Griffin iTrip Black FM Transmitter for iPod Make Your Car Rattle and Hum The coolest iPod accessory in the world is now available for the coolest iPod in the world - the jet black iPod U2 Special Edition. The iTrip FM transmitter for the iPod can play your music through any FM radio - in your car, at a party - anywhere the mood strikes you and there's a radio. iTrip is made specifically for the iPod. This gives iTrip advantages over similar devices. For example, with the iTrip, you can have the cleanest possible signal, because you can choose any radio station on the FM dial to tune for the best performance. You do this by 'playing' special station codes directly from the iPod itself. Simple. Another advantage of the iTrip is that it needs no batteries - it receives its tiny amount of power from the iPod. No more batteries ever again. There’s not even a power switch – just plug it in and go. It shuts off automatically after 60 seconds of silence, just like the iPod. The iTrip is the ultimate accessory for the iPod because it allows you to share the music and share the fun beyond your headphones. Don't leave home without it.
This black version of the popular iTrip FM transmitter for third-generation iPods can play your music through any FM radio: in your car, at work, at a party; wherever the mood strikes you--as long as there's a radio handy. The iTrip gives you the cleanest possible signal, too, since you can tune for the best performance by choosing any radio station on the dial. What's more, the iTrip needs no batteries--it draws its tiny, nearly unmeasurable current directly from the iPod, and it can rotate out of the way so you can charge the iPod while the iTrip is still in use.
Choose the best frequency for broadcast. |
The iTrip can transmit wirelessly to any radio. |
There's not even a power switch--you just plug it in and go. It shuts off automatically after 60 seconds of silence, just like the iPod. If the iTrip is already connected to the iPod, it will turn itself on after it detects a few seconds of audio. With iTrip, you have over 100 stations to choose from, which you select directly from the iPod. An installed playlist from the supplied CD-ROM called iTrip Stations contains every available station. You can keep them all in your iPod or just keep the ones used regularly--you manage them just like songs.
How does it sound? All the iTrip does is create a miniature FM radio station on top of your iPod, so it has the potential to sound as good as the best FM radio stations. The iTrip does not have the physical space to accommodate the iPod remote control (it lacks the required female iPod headphone connector to provide a signal pass-through), and the iTrip occupies the iPod's headphone jack, so it's one or the other at any given time.
Be advised that some car windshields impair FM radio transmission, which could prevent you from using the iTrip with your car radio. Some windows have a metallic film that substantially blocks the FM signal traveling from within your car to your external antenna. You can usually tell which windshields have the film by looking carefully--if you see an unusual bronze or reddish tint, you might have the metal film; if you see a very fine grid pattern you might have woven metal wires. Check with your dealer to be sure.
What's in the Box
The iTrip transmitter and the iTrip CD-ROM.
1 Not for large market locations...
This product simply does not work in the Boston market -- nor the NYC market. I have what can only be described as a "humble" stock car stereo. I travel in the Boston area and New York City area quite frequently and I can say there is NO ROOM on the dial for the iTrip to work. It's the most frustrating thing. It gets two stars because it will work indoors (usually) on a home-based portable radio. Bottom-line, between an insane set-up process and no guaranteed success with a car stereo - it's not worth it.
2 Average Sound, Terrible Interface
The Griffin iTrip is nearly identical to any other FM transmitter for portable audio devices, except that it draws its power from the iPod instead of from a separate battery. Also, one cannot change the broadcast frequency from the unit itself--this is done through the iPod interface.
Most people who I know that have bought an iTrip have done so because they want to listen to their iPods in the car, and they don't have a tape deck for a tape adapter. The only problem is if you're driving by yourself on a long-ish trip through populated areas (such as, say, San Diego to Los Angeles), the abandoned frequencies vary rapidly, and it's necessary to change the broadcast station on your iTrip. Unfortunately, this is nearly impossible, because it requires total concentration to change the broadcast station.
After using this product for several months, I could not recommend it whole-heartedly. The sound can never be better than FM radio anyway, so I'd direct people to purchase other FM transmitters with an easier interface.
3 Don't buy the white one
If you plan on using the iTrip in your car, buy the black one - it will look better if you also have a black case for your iPod (I know this sounds stupid, but I didn't think about it right away, either).
The iTrip works great. You can switch the broadcast station directly from the iPod and the reception sounds good - not CD quality, but good.
It simply does what it's supposed to.
4 Black and White
Great item. Cost 6 dollars less than white version. Is the extra 6 dollars a fee for color coordination? Love it. Works everywhere...office, car , home....Get it now...
