If it's the same device I have, then rechargeable 2/3-AAA batteries are available online from various sources. I checked, but didn't note the links, figuring they'll have changed by the time I'll need one. But they're a separate product and available.

I've actually found this device works very well with a small JVC CD stereo (just leave the speakers at home). I trimmed off all the "offending" buttons from the remote, leaving only the play/pause, next, last and volume control buttons protruding. The result is a remote that slips perfectly into my pants change pocket where it stays properly aligned and where I can easily find and press the correct buttons through the fabric. No hands in pockets, nothing on my belt, the only thing lacking is autofade+skip. And an LED. But at less than one tenth the price, it's a workable poor man's sound cue.

Avocat,
Thanks for your answer. Now that I know the batteries are available and your positive experience using it, I'm going to order it. I don't need the auto fade because I mix all my tracks myself before burning to CD to have fades already if needed. Although, not as flexable it's good enough for now.
Thanks.

Jim

I thought it would be time to give you some more details on the AirClick remote for iPods, and to clear up some, shall I say, misconceptions.


We should be shipping in around 4 weeks. We have a lot of preorders, so no guarantees on delivery if you have not preordered.
Absolutely. You must register your products with the FCC, and CE if you sell globally, which we do. Without FCC approval, those boys can take you house, car, first born, and your original copy of The discoverie of Witchcraft without blinking an eye. The FCC means business.



We only have a precious few factory units at this time, and I don't think I've sent you one for evaluation yet, One unit went to NBC's Today show for a segment on cool iPod peripherals a couple of days ago, but I will happily send you a unit once it becomes available. This is not the proper thread for me to talk about the inferior competition, but I do agree, some are engineered better than others.



We designed the transmitter from the ground up, including the enclosure. We have design artists too, as we feel that the overall look, feel and ease of use of of the product is equally important. This is by no means an OEM keybob. We have never "worked with" cheap Tawainese knock off products.



The AirClick is not an AM remote, it's FM, (technically it's ASK, if it's really any of your business) and I'm at a loss to understand what "appropriate for the job" means. I've explained the feature set, and the power/range that the AirClick achieves. I will be happy to give a lesson plan online for anyone that is interested in electronics.



Good point, whereas I won't comment regarding what kind of quantites we sell, we have found it much easier and enjoyable to sell cool products that are not "cheap junk". It's a win/win situation.



We have several in house, we can decompile an audio's remote protocol in a couple of hours, if need be. As I said, we work very closely with Apple, so we know the drill on iPods circuitry. They are one of our best customers, and we sell our products in every brick and mortar store, as well as their web site, in addition to our Worldwide distributors, and in the US in places like Circuit City, Target, Best Buy RadioShack, etc. We can get around designing circuit boards. Did I mention the AirClick is $40?

I have not tested your unit, and I would imagine that it works for the most part as advertised, passes FCC regulations and you have a customer base who is pleased. I would _never_ make accusations regarding your product without testing it first. Professionals do indeed need a solid audio unit, and I would assume since it's constructed from kit boxes that can be readily bought anywhere, that the expense that goes into them are for your engineering expertise, and not on the "details" of fit, finish, look, or feel of the product.

I just hope your engineering skills are better than your web site design skills.

I am always open to hearing from performers with feedback on features that they feel would enhance the AirClick remote to better suit their performing needs, and as far as "me not knowing anything about stage environemnts or the challeges for the live performer, I've toured colleges, night clubs, conventions, birthday parties, corporate events, and street magic, so I think I have a bit of insight as to what a working professional requires out of a remote audio solution. So if the demand is there, I would gladly consider an AirClick Pro version with an extended feature set.

Majiloon, I am going to give you a piece of advice and I recommend you think about it because I'm actually trying to help. Even in vertical markets, if you gouge your customers, (and, in my opinion, you are), you are begging for competition. If you attack manufacturers with more skills, resources and distribution channels than yourself with statements that border on libel, sometimes a manufacturer will sit up and take notice. I wish you well in your business.



Take care

jason

Jim,

What type of CD player are you using?

Thanks.

Regan

Excellent Post, Jason, addresses all of our concerns.
I JUST PLACED MY ORDER ! (at http://griffintechnology.com/products/airclick/index.php )

At $40. this is a great backup to have (if not a primary show controller).
Nobody has mentioned how tiny the unit is and how it simply becomes part of the iPod.

Ship mine out ASAP and I will post a review!

[quote]On 2005-03-03 07:23, Regan wrote:

Jason,

Would the USB configuration of the AirClick work with WinAmp?

Thanks Jim!

Regan

Guys,
I know nothing about the ipod, but how much would it be to put together an ipod system? I assume it would have to plug it into an amp of some sort correct? My Mipro amp I use mostly for my voice. I have run a walkman CD player through my Mipro a couple times but there's no way to really control base or treble.
What do you think would be the cost of a usable and portable amp/speaker and an ipod combo? Thanks.

Jim

4Gig iPod $199.
http://www.apple.com/ipodmini/

If your boombox has a cassette you can use a cassette interface ($7.)
OR
Amplifier recommendions are all over the place. Do you need it battery powered? do you need a wireless receiver built in? Look on ebay for an Anchor AN130

The iPod has a built in Equalizer for base treble so try your Mipro first.

Glod,
Thanks for all the possibilities!

You said, "If your boombox has a cassette you can use a cassette interface ($7.)" SO this is something that allows me to plug a music device into my boom box for amglication? I think that would be a good way to go if that's how it could work. Is that right? I didn't know this exsisted. Thanks!

Jim

Mystic

Yes, the included software for the Airclick USB supports WinAmp.

Thanks for the interest.

Jason

Jason,

Thank you and your company for making this product available to the magic community.

Walter

Jason-

Although, I have difficulty restraining my strong opinions occasionally, it is apparent that I could not help myself with the comments about products like the AirClick- and I apologize for coming off too strongly and offending anyone. I should have been more diplomatic, especially if I knew an employee of the company was spending time in this forum. I was careless- without thinking.- oops.

Since we are not supposed to use the threads on this web site to promote our own product, especially if we are not paying for advertising. There are some things I would like to clear up, not just for my sake, but to clean up some details you seem to have clouded.

First- I am- and have been in the process of getting my product FCC approved since July of last year and I am in the midst of finalizing the process. I am also applying for a patent. It has been an education to say the least, but this is not my first product either.
So- I am not naïve, and nor do I agree with the statement;

>“Without FCC approval, those boys can take you house, car, first born, and your original copy of The discoverie of Witchcraft without blinking an eye. The FCC means business.”<

This is a fundamental misunderstanding of what the FCC is about- they are not monsters, at lease the people I have been dealing with- nor will they take your house away. FCC’s job is to monitor the harmonics and power output of the transmitter and receiver and certify those devices that fall into the certification measurements and guidelines, especially those products like the company you work for produces, that intend to be mass produced. In my case I have a very small market place, but it still costs about $5,000 and as many tries as it takes to get it right. Once it is approved- it does not mean that it is somehow blessed by God- in fact it is restricted- and their restrictions are enforced during the design for the production process.
Just because someone prints on their business card that “they are a member of the Magic Castle”- does not mean that they are more qualified to perform a better show than someone who is not a member.

I am quite happy with the limited market place that I have been serving thus far and have no desire to “Vertical” climb into any other markets- especially the “electronics for home or office use”- thank you very much, I do not need your advice.
I have been a professional stage performer for 25 years, and an inventor of several electro mechanical devices- I know the stage environment inside and out. I have long since grown into this niche. I cater to those people who need a special niche RF device that will work in the worst of these particular environments. This is my specialty- and it is my professional opinion that products like the one your company produces are not made specifically to accomplish the challenges necessary for this very small- and specialized market place.

Novel- and very affordable- I give it credit for a creative solution. The company you work for has positioned itself to try to take advantage of the huge popularity of the iPod, and you are all deliriously excited- I am sure. So too are some of these people reading this thread that call themselves proud iPod owners and will buy anything sight unseen if it is an accessory for the iPod. I am guilty of this myself, but to a point.

The company you work for may have built this product from the ground up- but the philosophy for a product like the AirClick is based on the wrong foundation to accomplish what I have, for what (us) professional entertainers need in this tiny niche market. This is my opinion, take it or leave it, but with all due respect.

Just so that you understand- we don’t work with “kits” we work with low power pre-made FCC compliant RF modules. We use the upper echelon FSK for the superior immunity and power advantages. They are double the cost of ASK, but performance within this niche make it necessary to use FSK- at 916 MHz, and that is where we have moved. We need much more than 25-60 feet- and the all important immunity from FSK- that ASK does not supply.

You said-
“(technically it's ASK, if it's really any of your business) and I'm at a loss to understand what "appropriate for the job" means. I've explained the feature set, and the power/range that the AirClick achieves. I will be happy to give a lesson plan online for anyone that is interested in electronics. “

I’m sorry- this begins to sound like the arrogance I was blamed for- I’m really trying to be nice- so how can I put this nicely- I can’t get a fix as to what you do there – your probably into product development or branding, but you are not an engineer- otherwise you could not make this mistake—
ASK is NOT FM- and it is my business to know-

Maybe your confused- ASK is a low cost simple form of AM often used for digital communications and is on-off keying (OOK), a type of amplitude-shift keying by which binary data is represented as the presence or absence of a carrier wave. This is commonly used at radio frequencies to transmit Morse code, referred to as continuous wave (CW) operation for example. But it is an Amplitude Modulation RF to be sure.
Also- See notes on “FORMS OF AM” at the bottom of this page; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude_modulation

Here is a something you might enjoy-
AM:
http://www.williamson-labs.com/480_am.htm
FM:
http://www.williamson-labs.com/480_am.htm

Again- you said-
“if it's really any of your business) and I'm at a loss to understand what "appropriate for the job" means.” --- Your at a loss for “appropriate for the job”?…
This is precisely my point- this product does not demonstrate that it does know what is appropriate for the “job” it needs to accomplish for ‘our’ needs.
Otherwise it would have used and external antenna on the receiver- higher power, and the transmitter would not just use a loop/trace antenna, or use ASK and expect it to meet the needs of the specific environments that are prevalent in this niche market.

But it does meet the requirements of the average iPod user- home use (25-60 feet- less if it is in your pocket). It was obviously built with minimum cost effective-low cost production in order to sell the heck out of it. The price point and margin is very slim- but it is obviously designed for much different, broader and more forgiving market place. And to that end- I congratulate your company- and wish you luck as you begin the launch of this first product- you have some stiff competition, hope to see you 3 years from now.

I will no longer respond to PM’s or emails about this thread- thank you,
Cheers.

I am going to try my I-pod and my air-click when it comes on stage and will review.

Forgot to mention, I own an iPod and RemoteRemote2, but the range is inferior to the RF extender Jim was discussing. Also, there are the problems inherent in iPods (I've had an automatic reset occur during a practice run). Kelly's product, even if it's controlling an iPod, won't prevent the occasional SNAFU inherent in a more complicated device like an iPod.

So, in a professional setting, I'd stick with the RF-extender-CD-boombox combo ... more reliable and better range. For rehearsal or informal social occasions (I actually use music, sometimes, even when performing supposedly "impromptu" - it's pretty fun!), I'd still use the RemoteRemote2, though I'll probably replace it with Griffin's AirClick based Jason's post on my past experience with Griffin products.

Also, depending on your venue, the RF-extender can be easier to install and use than even Kelly's self-contained product. Many showrooms and ballrooms have their own CD sound systems with remotes. Dave&Buster's back here has a Denon CD player with built-in output control (i.e. volume control from the CD player, not only through the amp & mixer). One remote (which they didn't have and I had to special order from a replacement-remote website) will control play/pause/advance/volume. And it works with Jim's RF-extender.

BTW, I've tested this RF-extender under different circumstances, though not outdoors yet. Even near radio antennae, it seems to work just fine within 30' (I've gotten up to 60' away, indoors with no other broadcasting equipment nearby). Also, I've found that, once out of range, it just plain doesn't work, rather than working erratically, which can actually be a plus. Better to have your boundaries sharply defined than constantly shifting.

Just about to pre-order my own Airclick.

Jason, your utter professionalism and patience speak louder than anything, or anyone, else.

Thanks dude.

-malini.

Thanks. I just want fellow magicians know about a low cost remote solution that may be the right piece of apparatus for their particular venue.

Take care

Jason

OK Jason
When is the ETA on shipping for Airclick?

Hey people,

I read the drama in the forum I just didn't want to get involved. Today I walked into a Radio Shack in Los Angeles and I saw the AirClick. If I only owned an IPOD I would buy the remote and review it, but I don't, maybe I'll get one for XMAS.

The Radio Shack is in Montebello, CA, a Los Angeles county city. I am not sure in what cities or states you can find the product. Call your local Radio Shack, or the Corporate Office.

G0THIKE