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Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter with Auto Dock Connector Cable for iPod and iPhone (Silver/Black) by Griffin Technology
Digital Photo Product DetailsManufacturer: Griffin Technology Brand: Griffin Technology Edition: Electronics Model: 4056-TRPAUTO Color: Black Publisher: Griffin Technology Studio: Griffin Technology Music Label: Griffin Technology Product features: - Compatibility: all iPod and iPhone models
- Simple one-cable design combines easy-to-use FM transmitter and auto charger for iPod
- SmartScan automatically finds the clearest frequencies wherever you are
- Automatically optimizes output volume; no need to adjust volume level on your iPod
- Lighted display is easy to read
Accessories:
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter with Auto Dock Connector Cable for iPod and iPhone (Silver/Black)Customer Review: There are better FM transmitters available!!! Summary: 1 Stars
Knowing how much I wanted to play my iPod in my car, my fiancé bought me this for Christmas. I had placed a different FM Transmitter in my Amazon cart (SoundFly), but after reading a very good review on Amazon with instructions on how to get the best sound out of this (switching to international mode and transmitting at a low frequency), I decided to give it a try.
It worked fine the first few days while I was driving in the Downtown Los Angeles area, but got increasingly bad in the following days and weeks, and even worse when I ventured out into the "greater LA area."
The 3 ultimate tests:
1)LAX - Majority of the trip to the airport was fine. Some mild static that increased as I got closer to the airport. I figured this was understandable to be fuzzy near the airport, but as I was picking up my fiancé from the arrivals platform some Mexican Folk music radio station blasted OVER my weak static-y iPod music. Even when I left the arrivals platform, my music didn't resume playing as well as it had before I got to LAX. Strike 1!
2)Driving 45 miles east - The first time I drove inland to my parents' house there was mild background static in various spots along the 91 freeway. They were few and far apart and didn't bug me because I figured in such a long stretch, there was bound to be weak transmittal spots. In the following 2 weeks, when I drove the same route and had it tuned to the same station, for some reason the few seconds of static here and there turned into minutes of LOUD static for more than half the trip.
This is where the "smartscan" feature kicks in. The trouble is the amount of time you take your eyes off the road for, while you're scanning for stations and tuning your radio to match - Dangerous! Saving stations to the preset memory is supposed to help with this, but I had problems trying to save anything. I even broke down and finally read the manual (not while driving), but this didn't help either. Strike 2!!
3)Driving in Palos Verdes - This area is notorious for not poor FM radio reception (if any at all). Not surprisingly, the iTrip was no exception. Strike 3!!!
I don't know what it was, but this product's performance got increasingly bad by the day. The places where it used to work flawlessly started having static, and pretty soon I was just hearing varying degrees of static over my music. Smartscanning would only buy me a minute or so of crystal clear music. I got so annoyed I abandoned my iPod and went back to playing CDs in my car.
If you're in the Greater Los Angeles Area and are looking for a more reliable FM Transmitter, I suggest you go with the Soundfly SD WMA/MP3 Player Car Fm Transmitter for SD Card, USB Stick, Mp3 Players (iPod, Zune) instead. It's easy to use and the sound comes through clear (it passed my 3 ultimate tests listed above). In addition to your iPod, you can also plug in a regular computer USB memory stick, an SD card, and any other MP3 player that uses a USB plug. The SoundFly is far superior to the Griffin iTrip.
Description of Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter with Auto Dock Connector Cable for iPod and iPhone (Silver/Black)riffin brings exclusive SmartScan technology to its precedent-setting iTrip FM Transmitter/Charger. Griffin-exclusive SmartScan automatically finds the clearest frequencies wherever you are, making setup and operation as easy as two button presses (one for your iTrip and one for your radio). Designed specifically for use in the car, iTrip Auto's large, easy-to-read backlit LCD screen affords quick status at a glance. iTrip Auto plugs into the dock connector of your iPod or iPhone and automatically optimizes output volume. Control speaker volume from your car stereo controls so that you won't have to touch your iPod to adjust the volume level. iTrip Auto brings with it all the innovations of its iTrip lineage--including selectable stereo and mono modes for best-quality audio under real-world conditions--Griffin's trademark world-class industrial design, and SmartScan, the easiest-to-use FM transmitter ever.
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