[Griffin via Gearlog]

The Griffin cable uses the Panasonic eXport port standard, which is approved by Apple under the “Works with iPhone” and “Made for iPod” programs. The eXport port technology is now available for licensing by other in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems manufacturers.

The port allows the IFE system to access and display the iPhone/iPod’s multimedia content. as well as navigate through the user playlists, and content-metadata like artists or genre. Right now, you can find it in United Airlines—only in first class—and Continental Airlines’ new Boeing 777s.

Hopefully, all airlines will now start including these ports in every single aeroplane seat out there, which would give me an excuse to stop flirting with stewardesses. If I were living in the sexy, glamorous and not-very-SFW 70s, that is. [Runway Girl]

By taking advantage of iPhone OS 3.0’s app integration, the iTrip accessory let’s you fiddle with your touchscreen rather than buttons on a tiny accessory:

Users connect iTrip to their iPhone or iPod touch running iPhone OS 3.0, open the app, and are greeted with a large, simple display showing tuning controls and a SmartScan button, Griffin’s trademark technology that instantly locates the best available frequency.

The iTrip accessory is available for $US50, while the corresponding app is free in the App Store. [Griffin]

Priceless Picks: Don’t let the advertising-crap-app appearance of Priceless Picks turn you off—this free download, branded all over with Mastercard, is great. It combines loads of data collected from a number of sources, including user submissions and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk army, to give wide-ranging recommendations for things to do, eat, drink or experience wherever you happen to be. There are other apps that do similar things, yes, but the dataset on this one already seems strong, the scope—not just restaurants, not just a particular company’s establishments—is healthy, and the 3D map presentation is fantastically cool, and surprisingly smooth.

Griffin iFM Radio Browser: A lot of people will download this assuming it’s a streaming radio app—it’s something else entirely, and actually quite exciting: iFM polls your location to come up with a list of local terrestrial radio stations, providing you with access to song titles, album art, artist info and purchase links for whatever’s playing on your FM station of choice. Think of it as augmented radio.

It’s also one of the earliest examples of accessory integration for OS 3.0, featuring a software interface for Griffin’s Navigate inline iPod remote, which has a built-in radio. Free. (The app, not the accessory. Sorry.)

Snore Patrol: Leave this app running overnight and it’ll provide a decibel readout of whatever weird nostril/sinus/lung business goes down in the duration. The idea is to present a snoring partner with graphical proof of their terrible flaw, which will in turn guilt them into doing something about it. It’s funny, but the pink interface and lady-oriented marketing is disheartening. Women snore too! MUST WE MEN SUFFER IN SILENCE? Your gynocentric passive aggressiveness: Free.

Squash the Street : If the economy’s got you down, and you’re vaguely upset about some fatcats on Wall Street, or at your banks, or something, why not direct a little bit of your pent-up aggression and/or depression into your iPhone? That’s what Squash the Street is for: Pure, possibly misguided venting. Neat 3D-ish graphics give this ultra-timely voodoo doll a bit of longevity. A dollar.

Cyclops: Barcode scanning apps are a no-brainer for modern smartphones: just snap a picture of a product’s label, and they’ll pull down a plethora of information. That’s exactly what Cyclops does. It’s not the first, but it’s the first designed around the iPhone 3GS’s new camera, which has good enough macro skills to make such an app truly useful. Free. [Via TUAW]

iMetal: There are many rules by which app developers live, some written, some not. One of the most powerful is the mandate that no hardware feature on any version of the iPhone shall go unused, or perhaps more accurately, unexploited. The iPhone 3GS utilises a magnetometer for its compass, meaning that it can detect when certain metals are nearby, and that someone could theoretically make an app that acts as a sort of makeshift metal detector. And since nothing stays theoretical for more than a week in the App Store, someone has: it’s called iMetal, and it’ll tell you when you’re iPhone is next to a giant piece or iron, or hovering somewhere near a neodymium magnet. As an actual metal detector, it’s basically useless; as a party trick, it’s pretty neat. A dollar.

The Typography Manual: To most, this app will seem esoteric, or at worst, plain boring. To type nerds, however, this is like kerned, serifed manna from heaven. As its name implies, it’s something of a typography primer and history lesson, but on top of that, it’s a visual glossary, a collection of clever type tools, a directory of keyboard combinations for special symbols, and quite a bit more. Five dollars.

World of Warcraft Mobile Armory: Anyone who doesn’t play WoW won’t know what this is, and doesn’t need to. Anyone who does can download it for free.

This Week’s App News On Giz:

• Portal Gets Played On an iPhone, Sort Of

• Google Now Finds Stuff Nearby Using Your Location in Mobile Safari

• Pizza Hut’s iPhone App Makes Pizza Ordering Easier, More Gimmicky

• iPhone Server Farm Puts Old Models To Good Use

• TwitVid for iPhone 3GS: Guess What It Does?

• TomTom’s GPS-Enhancing Car adapter Should Work With The iPod Touch

• Worms For iPhone: Same Game, Worse Controls

• TuneWiki for iPhone Is Now Fully Armed and Operational

This list is in no way definitive. If you’ve spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up or, better yet, your firsthand impressions in the comments. Have a good weekend everybody.

If there is one thing I like it’s elegantly combining two related gadgets into one useful device. Griffin has managed to do that with their Powerblock and Powerjolt Reserves.

The Powerblock is an AC charger that can power-up any USB rechargeable device—including your iPhone or iPod Touch. But the interesting part is that it also features a removable battery pack that delivers backup power when you need it (the reserve pack only works with iPods and iPhones). There is also a car charger version, the PowerJolt Reserve, that functions in the same way.

Griffin’s PowerBlock Reserve and PowerJolt Reserve are $US39.99 each. They can also be purchased together as the PowerDuo Reserve for $US59.99.

New USB Car and AC Chargers Offer Removable Reserve Battery for iPod and iPhone

NASHVILLE, TN – May 12, 2009 -Griffin Technology Inc., creator of all things iPod and iPhone, today announced the availability of both the PowerBlock Reserve and PowerJolt Reserve. Also available is PowerDuo Reserve, a bundle packaging of both PowerBlock Reserve and PowerJolt Reserve. These products offer the reliability of Griffin’s popular power solutions with the added feature of a detachable battery pack.

PowerBlock Reserve and PowerJolt Reserve charge any USB-rechargeable device, including iPhone, iPod and most MP3 players. PowerBlock Reserve is an AC charger with a detachable, rechargeable battery pack; PowerJolt Reserve plugs directly into the car’s cigarette lighter or 12 V DC power outlet and also features a portable battery. Users with a need for both home and car solutions may purchase PowerDuo Reserve, a bundle packaging that contains both PowerBlock Reserve and PowerJolt Reserve at a price lower than purchasing both independently.

The detachable battery for each product, Griffin Reserve Battery Pack, is rechargeable and snaps easily into the dock connector of the iPod or iPhone. For added play time and convenience, the Reserve Battery Pack is interchangeable between PowerBlock Reserve and PowerJolt Reserve for easy recharging on the go. Individually packaged Reserve battery packs will soon be available for purchase directly from Griffin Technology.

“The new PowerBlock Reserve, PowerJolt Reserve, and PowerDuo Reserve offer users a charging solution for the home, in the car and on-the-go,” said Mark Rowan, Director of Product Development at Griffin Technology. “With the convenience of the removable battery pack, iPod and iPhone users will never have to find themselves without power again.”

Key Features:

* Charges iPhone, iPod, most MP3 players and other USB-chargeable devices
* Removable Reserve Battery Pack provides additional hours of use time for iPod and iPhone
* Removable Griffin Reserve Battery Pack is interchangeable between the PowerJolt Reserve and PowerBlock Reserve
* Additional Reserve Battery Packs, available late Spring, 2009, provide added freedom and flexibility
* Lighted meter on Reserve Battery Pack indicates remaining power

Pricing and Availability
Griffin’s PowerBlock Reserve and PowerJolt Reserve are each $39.99, and PowerDuo Reserve is $59.99. PowerJolt Reserve and PowerDuo Reserve are now shipping and available through Apple; all models in Griffin’s Reserve product line are coming soon to www.griffintechnology.com and other major retailers nationwide.

[Griffin]

The Price: $US30

The Verdict: For the most part, it works. The cigarette 12V adaptor in my car does not charge my iPhone 3G correctly, but if I plug in through this converter, everything’s great.

The problem comes from the fact that it’s a pass-through, so if you’re not careful, the adaptor (and the charger) might snap off if bent too far in one direction. It also is awkward if you’re plugging your iPhone into this, and then into a dock from the top without proper support. There’s also the matter of it obstructing certain types of iPod/iPhone holders since they weren’t designed to have something in-between the connectors.

But as for being able to convert Firewire charging devices to USB charging devices, yeah, it works with most devices, but there were two “older” docks that we checked that it didn’t work with. So YMMV, since there are so many different iPod docks and chargers that have been made in the last five years. [Griffin]

Great when it works

Blocks or otherwise awkwardly arranges docking in certain chargers and accessories

Doesn’t work with all older docks and chargers, which makes this moot if you’ve got one of the devices it doesn’t work with

Griffin Technology Announces TuneBuds Mobile and SmartTalk Updates

Updated Earphone & Mic Solutions Now Extend Recording Capabilities

NASHVILLE, TN – November 10, 2008 – Griffin Technology Inc., creator of all things iPod and iPhone, today announced the availability of updated versions of their TuneBuds Mobile and SmartTalk audio solutions for iPhone and iPod. TuneBuds Mobile and SmartTalk are now both equipped with inline microphones compatible with iPhone, iPod nano 4G, iPod touch 2G and iPod classic 120 GB

“We upgraded TuneBuds Mobile and SmartTalk so that both iPod and iPhone users alike can record audio and enjoy a superior listening experience,” said Mark Rowan, Director of Product Development at Griffin Technology. “With so many great apps coming out on iTunes such as our recent iTalk Recorder application, we wanted to offer iPod users the ability to enjoy those apps that require an external mic.”

TuneBuds Mobile offers great-sounding earphones with crisp, clear highs and powerful, deep bass. The buds fit the ear snugly, with washable ear cushions in a selection of sizes, and conform to the ear for maximum comfort and sound isolation. Built-in is Griffin’s ControlMic, a high-sensitivity microphone and control button. Griffin has even given thought to the cord, made of nylon braiding for strength, good looks, tangle-resistance, and durability.

SmartTalk is a headphone adaptor solution with the same great microphone and control button features as TuneBuds Mobile, but which allows users to plug in their own favourite earphones. The noise-cancelling microphone ensures clean recording and conversations, and the ControlMic button allows convenient Play, Pause and Skip forward controls. SmartTalk features a 30″ cable sheathed in nylon braiding.

[Tunebuds and SmartTalk]

The Price: $US35

The Verdict: It works, and better than I expected. In search of some interesting test subjects, I turned to the latest Chicago magazine, mostly because I haven’t had a good steak in forever. With each shot taken from a few inches away, you can judge the Clarifi for yourself.

Without Clarifi

With Clarifi

Without Clarifi

With Clarifi

Which steak would you rather eat? Of course, there’s still the worthwhile question of whether or not it’s worth $US35 to get macro on your iPhone. But for what it’s worth, the case itself feels great in the hand, with just the right mix of plastic and rubber. If you’re the type who insists on putting a case on your phone, then why not get something a little extra out of it? Then again, the reception option might be more worthwhile. [Griffin]

The Price: $US70 list, $US40 on Amazon

The Verdict: It does exactly what it sets out to do–combine three common USB devices into one gadget. I never use the dock that came with my iPhone EDGE–since my laptop is my primary machine, it always felt like a waste to plug the cable into the dock and the USB to my computer only for a quick charge or sync when I could just attach the cable itself. But with the Simplifi, there is obviously more of a reason to use a dock, because it knocks out the flimsy individual SD and CF card readers I was previously using, and frees up two additional USB ports. A rubberised bottom and just enough bulk ensures it stays put on the desktop, and its Apple TV/Mac Mini design cues make it not too much of an eye-sore, unlike most USB hubs and readers.

It comes with docking trays that mate with the whole of the current iPod/iPhone line plus the 2nd and 3rd-gen Nanos, the colour-screen video iPod classics and all of the Shuffles, and a DC power adaptor for hook-ups that need more than just bus power, which also works fine for smaller USB gadgets. Its card reader functions are great–fast speeds, and support for the only cards I ever use: CF and SDHC/SD and its associated mini version via adapters.

One drawback is that it does not include the audio line-out found in Apple’s $US30 dock (which no longer comes bundled with any iPods/iPhones), so if you use that, Simplifi may not be for you. A third USB port also would have been nice (there’s room on the back), and at a list price of $US70 it’s a little steep, but $US40 at Amazon is a sweet deal, considering it’s just a $US10 premium over Apple’s dock. It’s available now. [Griffin]