iPod Touch Dock Connecting Devices in 3.0- Camera? Keyboard? Gamepad?

[who?]

With all the potential unlocked in the dock connector by the 3.0 update, what do you think will be released as an external add-on by companies like Griffin, Kensington, and even Apple themselves? Possible camera, FM radio, or integrated GPS in the works?

I know people have talked about how unpractical and inefficient these dongles would be in the past, but they had a freaking blood pressure gauge hooked up to it! Ideas, anyone?

 

[tsuru]

I've thought that with so many iPod touches already in peoples' hands, a camera add-on that gives Flip Mino like functionality would sell very well. In addition to having one less device to carry, the iPod touch's excellent screen would be a big point over other Flip Mino like devices. Give it a solid all-aluminum build, stereo microphone, and price it at $150 or so. I don't know if it's technically possible, but it would be cool to have manual touch focus (so touch the area you want to focus on like on Sony's camcorders). And with a stereo microphone it could also function as an audio recorder.

Of course, as my unprofessional opinion, I don't even know if there is a large enough market for such an item.

 

[4DThinker]

Yes, I think we'll start to see such devices. There are 13 million or so Touches out there, and another 17 million iPhones. Even if a product only sold to 1 percent of those it would be 300,000 sold. A Lens/sensor... not a cheap cell phone camera one but a REALLY good Lens set that with the big screen and storage of the Touch could make a GREAT camera, microscope, telescope, bar code scanner, etc.. There are already Wifi enabled SD cards (eyefi) demonstrating that WiFi or even bluetooth could be used to get the image from the Lens to the Touch. A low res (480 x 320) image would be sent quickly for focus and viewfinding, but then a high res photo could be sent once the Lens set was told to take the photo.

You could see car GPS devices that don't come with a screen. They simply provide GPS data over bluetooth to the Touch. The passenger (navigator) could hold the Touch or it could mount with the GPS antenna/receiver on the dash.

There are other players out there with great Bluetooth (Samsung P2 for example), but only the huge volume of iPhone/Touch sold will demand that someone make these devices for them.