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The Free iPod + iPhone Book 4
iDESIGN
Voice Memo menu that enabled the
iPod to record and play back hours
of monaural, dictation-quality audio
- the reason Belkin internally referred
to the device as “Dictaphone” before
release. Belkin would follow this with
a Universal Microphone Adapter, a
flexible wand-like microphone called
TuneTalk, and eventually a bottomattaching
stereo mic called TuneTalk
Stereo. None received as much attention
from Apple as the Voice Recorder,
but Belkin continued to benefit from
good luck and subtle Apple backing,
getting each product into stores before
competitors could finish similar designs.
The other Apple-backed accessory,
Media Reader, was a glossy white card
reader designed to transfer a digital
camera’s photos to the iPod’s hard
disk. Backed by Photo Import, another
hidden menu, Media Reader copied
images from CompactFlash, SD and
other memory cards, storing them
in an iPod data folder that could be
accessed on your computer. But due
to iPod and other limitations, the $100
Media Reader and an $80 sequel, Digital
Camera Link, ran off of battery power,
slowly, and soon struggled with everlarger
images and memory cards. Apple
eventually released a cheaper iPod
Camera Connector, eliminating the need
for competing devices, yet the Media
Reader and Voice Recorder had left no
question: even Apple sometimes needs
backing from partners. Having the right
designers and technology are the keys.
1 The original Voice
Recorder for iPod.
2 TuneTalk, a
microphone with
foam windscreen.
3 Voice Recorder,
activating the iPod’s
Voice Memo menu.
4 Media Reader, the
iPod’s first digital
photo transfer
accessory.
5 Photo Import,
Apple’s customdesigned
iPod
menu, evolved
over time to show
thumbnails of
images on a color
iPod display.
6 TuneTalk Stereo.
1 3 5
2 4 6
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