Customer Reviews

FM Transmitter Car Charger and Mount Compatible with Apple iPod / iPhone

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(81)
3 star:		(53)
2 star:		(38)
1 star:		(59)

 

 

Over the years I've been through about 15 FM transmitters. This one is by far the best quality I've had. You may hear a little high pitched noise at high volumes, but that is a small price to pay for the amazing amount of clarity provided. The remote control is pretty flimsy and has to be held almost directly next to it to work but that's not the reason I purchased it so I was hardly disappointed. I really don't think you'll find a better product on the market.

I bought this to replace my Griffin iTrip after it shorted out. I was worried about buying a different brand (or a non-brand, as a case seems to be), since the Griffin is able to be set to international frequencies (and I was never able to receive a clear signal without setting it below 88.1).

So far, however, the signal has been A LOT clearer at 88.1 than it ever was on my old transmitter. I live in Phoenix and I've had no trouble with signal interruptions so far; I even get a clear sound in parking garages and around strongly broadcast signals, like in shopping center parking lots. The sound quality is also pretty decent for an FM transmitter, especially one that cost less than $20 to buy and ship. I also love the cradle and the flexible neck that allows me to dock my iPod within easy reach.

The remote seems to be a bust, but I don't really care as I can't see a reason to use a remote when my iPod is docked right in front of me. Your mileage may vary, I suppose. And for all I know this might short out in a few months just like my Griffin did, but I'm holding out hope!

I like this device:
Nice:
- Cheap FM Transmitter
- Phone Charger
- Phone Holder
- Can be used with other devices
- Tested on iPhone 4 - like a charm
- and best of all, all at the same time - yes, you can charge and listen to music at the same time!

Cons:
-The stick to hold it is short, on my 95 camry, it had hard time using it and its pushing against my dashboard
- shakes a lot while driving
- seems to inter fer with Google maps GPS - the maps work, but the orientations easily gets out of sync, and keeps saying move the device in the figure (8) motion
- i used it with MapQuest - MapQuest did not seem to interfere - so not sure if its Google Maps, or the iPhone
- FM Transmitter is weak - it works, but not loud, and does not have much power. While driving during the city, about 90% of the time its clear, and maybe 10% or so not clear (has static) - so its not bad, unless you like your music flawless
- I dont think the holder will last - it looks cheap - but so far its holding, lets see for how long
- I think this is an iPhone issue, but I cannot hear the calls on the speaker - so its problematic if you need to remove it from the holder each time
- With a case on the iPhone4, its fit is tight in the holder

Trick to use it to charge and listen at the same time:
- Do not use the extra cable from the iPhone to the device, only use the charge cable!
- place the music on speaker mode, the connect the charge cable - and you are done - it charges AND music works from the same cable!
If you keep the extra cable on the top, the you wont hear a thing!


Why 4 star:
- static FM, not very loud voice
- cannot hear the calls on FM while driving (maybe an iPhone issue, not the device issue)
- cheap holder and stick very short

I obviously knew that for 11 bucks SOMETHING would be wrong with it. i read some positive reviews, and decided to give it a shot. BAD idea. It did however ship fast. I opened the box, and was surprised that the product actually seemed like decent quality. so i run to my car, and plug in the transmitter. First off..this thing is huge. It kind of gets in the way of the shift stick of the car. I plug in the transmitter, and it doesn't turn on. I had to push it in hard to finally turn on. I plug in my iPod, and the quality actually surprised me. Two minutes later..the transmitter just falls. I guess its just too heavy. I wasn't even driving, and the transmitter tilted. After driving for a couple of minutes, it is obvious the thing does NOT stay in place. Not only that, but it also broke my outlet!!!! Now i have to fix it and it cost more to fix it than what i spent on this worthless fm transmitter.
Audio is good, but it has MANY MANY flaws!!! i dont even know if i can get a refund now. stay away from this product and purchase a different one!!!

A great product. My other adapter was stolen and I didn't want to miss my favorite tunes so I purchased this to replace it. Wow! This is much better anyway. Easy to use, even includes a remote if that is important to you. Stays on station, doesn't drift like my previous one. i love it!

The transmitter works well and it will charge the phone ... BUT ... it won't stay plugged in and is contantly rotating so that the holder is crashing into things and causing it to come unplugged.

If they could get the thing to stay in place and stay plugged in it would be amazing ... but alas, it doesn't ... and I bought 2. It does the same things in 2 different vehicles.

Let me start by saying that it's my 4th transmitter. This one is by far the best I owned.

Design: In the Amazon pictures it looks really cheap looking but actually is not bad at all. I love the fact you can twist and set it to your convenience. It really secures my device.

Features: I read some reviews here about the transmitter resetting to a different station everytime your turn on your car. well, mine it always stays in my station. the remote control is a plus even tho it looks really cheap but i dont really use it I dont really care.

Sound Quality: the BEST so far I set it up to 88.7 and get CD quality sound from my Droid 1 or my iPod touch 1G.

I buy it before it runs out.. Im not kidding buy it you wont regret it ...

I received the product today and I am quite happy with it. There are a few odd quirks with this product but overall I am happy with it out the gate.

First things first - it comes with NO DIRECTIONS. There are a few bullet points on the packaging - but thats it. Hopefully this review will give you all you need to know based on what I have discovered fiddling with it.

The device cradles your ipod or mp3 device between padded jaws. They are a little tight coming out the case and i thought I broke them forcing them apart so that my ipod would fit. After a bit I discovered that there is a pushbutton on the lower left of the unit that springs the jaws open to full width. This allows the unit to hold many different ipod and mp3/smartphone models without falling out. There are also 2 tabs on the bottom to prevent you ipod from sliding out if the jaws are loose. One big negative -- one of the tabs blocks the headphone jack on the ipod touch. So if you want to put a cable in the headphone jack you have to set it up so your ipod doesn't rest against the bottom tabs.( see enclosed pic)

The device has an LCD display for the transmitter on the top of the unit with 2 up/down frequency buttons and a QS button. For the life of me, I have no idea what QS means. It seems to work like the preset button on the included remote ( more on that later)

The gooseneck on this seems very sturdy and stayed where I put it. I do wish it was a bit longer though so that it would be higher that my shifter. The lighter adapter has a blue power indicator led that is kinda bright. You may want to put a piece of tape over it if you are driving at night.

This things also has a built in usb port for charging devices. I haven' t used it so I cannot comment on the quality of it as a charging station.

Some of the pics show the unit with a 1/8 inch cable that goes from the headphones to the transmitter. This is NOT REQUIRED if you are using an ipod. Just use the ipod connecter and you are good to go. his may be required for phone usage with an iphone - but I cannot confirm that. The cable is required if you have another mp3 player like a Sansa fuze.

The sound quality is pretty good. I have had a few FM transmitters for various mp3 devices and this one has the best quality yet - so its a winner in that department. Another added plus is that you can use any frequency between 87.1 and 107.9 Mhz. I have had units in the past that only had preset frequencies that would just not work if there were radio stations close by on the same frequency.

The biggest negative about the unit is that the lcd screen with the frequency info is on the top of the unit. If you set it up so that you can see the ipod's screen you wont see the lcd info because it is facing away from you. This is only an issue if you have to change the station while driving - otherwise its not that big an issue

This unit comes with a cheap, cheesy looking plastic remote that has some plusses and minuses.

I read a few reviews about the remote that states that you have to be right next to the unit for it to pick up the signal. At first it seemed that I was experiencing the same issue. The remote only seemed to work when I was right next to the unit."Meh", I thought -- its only 11 bucks. But as I was fiddling with the unit position I noticed that after a while I could control the unit via remote from a good arm span away. This seemed odd -- sometime it would work from far away other times it wouldn't work when it was right next to it. Then I found the culprit. Upon inspection it appears that the remote is an IR emitting remote. IR emitting remotes are directional an require the unit in question to have an IR receiver to capture the signal. From what I can tell the IR receiver is located somewhere in the top left area of the unit. Basically if you can read the radio station lcd your remote should work like a charm.Trouble is, the way this is designed you want to have it so that your ipod is facing you -- which means the lcd is facing up - which means that the remote ain't gonna be useful. I think this is a shame because, with an ipod touch, it would be much easier to do basic things like pause a track or play the next track without looking at the unit because of the tactile feedback. Since everything on the touch is accessed via the touchscreen you kinda have to look at it instead of the road to do these things.

The remote is an odd little thing. It looks like an old school ipod nano complete with a sticker where the ipod nano screen would be (newsflash - the sticker does nothing). The remote allows you to rewind, fast forward, play, pause and increase and decrease volume( these are the "clickwheel" functions). In addition it has a frequency up and down button and a preset button. the preset button does not operate the way I would imagine. when I press it it goes from 88.1 to 88.9 and then 107.1 to 107.9 in .2 increments. If you wanted to use something in-between you are gonna have to use the frequency buttons. I haven't yet figured out how to set a preset (if that is even possible).

Finally I noted that one poster stated that when he tried to use the remote his volume control did not work. I am not positive on this, but I think that is by design. When I pugged my ipod into the unit and ran tune it stated on the display that it was in docked mode and not only could I not change the volume via my remote- but I couldn't adjust the volume on my ipod either. I believe that this is feature apple put in so that when the unit is docked the volume is controlled by the docking device. there is a simple workaround for this though. If you use the supplied 1/8 inch cable to go from your headphone out to the input on the top it treats that ipod ilke it is no longer in docked mode and you can freely change the volume on your ipod or via the remote.

Oh well.

PROS:
Good Transmitter
Tunable to any frequency
Solid Gooseneck
DIRT CHEAP

CONS:
Cant view display in normal position
Remote unusable when unit in normal position
Cannot set presets

I have looked everywhere and tried all sorts of music transmitting solutions for my iPhone in my car. All have been disappointing. But this one works very well for my needs! It holds and charges my phone and the reception quality is great! i don't use the remote, but that isn't something that would keep me from buying it. I do wish the charging cord on it was longer, so that I could use it while talking on the phone, otherwise, I have no other complaints. It holds my phone steady in the holder and the music sounds great!

what a piece of junk.

1. the iphone is too heavy for the unit. it swivels all over the place. it disconnects every time you turn a corner. for my car, it continually fell on the shifter. not cool. you'd have to duct tape this thing to your dash in order to get it to stay stationary.

2. there is a lot of interference regardless of what fm station you have it set on. (if you ever put an old nextel with a two-way next to your computer speakers, you know the sound i'm talking about)

3. it does NOT allow you to hear phone calls through your car speakers. if someone calls you, the song will cut out and you will hear your ringtone through your speakers, but if you answer the call (even on speakerphone) you can not hear anything through the speakers of your car. then you have to wrestle the cord to disconnect it to take the call.

4. you have to turn the master volume on your ipod/iphone halfway down or it sounds horrible, so the volume isn't very loud at all. my car is the only place i can blast my music, so good sound quality is very important to me. this didn't do it for me at all.

i'm glad it didn't cost me too much. as far as i know, apple doesn't make one. if they did, i would shell out the money for it. it's a great idea, but really poor delivery.