Here come the iPhone hardware attachments

One week ago, I asked “Where are the iPhone hardware attachments” because I thought we’d see a lot of them in 2009, but we didn’t.  What a difference a week makes, especially when that week contains the huge Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which took place in Las Vegas over the last few days.  Quite a few vendors announced hardware attachments for the iPhone, and many of them were not the typical attachments such as cases and speakers.  Maybe this is the start of something new and 2010 really will bring us a large number of new and interesting hardware attachments for the iPhone.  Here are some of them that caught my eye.

External keyboards.  Even though the iPhone has Bluetooth, it has never supported Bluetooth keyboards.  The engineers at Ion Audio (a company previously known for audio products like turntables, drum kits and the like) announced a typewriter and piano keyboard that both work with the iPhone.  The iTYPE is a $112 full size keyboard, but unfortunately it only works with a dedicated app.  [UPDATE 1/13/10:  Here is a video from The iPhone Blog of someone using the device at CES, and the company representative says that the device will be out in the fall and will cost just under $70.]  You type into that one app, then you can copy your text and paste into anther app such as an e-mail, a text message or a word processing document.  Engadget has some good photos of the product.  It is an interesting idea, but I would probably prefer a smaller, folding keyboard that takes up less space for travel, much like the portable folding keyboard
which I used many years ago with my old Palm III.  The iDISCOVER KEYBOARD is a 25 key piano keyboard from the same company with a similar design.

Extra storage.  Engadget reports on the AirStash, a small device that will accept an SD card and then share the contents over Wi-Fi so that you can access files on your iPhone.  You can accomplish the same thing by putting files on an Internet server (such iDisk if you subscribe to Apple’s MobileMe) and then accessing those files using an app that connects (for example, Quickoffice can connect to your iDisk), but by using AirStash you avoid any security concerns you may have about storing files on the Internet, plus you can access the files even if you don’t have Internet access.

Universal remote.  If you want to use your iPhone to control your TV and related components, L5 Technology announced a small device that plugs into the dock connector on your iPhone to send or receive the IR signals.  You can customize the buttons (up to 100,000) and replace up to 1,000 remotes.  It will cost around $50.

Credit card processing.  I mentioned last week that two systems have been announced to process credit card payments on the iPhone.  One such device is called Square, and it comes from Jack Dorsey, one of the founders of Twitter.  The New York Times has an interview with Mr. Dorsey.  Mophie announced a similar product called Marketplace.

Improve your sleep.  WakeMate is wristband that you wear while you are sleeping.  It wirelessly talks to the WakeMate app on your iPhone to monitor your sleep patterns.  Tell WakeMate the 20 minute window during which you want to get up, and the app plays an alarm at the optimal moment during that 20 minute window based on your sleep cycle.  The app can also analyze your sleeping patterns and give you advice on how to get better sleep.  The device will cost $50.  [UPDATE:  Here is more info on the product from Macworld.]

Watch TV.  Mophie teamed up with FLO TV to develop the Juice Pack TV for the iPhone 3GS.  Like other Mophie Juice Packs, this is an iPhone case that contains a battery to extend your iPhone’s life.  But this version also contains a receiver for FLO TV, a network available in most major cities that streams live television from popular networks.  For example, you can watch a live game on ESPN.

Watch more TV.  iPhone Alley reports on an interesting, upcoming product called Monsoon Volcano.  The device contains a digital receiver to get live over the air television, which it can then stream to an iPhone.  You can watch the video on your iPhone anywhere, so it does place shifting like a Slingbox.  You can be in Chicago and watch the game being broadcast on TV in your home in New York.  The device can also record video for later viewing, so it works like a DVR, and you can remotely control the DVR to record or play back recordings.  It also allows you to play internet video.  The cost will be $200 to $300 depending upon the storage.

Baby monitor.  Dexim announced a $40 baby monitor that will stream video over Wi-Fi to your iPhone.  It contains a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts for up to four hours.

Improve your grip for games.  Tunewear announced a $20 device called Game Handle.  It doesn’t actually connect to the iPhone’s electronics, but instead it is just a case that is in the shape of a game controller designed to provide a better grip when you are playing iPhone games in landscape view.  The Helix Gaming Grip is a similar device for the same price.

Speak into the mic.  Microphone manufacturer Blue came out with a new version of its Mikey iPhone mic, a $100 retro-looking microphone that lets you record audio on your iPhone in high quality.

A car.  Admittedly a car is a rather expensive hardware accessory for an iPhone, but the upcoming Chevy Volt electric car will be able to talk to an On Star app on the iPhone.  You can get info on how much charge your car has left, you can lock or unlock the car, remotely start the car (warm it up on a cool day or vice versa), etc.  The iPhone Blog has a video from CES showing off the features.

There are some interesting products here, and hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg and we will see a lot more throughout 2010.