"Ask the Computer Geek"

Bluetooth for iPod is finally here!

I know you have read numerous articles as I did about the lack of action by Apple to include the bluetooth technology in the newest release of Video iPod and the new iPod Nano. And until now there were limited third party product offerings that allowed for bluetooth connectivity for your iPod other than the typical wireless headphones (and even those for limited). Fortunately, that has all changed.

Released this August, Jabra has two offerings that allow for bluetooth connectivity for your iPod. I have have purchased and tested the Jabra A125 Bluetooth Music Adaptor for Ipod. At approximately $60 retail, the Jabra seemed like an absolute steal after searching for months on end.

I had recently purchased a Sony Bluetooth head unit for my BMW 323. Purchased mainly for the bluetooth A2DP music streaming capability, I knew it is only a matter of days before iPod would release their new iPod which just had to have bluetooth capabilities due to the persistent public demand. The much awaited day came in the form of a small 1" by 2" Jabra add-on.

After reading the one paragraph instruction manual, I was ready to go. Indeed it was that easy. In my particular case I did have to add one piece of critical research.

See, the Jabra and many other bluetooth capable devices are assumed to pair with products made by the same vendor. In this case, the Jabra is geared to pair with headphones made by Jabra. However, for those that have numerous bluetooth capable devices know that there is a pairing code. With more advanced devices you can program in your own code to sync on each end of connectivity.

Unfortunately with many of these devices they are too small and compact and don't allow for any keyboard entry of the passcode. Therefore, these devices are preprogrammed with a set code. In the case of the Jabra A125, it is 0000.

What this means to compatability is that if your pairing device is also set to 0000 it may pair with the Jabra A125. If it doesn't, just forget it. The advantage I had with the Sony MEX-BT5000 bluetooth car stereo head unit, is that it is a smarter device. This provided me the ability to set the passcode for the pairing.

This was not a tested Jabra connection on Jabra's support site, but it worked - and very well! The sound has been perfect with sound degredation whatsoever. One great feature as well is the ability to change tracks etc, as you can with the iPod interface, but via similarly features headphones or stereo components. The Sony BT5000 that I own in my car is integrated for iPod use (usually via their add-on wiring kit) so I can change these tracks easily using the joystick control or remote.

Keep in mind that Jabra has tested the other Jabra products, that's it. Around the web you can start to see others that are testing with this product. The only thing I can suggest is to pick up one now before they are on backorder and start testing of your own. These should be the guidelines you need to know if your test should be successful.

There is no guarantee it will work, but if your scenario is similar, it should. I have tested it with the Black Video iPod and my 20GB iPod Classic. My wife's 20GB iPod Classic did not work on initial testing so I fully believe this to be a firmware issue. My iPod is on the latest firmware from Apple and hers was not. I will be testing the firmware issue and updating this article soon.

Update: It wasn't an issue with my wife's iPod, it worked as well! It appears the issue may have been with the head unit. Well, not an issue per say, but maybe with the bluetooth sync. I have seen this with other bluetooth connections in the past where the first shot doesn't seem to do it. The head unit has several options, CD player, Bluetooth Audio, Tuner, and AUX. The Jabra itself paired instantly (as I had already set the pairing code for this device), but there was just no sound. Once I ran through the music input selections again and came back to 'Bluetooth Audio' it started projecting music as planned!

If you do not have an iPod but want to experience the same thing for your MP3 player, you can get the Jabra A120 Bluetooth Music Adaptor which provides similar functionality but utilizes the headset jack as opposed to the bottom iPod connector.

If you wish to purchase headphones with your Jabra A125, buy the set, BT620 / A125 Bundle, and save a few bucks. This will give you all the options available.


Link to this article:
<a href="http://www.askthecomputergeek.com/bluetooth_for_iPod.php" target="_blank">Bluetooth for iPod</a>

11th October, 2007