Apple has updated a knowledge base article for those “Unable to use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth with iPhone or iPod touch because there’s no address listed for the device”, which is something we’ve heard quite a bit about lately. The four-pronged approach:
Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings
Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
Restore the device via iTunes
Take your iPhone or iPod touch in for repairs.
Apple finishes off with some extra advice:
If the device shows an address in the Wi-Fi Address field and you are still having issues using Wi-Fi, refer to article 305715 for additional Wi-Fi troubleshooting tips. If the device shows an address in the Bluetooth field and you are still having issues using Bluetooth, refer to articles HT1843 and HT1664 for additional Bluetooth troubleshooting tips.
If any of that works for you, let us know in the comments. If it doesn’t, let us know as well…
PocketGamer tells about the Zeemote JS1 Bluetooth gaming controller:
while this is in no way official, it seems some clever clogs has now got the compact thumb stick and buttons working with the iPhone.
What with iPhone 3.0’s API’s for Bluetooth accessory access, Jeremy thinks we might see more devices like this — if Apple’s smart. What do you think? Do you want/need an BT thumbstick to really get your iPhone game on, or is multi-touch enough?
iPhone 3G uses Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, but it seems like the folks behind the BT standard are ready to release the next big version, coincidentally sharing the same 3.0 version number as the next iPhone firmware update, coming this summer.
There’s been no word on Apple adopting Bluetooth 3.0 for iPhone OS 3.0 or the next generation iPhone hardware expected to be previewed at WWDC in June, but according to BGR, it will be landing on April 21st and will enable:
Ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology to achieve transfer speeds of up to 480Mbps. No, seriously. Higher transfer speeds are actually achieved by enabling 802.11 standards when heavy lifting is involved and then switching back to an older, slower standard when big transfers are completed.
Of course, Apple’s track record when it comes to BT is not good, so there’s no saying whether or not they’ll make the jump to Bluetooth 3.0 now… or wait for 2015 to roll around…
The Motorola MOTOPURE H15 Bluetooth headset is available and can be purchased in The iPhone Blog Store for $109.95. If you are looking for an absolutely smokin’ Bluetooth headset, checkout this review! Let’s see how it measures up after the break!
A while back Dieter asked for a fast way to toggle Airplane Mode on the iPhone — a triple click of the home button, perhaps. Yesterday he and I were talking about all the new Bluetooth functionality in iPhone 3.0 and the same point came up — right now, to turn Bluetooth on or off you have to:
Wake the iPhone, Slide to Unlock, (type a Passcode perhaps), (return Home perhaps), tap Settings, tap General, tap Bluetooth, and then toggle the ON/OFF switch.
That’s a lot of overhead, in terms of mental “work” and physical interactions.
With Bluetooth headsets, Stereo Bluetooth speakers, Bluetooth connectivity for accessories, Bluetooth connectivity of tethering, P2P gameplay and P2P app exchange, etc. a much faster way to flip the Bluetooth switch would be really appreciated.
Triple-click may not work in terms of usability, but surely there must be some other way? Maybe surface the ON/OFF toggle on the main Settings page, just before the drill down arrow? Jeremy thinks letting users add Settings shortcuts as icons on the Home Screen (like we can currently do with Safari bookmarks) would work. Anyone have any other ideas?
We hear via Crave and confirmed via a quick check at the Apple Store that Apple is discontinuing their Apple-branded Bluetooth headset. It had a nice run, we suppose, but aside from a clever dual-charging iPhone accessory, the headset was actually pretty bare-bones compared with other options (My own personal favorite is the BlueAnt Z9i headset).
It’s probably a safe bet that Apple is going to replace it with a set of Stereo Bluetooth headphones in the fairly near future, given that their A2DP implementation on iPhone 3.0 is pretty nice (check out the images in our walkthrough — much easier to toggle it on the iPhone than it is on most other devices). Another safe bet may be that Apple’s ‘phones, as with their current headphones and also this now-discontinued Bluetooth headset, will be decent enough but not as good as what you can find from other manufacturers. I’m fond of the Motorola S9-HD, if you’re curious, but the Voyager 855 is my day-to-day, as it’s sorta-kinda safer while riding my bike as I can leave my left ear open to listen for cars.
So much iPhone news came today that it’s tough to keep track of it all. One thing we wanted to make sure didn’t get lost in the shuffle was the iPod Touch news that came out today. Specifically, the iPhone 3.0 software will come to the iPod Touch for a $10 upgrade fee and will include an “unlock” to give the iPod Touch the Bluetooth functionality that’s being added in iPhone 3.0.
Wait, what? Yes, the iPod Touch (at least the 2nd gen version) does indeed have a Bluetooth chip in it. We don’t know exactly where or how the thing is hidden away inside, but Apple came clean today and said they could ‘unlock’ it. Longtime readers may remember that back in September this very issue raised its head and the verdict was that, well, we didn’t think it was there. The deal is that modern devices like Smartphone and the iPod Touch often cram multiple radios and other functionality into a single chip. Back in September it looked as though the chip on the iPod Touch could support Bluetooth but that, well, it was more likely that it was there for Nike+’s “proprietary 802.11 protocol.” So rumor smashed — incorrectly.
There were plenty of things we were hoping for with iPhone 3.0, but that list definitely included improved support for the many things we can do with Bluetooth. The list was as long as the feature list for Bluetooth itself and though Apple didn’t get everything, they certainly got a lot. Here’s the list of what you can (and can’t) do with Bluetooth on iPhone 3.0:
A2DP Stereo Bluetooth. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And come this summer, your bluetooth stereo headphones and speakers will work with the iPhone 3G. Note, it will not work on the original iPhone 2G.
Peer to Peer. This is a big one, folks, but it’s a little strange. You can share files and talk to other apps over Bluetooth. This means you’ll be able to do multiplayer games, for example, or ‘beam’ your contact card from one iPhone to another. Or heck, play a trombone duet. No pairing is required, either. Discovery of other iPhones happens with Apple’s Bonjour ZeroConf autodiscovery protocols
Control Accessories. In addition to the dock accessory control, you can now control Bluetooth accessories from within an app. The example from the event was a glucose meter, but the possibilities are honestly endless.
Tops on my Bluetooth list: Bluetooth keyboard support. Technically, you will be able to do with with iPhone 3.0. The weird issue there, however, is that this keyboard support would have to happen on an app-by-app basis instead of happening device-wide. That, friends, is a bit of a bummer.
Biggest Bluetooth surprise of the event: confirmation that the 2nd Generation iPod Touch DOES have Bluetooth and they can ‘unlock’ it to reveal Bluetooth features.
UPDATED: iClarified has posted an extensive how-to for getting iBluetooth setup on your jailbroken iPhone so you can enjoy a little Apple-unsupported OBEX Bluetooth file transfer.
If you give it a try, let us know how it works for you.
ORIGINAL: [See comments and then move right along...]
ubiqkom.org (via Engadget Mobile) has posted a video of an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard hooked up and running alongside an iPhone. We’ve seen homebrew keyboard connectivity before, of course, but this is such a nicely packaged, Apple-centric solution is makes us dream again about what could have been — and still could be if Apple gets its Bluetooth profiles sorted out.
Of course, we’d also expect a built in dock, and maybe a more portable keyboard in general, wouldn’t we?
