Electronics

Griffin 4045-TRPAUTOS iTrip Auto FM Transmitter with SmartScan for iPod The Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter with SmartScan wirelessly sends music from your iPod to your car radio so you can listen on your car stereo speakers. It combines Griffin’s renowned FM transmitter technology with an integrated charger. Designed specifically for use in the car, the SmartScan function makes it easier than ever to find the perfect frequency. SmartScan scans the radio dial for the three best frequencies and saves them to the preset buttons. The high-contrast display is easy to read in any light, and the three-stage light ring changes color to indicate charging status. Compatible with iPod (4G, 5G), iPod nano (1G, 2G, 3G), iPod Classic, and iPod touch.
Customer Review: Griffin 4045 review
Items works as advertised. A little static every so often, but otherwise good sound quality. Easy to scan for new empty stations as I travel long distances.
Customer Review: Worthless
I bought this the other day and knew within minutes of hooking it up that it was going back to the store. The smartscan tries to identify available frequencies, but buildings, mountains, trees, and even the direction of travel all seem to affect the reception once the car is in motion. I’d get a strong signal in the driveway, but as soon as I pulled out into the street the music was competing with a radio preacher, and the preacher was winning! When I moved the transmitter to select another frequency, the music came back, only to disappear in a blast of static as I set the trasmitter down. Reception seems to be dependent on the location and orientation of the transmitter, too. In a short, twenty minute drive, I had changed the station five times.
The only place I found where it seems to work well is in a short tunnel underneath central Phoenix, as reception from all the other stations drops off. Great! I’ll just drive back and forth between 7th Ave and 7th St on I-10 all day so I can listen to my iPod in the car.
When I took it back to the store, the cashier told me that a lot of these are returned. Why didn’t the clerk in the iPod aisle tell me that before I bought it? I’m going to shop around a bit, and apply the cost of this worthless piece of plastic to a new car stereo with iPod connectivity built-in.
Who would’ve thought that buying an iPod would subsequently require me to upgrade my car stereo?

Tags: iPods, cheap ipod, ipod review, ipods review, ipod