Shuffle into a phone, but Apple will build the Suffle into one.



    It will be a proper phone, with a speaker, ringer, and screen larger than a postage stamp. Ringing through earbuds only is complete nonsense.
  • Reply 14 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dglow

    An Apple ad-on won't turn the Shuffle into a phone, but Apple will build the Suffle into one.



    It will be a proper phone, with a speaker, ringer, and screen larger than a postage stamp. Ringing through earbuds only is complete nonsense.




    The thing is, a third party developer could theoretically develop a GSM phone that plugs in as such. If you can find the right components, it's a one person job. Maybe 3 to 6 months of work and testing.
  • Reply 15 of 21
    dglowdglow Posts: 147member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Splinemodel

    The thing is, a third party developer could theoretically develop a GSM phone that plugs in as such. If you can find the right components, it's a one person job. Maybe 3 to 6 months of work and testing.



    3-6 months, really? If I my ask, what information do you have to make that assertion?



    My point was less about feasibility than usability, and was biased against the mockup above I suppose.



    Still, a phone add-on that's only usable when plugged into the Shuffle, but then has two batteries as a result? Bad form, IMHO.
  • Reply 16 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dglow

    3-6 months, really? If I my ask, what information do you have to make that assertion?



    My point was less about feasibility than usability, and was biased against the mockup above I suppose.



    Still, a phone add-on that's only usable when plugged into the Shuffle, but then has two batteries as a result? Bad form, IMHO.




    I'm not sure what you're getting at with "two batteries." It would need it's own battery, since without a doubt the Shuffle battery is not linked to the USB port. I agree with you, though, about the usability. I think it's an idea that wouldn't turn into money very well.



    As for the design/development, I design commercial electronics and RF devices. I say 3 to 6 months because that's how long it would take me to do it. Now, I'll be boastful and say there aren't a lot of people who could singlehandedly do the job, but regardless, I'm sure I'm not the only one.
  • Reply 17 of 21
    gongon Posts: 2,437member
    Shuffle isn't going to work right as a phone no matter what kind of thing you attach to it. But I'd like to see a small phone with a simple interface like a wheel only, a small screen, and the iPod functionality. Numbers could still be input through the wheel but the majority of number input would be through Address Book, vcards, etc. Then it would just need to serve as a BT modem and I'd be set.
  • Reply 18 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Splinemodel

    I'm not sure what you're getting at with "two batteries." It would need it's own battery, since without a doubt the Shuffle battery is not linked to the USB port.



    I am sorry but you are wrong here. The shuffle is charged when plugged into an USB port, so definitely the battery is connected through the USB port.
  • Reply 19 of 21
    dglowdglow Posts: 147member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by nsousansousa

    I am sorry but you are wrong here. The shuffle is charged when plugged into an USB port, so definitely the battery is connected through the USB port.



    Perhaps what Splinemodel refers to is the Shuffle's inability to power another device via its own battery. This is something a client USB port does not allow for. Thus the 'two battery' situation: any add-on will require its own source of power.



    Splinemodel, it's cool to hear about your background. I worked with a pair of very talented EEs who did a complete smartphone hardware design. Since I was on the software end of things it always amazed me what the two of them were able to accomplish. I often find software geeks to be jealous of the hardware guys that get to play in 'the real world.'



    Of course, these guys' development cycle was far longer than 3-6 months, but that was four years ago. I know an insane amount of silicon integration has occurred since then - entire sets of formerly discrete radio components are now baked onto the silicon and whatnot. Surely this has sped up design cycles, then?
  • Reply 20 of 21
    The charger may be connected to the USB port, but the charger then runs at 5V, and the battery starts at 4.2 and discharges to 2.5 or so. I highly, highly doubt that the Shuffle sends battery power over the USB link. It clearly receives power from the USB bus, but I doubt that connects to the internal DC power system of the Shuffle, which is more than likely not 5V.
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