Sep 11 2005
I’ve been enjoying listening to my iPod shuffle over my car’s radio for the last little while as I’ve been testing out a pair of transmitters. I’ve tried the DLO TransPod FM Transmitter for iPod shuffle and the XtremeMac Airplay iPod FM Transmitter for iPod shuffle and I’ve posted my findings in my reviews. Check ‘em out.
Note:
Sep 11 2005
For those of you like me,
your
iPod listening depends on the dark magic of FM transmission. I drive everywhere and I don’t have the luxury of a car stereo
with
a line in. I
used to use a cassette adapter
but it seems to have pooched my cassette player. So, you see, if I am to listen to my iPod when I have time to do so, I need an FM transmitter.
Back in January when the iPod shuffle was announced, I was one of those blind instant adopters. Not once did I think of when and how I was going to listen to programming on the thing. I wanted to keep all the podcasts I subscribe to and all my audio books on the shuffle and all my music on my 40GB iPod. But as soon as I got in the car, I realized I was in need of a transmitter in order to complete my plan.
First out of the gate with an iPod shuffle FM transmitter was XtremeMac. They sent me one of their Airplay iPod FM Transmitter for iPod shuffle units to test drive almost as soon as it came out and I’ve been playing with it since then. It is a tiny little thing with a four foot cable and a cigarette lighter adapter. The cigarette lighter adapter is actually the biggest part of the Airplay for shuffle. The business end has a blue backlight LCD that displays the FM band that it is currently broadcasting over. It also has easy to use tuning buttons to allow you to access frequencies from 88.1 to 107.9 and three preset buttons to allow you to switch between favored frequencies when one gets taken over by a local broadcast.
The Airplay for shuffle is powered directly from the cigarette adapter which means that it is going to tether you to your car if you have the desire to broadcast your shuffle over FM for any other purpose than on-the-road listening. That’s not a problem for me, but it bears noting.
The FM broadcast quality of the device is about as good as the iTrip and, like the iTrip, relies on finding the iPod’s volume sweet spot to balance between FM static and distorted audio. I have been able to broadcast my shuffle’s audio using the Airplay on an FM band that actually is being used by a radio station in nearby Washington state. Not bad. It is plenty strong enough for my needs, the audio quality is passable. If you do have a functioning cassette stereo in your car, the shuffle’s earphone jack is still accessible, so you can use the Airplay simply as a power adapter and feed audio to your cassette adapter.
My only real beef with the Airplay iPod FM Transmitter for iPod shuffle is that the cigarette lighter adapter doesn’t stay in my cars lighter socket. The little wings on the side of the adapter (presumably put there to grab the insides of the car lighter socket) don’t actually reach the inside of the socket but instead serve to periodically pop the adapter out of position. ARGGHH!!! Another minor annoyance is the fact that XtremeMac has offered no way to allow users to put the shuffle in a handy place in their vehicle where the controls would be in easy reach. I’m so used to the at hand access I get with my DLO TransPod for my 40GB iPod that it seems clunky to me that the Airplay doesn’t come with a air vent clip or the like to put the shuffle in reach when driving. I end up sticking my shuffle in the slot of my defunct cassette stereo.
All in all I recommend the Airplay iPod FM Transmitter for iPod shuffle to iPod shuffle users you want to charge their shuffle and listen to its programming on the road. It sells for USD$49.95 and works very well. It finally made my iPod shuffle usable to me.
Sep 11 2005
I’m
submitting two reviews for iPod shuffle transmitters today. Check out my other review if you’re in the market for one of these dealies.
As you may well know, I am in a position where listening to my iPod in my car requires that I use an FM transmitter, so when new ones come on the market, I have a vested interest in knowing how well they measure up. You may also know that I am a huge fan of the DLO TransPod FM Transmitter Car Kit for iPod–I love it. So when I got the press release that DLO was coming out with a TransPod for the iPod shuffle, I was stoked. I fired off an email to get one even before I posted the story to MacMerc.
The DLO TransPod FM Transmitter for iPod Shuffle is a rather large device when compared to the XtremeMac Airplay iPod FM Transmitter for iPod shuffle. It’s a cigarette lighter adapter attached to a big box connected by an adjustable elbow joint. It has a huge blue backlit LCD that displays the current broadcast frequency and the right and left sides each have a button from which you can adjust that frequency between 87.9 to 107.9 MHz. You can also program 4 preset stations in case you need to switch between FM bands to broadcast on the clearest frequency for where you are currently.
One other feature for those of you with other audio devices you’d like to be able to transmit on FM, the TransPod for iPod Shuffle has an auxiliary in port on the bottom that will allow you to use it for any iPod, Walkman, Zen, whatever…if it has an earphone jack, it should work. Pretty smart. It also has a line out so that you can use the device as just a charger for your shuffle and send the audio out to a cassette adapter in your vehicle’s cassette stereo…but couldn’t you just plug that into your shuffle’s earphone jack? Hmm …I dunno.
The TransPod requires no batteries but it doesn’t pull power off your shuffle either, so if you want to use it as a transmitter away from your vehicle you’re out of luck–it needs to be in the cigarette lighter socket. Unlike the Airplay for Shuffle, the DLO does not have a long reach but you can always go to your local computer store and buy a standard USB extension cable if you want to allow backseat driving for your shuffle.
The FM transmission is quite good. It is about as good as the iTrip and, like the iTrip, relies on finding the iPod’s volume sweet spot to balance between FM static and distorted audio. I have been able to broadcast my shuffle’s audio using the Airplay on an FM band that actually is being used by a radio station in nearby Washington state. Perfect for listening to podcasts on the road.
What don’t I like about the DLO TransPod FM Transmitter for iPod Shuffle? I’m trying really hard to think of something. About all that I can think to gripe about is that when I go to remove the unit from the cigarette lighter, I tend to press the tuning buttons on the side and screw things up for the next use. Pretty minor. Easy to avoid.
The DLO TransPod FM Transmitter for iPod Shuffle is my favorite FM transmitting solution for Apple’s iPod shuffle. It puts the controls in easy reach while I drive and holds the shuffle firmly in place. It’s a beauty. Call me a diehard DLO fan, but with products like this, the folks there have given me little reason not to be a fan.
The device sells for USD$59.99 ($10 more than the Airplay) and I heartily recommend it.
