14 DAY TRIAL // One of the cooler features of the iPod was how with a special AV cable you could output both video and audio to television sets and monitors, escaping from the clutches of the tiny screen. Since the iPhone was far more advanced than an iPod, this feature could be used for a lot more than just video and music, but up to now the device was not supported.
Apple has just updated its AV cabled to allow for pumping out of content from all its portable devices, including the iPhone and the newly released iPods. The full list of devices includes iPod nano 3rd generation, iPod classic, iPod touch and iPhone for the Component AV Cable, with the Composite AV cable also supporting any iPod with color display and any iPod with video. The cable is relatively cheap and allows content to be enjoyed on just about any kind of screen. Although not as versatile as an Apple TV, this will allow iPod and iPhone users to enjoy content on their wised screen TVs. Apple's official site mentions that Component video output to television is supported by iPod nano (third generation) and iPod classic at 480p or 576p resolution, and by iPod touch at 480i or 576i resolution, with no mention whatsoever of the iPhone. Obviously the quality is not ideal for high definition television sets, but the content is formatted for viewing on small screens and is not far from the quality of content sold on the iTunes Store.
These new cables open up all sorts of new possibilities, especially for the iPhone. Word documents and Excel spreadsheets could easily be shown on large displays and Keynote presentations can be exported as QuickTime movies and played directly from a mobile phone. Obviously, possible applications are only limited by the available programs, and Apple still has promised updates to deliver on.