Griffin 4045-TRPAUTOS iTrip Auto FM Transmitter with SmartScan for iPod

Other products by Griffin Technology

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1.5 x 7.9 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000WKPHHO
• Item model number: 4045-TRPAUTOS
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Audio & Video Accessories > MP3 Player Accessories > FM Transmitters

• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 29, 2007

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
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 Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this thing!, January 3, 2008

By	Jonathan Bock (Iowa City, IA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been a loyal user of the Griffin iTrip products for over 3 years now, and have always thought they worked well. I currently am using the Griffin 9501-CBL iTrip, available on Amazon for $39.25 new, with my 5G video iPod. I've never had a problem with this transmitter - decent sound quality, easy to use, and pretty great signal integrity. I bought my wife an iPod Nano for Christmas, and thought she'd like to have her own FM transmitter to use in our minivan (2006 Odyssey). Purchased this new version at Best Buy for $89.99 (highway robbery, I know). We opened it up and trialed it on a trip to the relatives and I was immediately taken aback by how terrible it was. You could barely read the LED screen in the sunlight in the car, although it looks cool. It's reflective, and you can't see through it when the light is hitting it! That's an awesome idea. Secondly, it has this "smartscan" feature that seemed to work more like "dumbscan". Instead of supposedly finding the 3 best stations to use on the FM dial (that had the least interference), it was actually finding REAL RADIO STATIONS in our area. It found our public radio station, saying that was a good channel to use. It does not go to 87.9, so I dialed it down to 88.1. There was huge feedback and hiss throughout our entire drive, and I had to have my wife actually hold the cable to get the hiss down to a tolerable level.

We then did the same trip 4 days later (3 hours in the car across Iowa and Wisconsin) with my old Griffin iTrip, and it worked perfectly in our minivan. So it's not the car. It's the iTrip.

I took it back to Best Buy last night, and plan on purchasing my wife another of the old iTrips right here on Amazon.

Do yourself a favor and do NOT buy this thing. Get the old iTrip and you'll thank me.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't expect too much..., February 8, 2008

By	John Kubowitz - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of those products that is only as good as your level of expatiation. I own a 2005 Subaru which has a sealed music system. There is no reasonable way to get into it. If you have any direct connect alternative, I would strongly recommend doing so and avoiding any FM transmitter. If you do buy the iTrip as I did, expect some compromises.

Just sending music over FM alone will diminish the quality. This is to be expected. What really effects this product is where you travel. I live half way between Philadelphia and New York city. The FM airwaves are crowded with stations. Including TV in the 87 range. Depending on where I drive, it is almost impossible to listen to. I could endlessly scan and try to find dead air, but there are just too many stations to deal with. If you have read some of the other reviews as I did this is no surprise.

Knowing the limitations, why did I buy the iTrip anyway? I didn't want or expect to use it on my daily commute, I bought it for taking on road trips. I take several trips a year to rural locations. There is very little radio and the trip is long - perfect for getting into some music. This is where the iTrip works well.

The scan feature is good, but the display is impossible to see in bright sun. If you travel alone this could be a problem. You will have to turn the volume to max on your iPod - and I had to adjust the settings to find a tone range that didn't sound too bad. The built in charger is a must.

Bottom line is if there is any way to avoid this product - do so, but if you have no choice this will keep you from going crazy listening to those country stations on long trips.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! Something that works!, June 30, 2008

By	G "gigi" (bay area, ca) - See all my reviews

I've bought many FM transmitters from Kensington to Monster to DLo. This one is by far one of the best ones I have used. Kensington worked well, but stopped working after about 3 months of using it. I had returned others because there was too much static. I like this one because it searches for the 3 clearest channels that you could use, a feature that many others FM transmitters do not have.