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7/24/2012

Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter for 1G & 2G iPod Review

Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter for 1G and 2G iPod

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(More customer reviews)Griffin's iTrip fills the technological void of .mp3 playability on existing audio systems through FM transmission, a Mr. Microphone for the 21st century. Whether you want to play music on your car stereo, or on the FM tuner of your home stereo, the ease of playing your iTunes could not be more effortless. A quick software load from cd-rom onto a personal computer updates iTunes with a special playlist that allows the user to select almost any frequency in the FM spectrum which iTrip is to broadcast on. Once the iPod is synched and updated with iTunes on your personal computer, the user can reselect at any time a preferred FM frequency directly from the iPod interface.
The range of the iTrip FM transmission is viable, as I could transmit at almost 20 feet with no distortion or loss of signal to my home stereo. 30 feet is its stated maximum range, yet in urban environments, half that range may be all one can coax from iTrip in a burdened FM spectrum.
Car travel in Washington D.C. with the iTrip can be hampered by power lines and other transmission sources which flood the signal with interference. The iTrip requires 50% volume output at a minimum from the iPod for an effective signal, and suggests no more than 70% output. At a higher output, I found the iTrip can deplete a new iPod battery (Summer 2004) within 3.5 hours. Griffin Tech.'s claim that the energy usage by iTrip is nominal may be an issue of dispute when applied to my personal usage and experience.
The iTrip requires no external power source other than directly siphoning iPod power using the headphone/audio output jacks. iTrip's size is that of a roll of coins, yet weighs as light as feather perched atop the iPod.
Do be careful: there are more than one version of iTrip available on the market for different versions of the iPod (and iPod mini). I suggest you research compatibility before making your final selection.
The largest drawbacks of Griffin's iTrip: external interference from power lines while driving, and battery drain. Yet with careful power monitoring and recharging, and keeping your iTrip/iPod in close proximity to your car stereo, a very satisfying experience can be achieved with the iTrip at a nominal price. A three-star rating for a good product I would recommend. iTrip is destined to become 4-stars, with a little tweaking and concise compatibility descriptions from the manufacturer in product description.

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4/13/2012

Griffin Technology 4030-ROAD RoadTrip FM Transmitter & Auto Charger and Cradle for iPod Review

Griffin Technology 4030-ROAD RoadTrip FM Transmitter and Auto Charger and Cradle for iPod

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(More customer reviews)I've tried three different types of FM Transmitters for IPOD and here are my rankings in order:
1) Griffin Itrip - $30-$50 depending on model
2) Griffin Road Trip - $80.
3) Belkin Tunecast - $40
First let's talk about sound quality. On all of the FM Transmitters, the sound quality isn't that great. It's somewhere in between AM Radio and FM Radio quality, a long ways from CD clarity. However, being able to play your IPod in the car on a roadtrip or at a party is a great convenience. After a short while, you don't notice the lower quality. My friends and I have happily listened to the IPod for hours.
The next important item is battery power. The Belkin Tunecast runs off AAA batteries and does not draw power from the IPod. The Griffin Itrip draws power from the IPod. The Griffin Roadtrip must be plugged into your car's lighter or auto power adapter. Of these three I like the Griffin Itrip the best. I can take the IPod a party and broadcast for a few hours unplugged or use a charger for unlimited play. In the car, I typically have my IPod charging to a separate auto charger. However it's not a requirement so I can also charge my cell phone and still listen to my music.
Tuning the Transmitter to a blank station: The Road Trip and the Tunecast were both easier to change radio frequencies. The Itrip could be tricky to adjust the radio station. This is important because you need to be tuned to a blank station. Reviewers who talk about station interference merely need to tune their Transmitter to a blank station. I've used the Transmitters all over the country including NYC and I've always been able to find a frequency on the dial to use.
The next consideration is usability. I liked how the Itrip attached to my IPod so it handled as one unit. Judging a separate Tunecast component and the IPod was awkward in the card. When using the Griffin Roadtrip, you must take the IPod out of its case and mount it to the cigarette lighter. At that angle it was impossible to read the screen, so if you wanted to make any selections or adjustments, you had to remove IPod and temporarily lose the signal. With the Itrip, you can hold the IPod on your hand and pick out songs while still listening to your music. Depending on the design of your case, you may not need to remove it to use the Belkin Tunecast or Griffin Itrip, which protects the easily scratched IPod.
Finally price - all three items do essentially the same task. The cost of a car chargers for your IPod is approx $30, so if you factor that in that cost, all three device are essentially the same price.
I prefer the Griffin Itrip for the reasons stated, but I know others who prefer to mount their IPod with the Griffin Roadtrip.

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RoadTrip Charcoal / FM Transmitter & Charger for iPod & iPod mini The RoadTrip is a great FM transmitter and car charger for the iPod in the car but what makes RoadTrip truly unique is its removable transmitter module that can also broadcast music from a Mac or PC.

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3/09/2012

Griffin Technology RadioShark AM / FM Desktop Radio with Time-Shift Recording Review

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(More customer reviews)I already have a couple software programs that will automatically record and save radio programming but when the Radio Shark was announced, I couldn't resist. Mac elegance, simplicity and functionality. Or so I thought. The product is solid, well made and the software is easy to use. Unfortunately, the reception is unacceptably poor in my suburban, residential area. Every radio I own from clock radios, a couple Tivoli Pal's, a built in-whole house system, mini-systems and so on receive programming easily. The Radio Shark's reception is inferior to even the lowliest of portables. I've tried everything I can think of. Coiling the USB cable, moving it to every place within reach, using a high dollar shielded usb extension cable which also allowed me to move the Shark further from the computer), using the Radio Shark's headphone input with a pair of ear buds and a minijack to rca cable (as Griffin's website suggests). Nothing seems to help. I have two other radios within 18 inches of computers and they were pretty easy to set up and receive clear, static free programming. The Radio Shark has been a huge disappointment. I should have learned my lesson after purchasing the Power Mate from this company. The Power mate (ditto for the Radio Shark) is very high quality piece of hardware from a fit and finish standpoint but the software was glitchy with a pc. Maybe it would have been better with a mac. But I digress. Perhaps if you live far from all urban and suburban interference or live on a hill with better line of site to the towers you want to receive from, the Radio Shark might be fine. For the rest of us, the Radio Shark is likely to disappoint. If you want to time shift radio programming, I can recommend two excellent pieces of software. High Criteria's Total Recorder Pro (for the pc) and Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac. I don't work for or profit from either comany. I use both on a daily basis. Both are rock solid. All you need to do is connect a radio to your pc or mac and you're set.

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The RadioSHARK adds a software controlled AM-FM radio any PC or Macintosh computer -- and that's only the beginning! The RadioSHARK records AM & FM broadcasts. Record a scheduled show or use Time-Shift Recording to "pause" live radio, so you can return to right where you left off moments, even hours later.

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2/05/2012

Griffin iTrip Pocket FM Transmitter for iPod nano 2G Review

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(More customer reviews)The industrial design of the iTrip Pocket is almost as impressive as the iPod Nano itself--which is one of the main reasons I selected it to begin with. It connects snugly to the USB connector on the base of the Nano, and its controls are very intuitive. It even briefly displays its FM station setting whenever you change its station, and upon power-up.
I recommend care when disconnecting it from the Nano. Since the connector is not centered, there is a tendency for the iTrip to pivot at an angle as it is being removed. If it is not disconnected in a straight line, I suspect that the lifetime of both connectors (iTrip, as well as the Nano mate) will be greatly reduced.
The sound quality of the iTrip is, at best, decent FM quality--which is what should be expected from an FM transmitter. The FCC limits the amount of broadcast power of these types of devices so that they do not interfere with radio broadcasts. This means that the FM power of all these transmitters is inherently weak. The iTrip will not give you CD quality sound. To optimize the sound quality, the selection of the radio station is critical. I found it to be absolutely essential that I find three unused FM stations in a row on my radio, and then set the iTrip to the middle station. I found that setting the iTrip to an unused station that is adjacent to a used station yielded very poor results. Note that, since the iTrip does not connect to the headphone/earbud jack of the Nano, it is not affected by the volume control of the Nano; it is only controlled by the volume control of your car's radio. I found that I have to set my radio's volume control significantly higher than normal when I use my iTrip; as mentioned before, even though it is only a few feet from the radio, the iTrip is still a very weak transmitter. As with any FM radio broadcast, there can be intermittent radio noise while driving, and noticeable hiss, particularly when the radio's volume is turned up high which (as mentioned earlier) is necessary when using the iTrip.
The position of the iTrip in your car is significant. One of my cars has the antenna in the rear. In this car, I find that reception is improved if I place the iTrip in the back seat--closer to the antenna.
Note that this product does not charge your Nano, in fact it uses your Nano's battery to operate. I have noticed a significant reduction of the Nano's battery life while using the iTrip. With the iTrip, I can only get about 6-8 hours on a charge; normally, a charge lasts at least 10-12 hours, I think.
Overall, I think this is a very good product. But if you are looking for better sound and your car has a cassette deck, I recommend using a cassette converter (traditionally used to connect a portable CD player through a cassette deck). If you want the best possible sound, the only way to go is to directly connect your Nano to your car's stereo system which, depending on the type of stereo you have, may not be straightforward.

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1/10/2012

Griffin TuneFlex AUX w/Dock Connector for iPod Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, since I have only owned this for a week and it is already "breaking", it should get a 1 Star rating. However, there are some positives to it and maybe you will get one that holds up.
I wanted an iPod charging unit and had no need for the FM transmitter so I went with this unit. I have an AUX (auxillary) jack on my car stereo and you can't get any better sound quality from an iPod than playing through it. Plus, It was much cheaper than purchasing a unit with an FM transmitter. PROS:
1) The Design. Flexible neck. Good height, about 8 inches, and it allows the unit to be easily moved around to not interfere with radio or Air conditioning controls. When I first plugged it in I thought "This is great. A good sturdy unit" I was wrong though...see the CONS.
2) the AUX jack. You can plug the mini-stereo cord into the front of the cigarette lighter charger plug and then into your AUX (auxillary) jack of your stereo. That way you only have to drop the iPod in and take it out. No cords to plug in and out.
CONS:
1) The plug for the cigarette lighter has a big rubber gasket on it to "prevent slipping". The problem? It only worked for about a week before the rubber would no longer stay stiff enough to keep the unit from swinging to the right or left and having the iPod hang upside down!!
I was very disappointed this product only lasted a Week and have now printed a return label to send it back.
I was worried that this might eventually become a problem. I just had no idea it would only take a week for the rubber gasket/cigarette port to start sliding. Just as a note, it does stay IN the socket, put it doesn't stay stationary (it swings/slides) so it is not a stable unit for my iPod.
2) The hi/low switch and AUX jack. I found my sound quality was louder and clearer if I plug the stereo cable in between the headphone jack of the iPod and the AUX jack on the stereo. If I plugged it in to the charger unit, on Low power, it sounded very muffled. On high power, it sounded "okay" but not as good or loud as using the headphone jack.So, I am not getting back online to find an alternative unit. I'll probably have to purchase a 'fixed' position unit that also has an FM transmitter because that seems to be the majority of what is out there. We'll see.
Bottom line, I cannot suggest this unit to anyone because it doesn't function as described.
I just bought one of these for my wifes car too (a Nano version). We'll see if it lasts.

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TuneFlex AUX for iPod plays iPod through car stereos equipped with a 1/8" (3.5mm) auxiliary input jack as it charges through the auto's 12V power outlet.TuneFlex's flexible steel neck and swiveling cradle let users custom-position their iPods.It's the cleanest way to get iPod sound through your car stereo.

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12/21/2011

Griffin Technology iTrip DualConnect for iPhone and iPod touch Review

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(More customer reviews)I had a Griffin FM transmitter with my iPhone 3G that I gave away with the phone. When I purchased my iPhone 4, there didn't seem to be a supported Griffin FM transmitter or car charger that officially worked with the iPhone 4. I wanted a Griffin because the one I had worked well for me. I waited a while, kept checking, and finally there were products offered for the iPhone 4. A LOT of products (from Griffin). I wasn't sure which product to pick. I wanted a car charger and an FM transmitter. I finally picked out the DualConnect as it seemed the closest match. I was hesitant however because there seemed to be mixed reviews around, mostly negative. I went ahead and bought it and it has worked great. It worked the first try with no problems. I had been a little worried about the "dual" part... my car radio doesn't have a line in for external audio input and I figured that part of the cord would dangle about, unused. I was happy to find, however, that the line in is a completely separate cable from the charge unit. SO, for my purposes, I can just leave that cable at home. Thus I have a single cable from car charger to phone, with which I can control the playback directly (with the part that fits into the charger). Also, the app I installed from the AppStore worked without any problems. I was able to auto tune the frequency, set it on the radio, and it just worked.
I don't often leave reviews. I only do so now because I almost didn't buy this product because of the negative reviews I read elsewhere. I'm really happy with it though and glad I finally have a way to listen to my iPhone music in my car.

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