Audio

Before the iPhone and before electrical recording there was the gramophone. Although the sound quality of these wind up machines may lack something to the modern ear, the retro look of a Victrola still has its appeal. Now you can enhance the sound from your iPhone 4 or 4S without electricity while adding century-old flair.

Other audio docks such as Koostic work in the same way, essentially using the shape of the dock to amplify sound from the iPhone speaker. The iVictrola does this with ultimate simplicity while harking back to the era before radio.

Some iPhone 4S users are experiencing a strange, involuntary mute when dialing out using their mobile devices. The problem is that the person dialing out can't hear anything on the other end of the line, not even a ringing phone. People receiving the calls can hear the iPhone 4S owner just fine. An Apple discussion page titled Outgoing call no audio started almost immediately after the iPhone 4S was released and has leap over to additional discussions.

Although Apple was quick to respond to complaints about iPhone 4S battery life being shorter than expected, there's no official word on whether or not a fix is in the works for the audio issue. Some iPhone owners who experienced the problem were able to correct the issue with a full restore. Others who have not had luck fixing the problem have begun to call the issue Audiogate.

Pioneer is set to bring a touch-screen car receiver to market that will integrate seamlessly with your iPhone or iPod touch. This either sounds like a great idea or the most distracting in-dash system ever manufactured. The AppRadio features a 6.1-inch 800 x 640 pixel resolution multi-touch display, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling and an AM/FM radio. The real magic happens when you plug in your iPhone 4 or iPod touch 4th generation and start the vehicle.

Apps that have been modified to display on the AppRadio can be used directly on the Pioneer unit. Initial partnerships with app developers include Inrix Traffic, Motion-X GPS Drive, and Pandora and Rdio streaming music apps. More are sure to come on board, as the modifications required for an app to run on the AppRadio are relatively minor.