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MikeD · Jul 11, 2008, 11:07 PM

Well, in Baig's article/review, it seems like the iPhone can't charge in some 'older' devices like a Bose Sound Dock etc...
From Gizmodo article: http://gizmodo.com/5023168/iphone-3g-reviews-are-in
"Baig also says that the speaker is improved, but notes strangely that you can't directly charge the new iPhone 3G in some old accessories, such as a Bose SoundDock or a Belkin car kit. There's actually an adapter coming that will enable charging on those. Weird. He finishes up with his wishes for the next generation: Flash, Java and WMV support, removable battery and an expandable memory slot. All in all, a pretty positive review."

I learned this first hand today in my car kit. ARGH! Now what I want to know is what is this 'Adapter' that is coming that will enable the charging? Anyone have any idea?

Helmling · Jul 11, 2008, 11:42 PM

Me too. Glad to hear about the adaptor. I was getting ready to eBay my Monster cable since the iPod it originally serviced died two weeks ago.

mduell · Jul 12, 2008, 12:10 AM

At this point it's pretty reasonable to expect Apple to break accessory compatibility with every generation.

Nodnarb · Jul 12, 2008, 12:52 AM

Originally Posted by MikeD

I learned this first hand today in my car kit. ARGH! Now what I want to know is what is this 'Adapter' that is coming that will enable the charging? Anyone have any idea?

Me too! I came here to post the same thing... This sucks.

I was listening to Pandora in my car all day on the car kit, that used to charge my phone, and now my iPhone is almost dead. Lame.

(But, Pandora is freakin' awesome for the car!)

ort888 · Jul 12, 2008, 12:54 AM

Didn't the Belkin have the opposite problem before? It would charge but not play music through the dock connector?

I thought it got patched or something.

All of these accessories add up quick. What other car adapters are out there that charge and play music though the dock connecter? Will they all be broken or just the Belkin one?

Nodnarb · Jul 12, 2008, 01:24 AM

Originally Posted by ort888

Didn't the Belkin have the opposite problem before? It would charge but not play music through the dock connector?

I thought it got patched or something.

All of these accessories add up quick. What other car adapters are out there that charge and play music though the dock connecter? Will they all be broken or just the Belkin one?

Mine wasn't Belkin, it was some adapter from this car shop near me that worked flawlessly with the first iPhone.

MikeD · Jul 12, 2008, 02:07 PM

I wonder who will release this miracle adapter because I want my car to charge my iPhone since I have a long commute.

Cory Bauer · Jul 12, 2008, 02:32 PM

iPhone 3G doesn't charge in the iPod hiifi.

MikeD · Jul 12, 2008, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by Cory Bauer

iPhone 3G doesn't charge in the iPod hiifi.

That's actually funny. Nice one Apple. Where's the adapter? My battery was already running low today (Think it may may have been due to GPS use and the GPS antenna may have still been active while I was in a movie... When I saw battery was in the red zone, I was thinking again about this issue. Because normally, I would just plug it into the iPod connector in my car and it would juice back up...

Cory Bauer · Jul 12, 2008, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by MikeD

That's actually funny. Nice one Apple. Where's the adapter? My battery was already running low today (Think it may may have been due to GPS use and the GPS antenna may have still been active while I was in a movie... When I saw battery was in the red zone, I was thinking again about this issue. Because normally, I would just plug it into the iPod connector in my car and it would juice back up...

Yep. Doesn't charge thru the iPod car connector that comes built in to Scion vehicles either, and I assume the same would be true for all cars with iPod connectivity. I started with a full battery this morning and wasn't able to get thru the day without running out of power.

I'm unsure how an adapter could be added between the iPhone and a dock like the iPod Hifi anyhow.

chabig · Jul 13, 2008, 08:55 PM

When I get mine this week I'll have to try it with my Alpine adapter. It really doesn't make any sense that the phone won't charge if you provide power.

Nodnarb · Jul 14, 2008, 12:00 AM

This is getting ridiculous.

I NEVER had to worry about charging my old iPhone. Ever. I could even forget for a night, and it'd still be good for the better part of the next day.

Now, especially with the car charger not working, my phone is saying 20% battery left at about 4-5 PM after having a full charge. And it's a double edged sword, because 3G takes up so much battery, yet I can't even charge the damn thing in my car when I'm out during the day.

This needs to be fixed. Soon.

ttoppins · Jul 14, 2008, 01:34 AM

Picked up the Griffin Tuneflex and it works fine with my white 16gig Iphone 3G. Charges the phone fine and the aux stereo audio output works well into my car into the aux audio input of the stereo. Also, bluetooth in my BMW picks up incoming and outgoing calls fine and pauses audio. Good solution although I would rather have a more stable mount like a vent bracket mount. The flexible arms coming out of the cigarette lighter socket tend to wobble. It's a good solution until other options come out though.

Brien · Jul 14, 2008, 03:19 AM

What idiot decided to break compatibility in the first place? This seems like it would have been pretty easy to fix.

Randman · Jul 14, 2008, 03:32 AM

My Griffin PowerJolt works with the 3Gs as it did with the previous gen.

pete.z · Jul 14, 2008, 06:00 AM

Get a 1.99 dollar charger cable from China on Ebay,and wait for a better solution....

chabig · Jul 14, 2008, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by Nodnarb

This needs to be fixed. Soon.

Let us know when you fix it by buying a new charger.

Nodnarb · Jul 14, 2008, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by chabig

Let us know when you fix it by buying a new charger.

My charger/stereo plug is $200 and is installed directly into the back of my car stereo and comes out of the glove box.

If it was just a stupid cigarette lighter charger, I'd just buy a new one, but my point is that the $200 solution I had to play the iPhone through my stereo while charging no longer works. Buying a new charger wouldn't do anything, as I wouldn't be able to play music while it's charging.

ghporter · Jul 14, 2008, 09:54 AM

Isn't part of the USB standard a requirement that a device get permission to use current through the USB connection? That means an intelligent host, not just some +5VDC source. If I remember correctly, a lot of earlier iPods did this too. It sounds to me like this is simply a matter of the iPhone complying with standards... Where does all this "how could Apple do this to me?" stuff come from? It's like some people here think Apple is trying to get rid of paying customers. I understand some of you are still sleep deprived from that long line on Friday, but come on! Take a deep breath and remember to charge your phone when you get home. And maybe when you get to your office too.

I certainly wouldn't buy a $10 charger to support my $300 (with the AT&T discount) iPhone and expect it to work perfectly. Nodnarb, what $200 solution are you using? What iPod models did it work with?

scottiB · Jul 14, 2008, 10:50 AM

Apple has abandoned Firewire as a method of charging iPods and iPhones starting with the iPhone 3G, and as a result any devices that used the Firewire method of charging will no longer work with the iPhone 3G.

From Apple Gazette.

Eriamjh · Jul 14, 2008, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by scottiB

From Apple Gazette.

That was going to be my first guess. Until the 3G, you could charge any iPod on the FW bus. Now, that feature was probably removed.

In other words, a charger that charges on the USB bus will be fine. Older, pre-USB chargers will not. Since FW runs at 12-36V depending on implementation, there's more protection needed compared to the 5V that USB puts out.