New iTrip
I own an iTrip. It usually works fantastically - it's been great to have it on long road trips where I can cue up a hefty playlist and just let the tunes play through the car's FM reciever. Sweet.Oh yea, verily do I love thee, iTrip.
But it's not without its problems. The main one is that it can be a total pain in the arse to choose the broadcast station. Sometimes after playing the 'mp3 config' tunes, the red LED flashes, then nothing. The device sometimes just seems to be impossible to 'tune'. It can have a mind of it's own. And, even if it does tune consistently, it's still difficult to change the station quickly (like if a damn community station interrupts your transmission). Don't even think about trying to change station while you're driving.
It now looks like those days will soon be behind us as Griffin Technologies, makers of the iTrip, are releasing a new model. This puppy has an LCD display, showing the broadcast station, and a knob to control said station. The iTrip form and general slickness is retained but the improved ability to easily change station is wicked-cool.
On top of that you can now also select between "DX" and "LX" modes. LX means stereo, as per the original iTrip. DX is mono. "Totally crap" I hear you scream! However, the kicker is that mono transmissions are clearer and have a greater transmission distance. Very useful if, like me, you listen to a lot of podcasts.
Finally, there is the neat auto-volume feature. With the original iTrip you had to be careful setting the volume of the iPod. Too loud and the audio clipped. Too soft and the transmission sufferred or you had to crank up the volume on your reciever, introducing noise. The new model controls the iPod, setting the volume to the optimal level.
Even though it'll be US$50 I'm ready to upgrade (maybe I'll wait awhile for the price to dip just a little). Read more about the new iTrip here:
Review: iTrip (LCD)
[via Gizmodo: New iTrip LCD Reviewed (Verdict: A++++ Would do business with again)]
posted by Matt @ 5:41 AM
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