So, my first step was to find out if I could handle this.  I am not a traditional software developer.  I have built a pant-load of web sites and some pretty robust web-based applications, but traditional software development isn’t my bag.  I started with signing up for the iPhone developer program, got some book recommendations and read tons of blogs.  I picked up Beginning iPhone Development: Exploring the iPhone SDK and Learn Objective–C on the Mac (Learn Series) from Amazon.  I am only on Chapter 4 after needing to let Chapter 3 sink in…twice, but now I think I am “getting it”.

Another GREAT resource I have found is Dan Girgsby’s site Mobile Orchard.  Dan and the crew over there have put together a fantastic site and amazing podcast.  They interviewed the authors of the iPhone book mentioned above and I found it valuable to listen to multiple times.  Next week, Dan is holding a 2 day workshop on beginning iPhone development.  I was lucky enough to get a spot along with an old friend who is also learning along side me.  From what I have picked up on Dan’s site and podcasts, this should be a great learning experience.  I hope I have multiple “ah-ha” moments because I will need them.

Most people ask me if I have any ideas for a killer app.  I do have an idea for some apps that aren’t so outrageously out of control that I would never be able to finish.  I will start with those and most likely give them away for free.  I didn’t start this with an app in mind.  I started because I love to learn new things.   If you have known me for any length of time, you know that I like to have multiple hobbies.  Here are a few still active hobbies…

• Fly Fishing
• Photography
• Building Arcade Cabinets
• Web Development
• Video Editing
• Graphic Design
• Playing Music (guitar mostly)
• Geocaching
• Remote Control Aircraft (Planes and Helicopters)
• Golfing

So wish me luck and you never know, this hobby just may be what I stick with for years to come….or it may not, but it will be fun making mistakes and learning from them.  I know..cheesy…but true!

I love this video of a chorus of iPhone hippies performing some “Stairway”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The new iPhone is about an 1/8 of an inch wider that the first one which means the cradle from ProClip is useless.  I was able to get in touch with someone at ProClip who told me they would have a new cradle, but not for a couple of months.  If you know me, you know that I don’t have that kind of patience.  Enter the Dremel tool!  I was able to carve out some plastic and spead it out with some plastic spacers.  Worked excellent, but I will still buy the right one when it comes out.  This works for now.

So, I plugged her into my existing USASpec iPod to Car interface kit.  The iPhone tells me that the device I have plugged it into not only doesn’t support charging, but it also may interfere with my radio and space alien communication (ok, that last part isn’t exactly true).  After a little research on the Apple discussion forums, someone pointed me to a recent MacWorld article that states:

“We learned a while back that iPhone 3G doesn’t support charging “via FireWire.” The thing is, there are lots of devices out there that don’t actually have a FireWire port, but are technically FireWire chargers because they’re sending power on the dock-connector pins that were used for power by the FireWire interface. There are a lot of reasons for this, chief among them the fact that the FireWire spec allows as much a 18 volts, while USB is a 5-volt connection. Since cars provide 12 volts of power, many if not most car-chargers used the FireWire method to send power.

However, in the interests of space and simplicity (i.e., not having to engineer for two separate power paths), Apple has dropped support for FireWire charging with the iPhone 3G. This means that many accessories won’t charge an iPhone 3G. Borchers said that Apple gave accessory developers a strong hint that this was going to happen a while ago, but he said that some companies have continued to implement FireWire-based chargers despite the warning.”

So basically, my old car adapter was using the “old” charging method.  Lucky for me, my USASpec iPod car interface has 2 RCA plugs for auxillary in.  I decided to look for a car adapter that would not only charge my new iPhone, but have an auxillary out.  There is one that I found.  The Kensington LiquidAUX for iPhone.  I ordered it from the online Apple store (local store didn’t have it).  I plugged it in, ran the aux out to the aux in on the USASpec and the angels sang.  Works perfectly…almost.

Ever since I’ve had this USASpec iPod to car interface I get a really annoying whine when I accelerate my car.  I know this is a grounding issue, but I never put much time into investigating it.  Well, it seems to be louder with this new solution, so I did my research.  Apparently I need something called a Ground Loop Isolator.  This basically fixes any humming when there is a ground loop…whatever that is.  I went to my local Radio Shack and picked one up for under $20.  Hooked her up and NO MORE FREAKING BUZZ!  I love it!

Thanks strangers on the Internet!

So after sitting and standing for almost an hour the Apple store manager came out and greeted everyone. She was extremely nice…in fact everyone that worked there was suspiciously nice…like, almost too nice. They brought out coffee for everyone in line and said the doors would open at 8am and they would bring in small groups of people at a time. 8am hit and everyone applauded and as another friend in line said in his Twitter update, I think I heard several nerdgasms.

I got into the store at about 10 minutes after 8 and was ushered to another line inside the store. I waited there with other anxious nerds wondering how many phones they had. Well, they wouldn’t tell me, but they had an asston of phones at that store. The Zoloft-filled sales rep asked me which phone model I wanted (16gb white of course) and they grabbed one for me from some secret store stash and continued to take my info for transferring my old iPhone account to the new one. I paid and then was ushered by the 4th Apple store employee of my transaction to the “activation” part of the store. I caught the last part of a speech by the store manager that basically said that the iTunes activation was down and they didn’t know when it would be back up. Holy crap! You mean, you deactivated my old phone and now I have a cool, new brick? Lovely.

I went to work and unboxed my new precious iPhone with a couple of co-workers. We all gave our ooooohs and aaahhhs and went back to work. I tried activating all day and finally at about 2pm, I had a working phone.

I ended up selling my old phone on eBay for more than I paid for the new one. How you ask? Because there is a demand for iPhones that aren’t tied to any cell phone contracts. Those nasty hackers can make the iPhone their bitch with a couple of clever hacking apps. Good luck to them!

I enjoyed my time in line with my fellow nerds. I saw young and old people alike. I think most people were there just to catch the excitement of standing in line for an over-hyped product. That’s why I went…and to get my bitchin new phone.

I recently read a great article by Jeremy Horwitz at iLounge iPhone car integration. He recommended a cradle device by Proclip to hold the iPhone. I went to their web site and found the cradle he spoke of, but they also had another version that will hold your existing iPod cable. Well, since I already have a USASpec iPod interface hooked into my car, this would be perfect! The article also mentions a handsfree Bluetooth speaker plus microphone kit by Bluetrek. The Bluetrek Surfacesound Compact is a flat panel speaker that clips to your visor and has a flip down microphone. So basically, if I have the iPod docked listening to my favorite music or podcast and a call comes in, the iPhone pauses my tunes, rings and I just flip down the microphone from the visor. It connects to the iPhone and I am talking. When I hang up, my music unpauses and I am back in action. I don’t think you realize how much joy this brings to me. I know…freaky.

So to recap…here is my iPhone car integration solution…

1. 1.iPod interface kit ($140) -
   Manufacturer: USASpec
   Retailer: Crutchfield

2. 2.iPhone Cradle and Car Kit ($80) – ProClip

3. 3.Bluetooth Speaker/Microphone ($65) -
   Manufacturer: Bluetrek
   Retailer: Expansys

Ok, so I realize it isn’t a cheap solution ($285), but it makes your commute flow much easier.

UPDATE (2/22/07): After trying the Bluetrek speaker, I have come to the conclusion that it sounds just as crappy in the car as any other Bluetooth speaker. The audio output it decent, but the person I am talking to said it sounds like I am talking down a long static-laden hallway….unacceptable…it is going back.