DLO TransPod All-in-One Car Solution for iPod White

by DLO

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2 x 4 x 10 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0001FV30K
• Item model number: 009-2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (162 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Do away with the clutter of CDs, cassettes, and jewel cases while on the road with the TransPod FM transmitter and charger, which plays your favorite iPod tunes through your car's stereo speakers. The TransPod powers itself via your car's cigarette lighter and broadcasts the iPod signal to any empty FM frequency on your dial--from 88.1 to 107.9 MHz. Should the reception at one frequency come in poorly, merely change frequencies by pressing the side button. And while you're busy listening to music, the TransPod is also charging your iPod at the same time, ensuring that it won't run out of juice in the middle of a long drive. The TransPod installs in any type of vehicle, and its adjustable mounting arm lets you position the iPod anywhere across the dash for easy access and control. The device also offers a line-out function so you can plug it directly into the car stereo via an optional cassette adapter or auxiliary plug. Compatible with the 3G, 4G, iPod mini, and iPod+HP with dock connector, the TransPod is the ultimate all-in-one car solution for music fans.

What's in the Box
TransPod, cigarette lighter adapter, iPod mini insert, user's manual.

Product Description

Go mobile in style! The DLO TransPod FM plays, charges and mounts iPod all in one unit. You no longer have to sweat the clutter of mounting brackets and dangling wires. iPod sits right where you can access it, charges and plays through your car stereo via the best digital FM transmitter around. Built-in FM transmitter work on any FM frequency from 88.1MHz to 107.9 MHz. Modular design fits any car. Works with all dock connecting iPods.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

131 of 132 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some aesthetic drawbacks but the best solution I've found, June 1, 2005

By 

J. Villeneuve "jayvil" (Newtown, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DLO TransPod All-in-One Car Solution for iPod White (Electronics)

This is not my first attempt at finding an FM transmitter, but so far it's the best solution I've found.

My first try was with an iTrip and a Belkin car charger for my 4G iPod. I also needed a Belkin TuneDock to hold everything. Because the iTrip looked cool and was very portable I tended to overlook its very poor sound and frequent signal drift. The fact that you can not just tune the iTrip on the fly made this more and more of an issue. If you lost a station, you had to stop whatever was playing and go select another iTrip station by playing it on the iPod. Not convenient. Then the iTrip and charge both stopped working - so I started shopping.

Next, I tried a Soundfeeder. This has a manual tuning knob so at least I could tune around signal drift. But this was a hassle and it ran on AA batteries and the signal really degraded as the battery wore out. So, I went for the "All-in-one" solution...

The Transpod just works! I have had absolutely ZERO signal drift. This is on the same station and the same commute I did hundreds of times with the iTrip and Soundfeeder, and they faded or had dead spots a few times per trip. So, I am a big fan of the signal. The dock with its built in charging and tuning buttons is a very big plus. No used cupholders from the TuneDock and the adjustable arms allowed me to place the dock as out of the way as needed. I haven't had to tune to a new station (have I mentioned how great that is), but if I did, the buttons are right there. Now, I have had the iPod bump out of the dock and cause the sound in the left speakers to die before I pushed it back down, but I can live with that. Also, the adjustable arms are not exactly "sexy". It's a bit clunky, but I was after FUNCTION and I just wanted to stop having to adjust things while driving instead of listening. I don't have any issue with the quality of the material.

PROS: Signal strength; All-in-one transmitter, charger, holder minimizes hassle; ease of tuning; adjustable arm for positioning

CON: Not very attractive with all the arms snaking up your console. Not "ugly", just sort of "low-tech".

That CON was not enough for me to lower the 5-star ranking.

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good Quality ... Poor Design, August 21, 2005

By 

Ron Sullivan (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DLO TransPod All-in-One Car Solution for iPod White (Electronics)

As far as pure quality goes, this FM transmitter is probably one of the better ones out there. The sound quality and signal are both really nice; not CD quality, mind you, but I'd feel comfortable saying it's at least as good as broadcast quality.

My gripe is really just over aesthetics. It's simply a really clunky unit. I lease my car and didn't like the idea of (physically) mounting the unit to the dashboard and it's a little too heavy to use double-sided tape. Not to mention that if I tried to mount it, the only spot I could put it placed it too far away to control.

That left me with using the cigarette lighter adapter. That seems to work pretty well, but it has a penchant for being top-heavy and spilling over when I take a hard turn. I also can't use that unit in my wife's car because it gets in the way of the shifter.

I know it's a drop-off in sound quality, but I really seem to prefer the versatility that the iTrip, TuneDock, and seperate power adapter give. If I had to do it again, that's the direction I would have taken.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Transmitter, November 7, 2005

By 

Where in the World (Everywhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DLO TransPod All-in-One Car Solution for iPod White (Electronics)

Let's start with what I have; IPod Photo (40GB), Toyota Echo (2000) with the stock radio and speakers.

The cons of this item. One person mentioned that displeasure with the extension and I agree. In my echo, with the extension arm, it is unstable. The only other cons that I can mention is that when I shift to 5th gear, because of the location of my lighter, I have to watch my knuckles. The stick does not hit the transmitter, but my gorilla knuckles do. That is a flaw with the car, not the transmitter.

Now, for the pros. The instructions recommend the antenna being extended, I actually found that having it retracted was better. My radio will pick up the IPod over another radio station. I purposely tuned to a local station and set the transmitter to the same frequency and it locked on the IPod (Which is really great for here in Europe). I only had one, possible, drift, but that could have been the track. With this transmitter, I have taken all the CD's out of my car! I have my IPod and this. I do not need anything else!

Lastly, I am no expert on exact sound quality, but to me, it sounds as good as my CD player in the car. I definately would recommend this to anyone.

Follow Up: Even a better; a couple of days ago, some friends and I were washing our cars. For curiousity's sake, we tried to see if their radios would pick up the signal. They did, as far as 30 feet away. All of this was on a commercial station that we knew had a decent signal.

One of the guys had a Belkin transmitter (mind you, battery powered) tuned to the same station. It picked up the DLO over his Belkin. Just something else to think about...