I’m not sure how I ran across this mod - probably on one of my daily visit(s) to Gizmodo if memory serves - but I thought the concept was pretty interesting, having been introduced like many of us to home gaming consoles via the original NES. I really liked the thought of repurposing such an iconic piece of consumer electronics gear into something that could still be used daily, and I’ve got a good friend who filled the requirements for owning such a gadget, which are owning an Apple TV, and having a strange loyalty to Nintendo’s games and consoles - I’m pretty sure he’s owned them all through the years! So, I thought I’d try my hand at the …

Just a brief note amending the post below: As we suspected, many of the major aftermarket iPod/iPhone interface manufacturers - DICE Electronics, USASpec, Peripheral and PIE - are already developing replacement docking cables for their interfaces that will hand charging duties over to USB at 5volts to support the iPhone 3G’s new requirements. According to the limited information we have so far, the new cables will not require replacing the actual interface modules or the wiring connections to the vehicle, but will simply replace the connection between the iPod/iPhone and the module, making this an easy upgrade. They expect to have these new cables available anywhere from 6 weeks to three months…more information to come as we receive it!As we …

I came to work this morning with my new iPhone 3G and began testing all the interfaces and cables we currently package with our spec.dock product, and quickly realized that Apple has removed the ability to charge the new device via FireWire. For a while now, Apple has been transitioning away from FireWire syncing for iPods and iPhones, but the physical ability to charge at 12volts via the FireWire charging pins was still there…until now.This is a problem, as nearly all the vehicle interfaces - OEM and aftermarket - use 12volt charging since the vehicle’s electrical system is already running between 11.5 and 14.5 volts, eliminating the need for extra electronics to step that voltage down to the 5volts that …