CES 2009

Griffin Navigate is a remote with an FM radio for iPod and iPhone

(Credit: Griffin)

Griffin Technology showed off the Navigate at a CES press event yesterday, though it was announced officially at Macworld several hours before. The Navigate may seem like just an ordinary iPod remote, and indeed it can be used that way. A nice bonus is that you can also use it with the iPhone, which could be a good thing if you're not crazy about the iPhone's touch-screen controls (also pretty useful when you're driving and need to not look at the screen). But the Navigate also has a built-in FM radio as well as four station presets and RDS track info display. The device itself is decent, with an OLED screen, a power switch, the typical play, stop, pause, forward, backward, and scan controls, and an EQ mode as well.

Griffin is also planning on an iPhone application called iFM that will work together with the Navigate remote. iFM will identify your geographic location and automatically lists local radio stations so you can just tap your desired radio station from the list instead of having to scan for it. iFM will also display broadcast information like title, album, and artist info. Griffin plans to release iFM sometime in March 2009.

Griffin SmartTalk Bluetooth headset

(Credit: Griffin Technology)

Griffin Technology released the SmartTalk Bluetooth headset yesterday in conjunction with Macworld Expo 2009, marking the first ever Bluetooth headset from the company known for its iPod and iPhone accessories. The SmartTalk Bluetooth headset has a dual microphone design that promises great noise cancellation, with the ability to tell the difference between your voice and background noise. It also offers human voice confirmations during setup and use (In English and French). It's available now for $99.99, or you can buy it a bundle for $119.99 with PowerJolt, so you can charge either the headset or your iPhone in the car.