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Review: iPod Travel AccessoriesReviewed By: Kirk Hiner Review Date: November 26, 2002
Back when the iPod was first announced by Apple, I went on record saying it may be the first product Apple had ever released that I had absolutely no desire to own. That was perhaps an inaccurate comment. What I should have said is that it's the first product Apple has ever released that I have absolutely no desire to buy. I still don't think it's worth its price, but having received one for free, I've found myself using it more often than expected. I mean, it's all about portability, isn't it. What is it up to now? 4,000 songs in your pocket? I think mine only puts 2,000 in my pocket, but that's okay by me. Queen doesn't have 2,000 songs, so that's a lot of space left over for pirating software from CompUSA. That was a joke, everyone. I never go to CompUSA. Whereas I used to be happy just grabbing a couple CDs in the morning to listen to at work, I now prefer to stock up the iPod the night before. Bigger selection, easier portability, and I can keep the music playing when I need a different CD in my computer, when I'm rebooting the system, or when I take a walk to CompUSA to pirate some...I suppose I should let that joke die before people start taking me seriously. But, it wasn't until I was asked to take a look at a couple iPod accessories that I really began to appreciate its portability. See, as much as I'd like to just take a bus or train to work so I could listen to the iPod, read, or (most likely) sleep, I'm forced to drive. NPR's Morning Edition sometimes is enough for the half-hour drive into Cleveland, but quite often I'd rather hear some OK Go or a little Oasis. Trouble is, my Blaupunkt CD player doesn't like to play CDs in the cold, Ohio winters. It has trouble reading them, apparently, and spits them out until its had the chance to warm up. Quite often, I'll be about five minutes from the office before this happens. Who would've guessed the iPod would be the answer to this problem. With just a few accessories, I'm able to turn my iPod into my car's music system, and the results are decent enough that I'll be able to get through the winter without hoping someone steals the CD player so I can claim the insurance and get something better. The first necessary piece of equipment (outside of the iPod, of course) is Arkon's SoundFeeder FM Stereo Transmitter. This handy little device, which runs on three AAA batteries, takes the signal from your iPod and transmits it to an FM signal on your radio dial. Simple enough in theory, but the execution is not quite so easy.
Although it's not too difficult to find a band that's not receiving a signal, it is difficult to find one that's not receiving a signal for a long duration. What may work at your home, may not work thirty miles down the road. To compensate, you either have to fiddle with the dial on the transmitter, or select another radio band altogether. Not handy when driving. After a few days of trial and error, I was able to locate a (non) station that worked for the 20 mile commute to work, but I have yet to find one that holds the iPod's signal for 70 miles from Cuyahoga Falls to Ashland where my parents live. Also, the signal is transmitted from the iPod to the radio at a lower volume than an actual FM radio signal. It's not a big deal turning up the radio, but you have to remember where it's at when you switch stations or you risk blowing out your ears (or at least your speakers). Also, when you adjust the dial on the transmitter, going too far can pull it radio static or another signal which come in at the regular radio volume. Be ready for a shock. Keeping the radio at a normal volume and cranking the iPod works as well, but, again, make sure you pay attention to the iPod's audio level when you go back to using headphones. There are two other minor problems with the SoundFeeder, both having to do with placement. It's recommended that the product sit still when travelling, preferably on the dash. However, the product ships with no device, not even a strip of velcro, to attach it to the dashboard or anywhere else. I didn't seem to get a very good signal when it was resting in the passenger seat, but it did just fine when on my lap. It did even better when I held it up above the steering wheel, but that's probably not the best solution. Also, if I were to attach it to the dashboard, I'd have to attach the iPod there as well since the patch chord Arkon provides to connect the transmitter to the iPod isn't even a foot long. At the least, you'll need to get a new patch chord in order to keep the iPod someplace safe. Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh here, though, as I have been able to get the SoundFeeder to work as its supposed to. I'll get some slight static every now and again on my commute to work, and it works better on certain days than on others, but it's better than waiting half an hour for my CD player to warm up, and it's an adequate solution for those who have no CD or tape player (you can bet I'll be using this whenever I'm forced to use a rental car).
And finally, let's talk about protection. If your iPod's going to be bouncing around in your car, you'll want to keep it safely wrapped up to prevent scuffs and scratches. There are dozens of possibilities here, but my current favorite is the iSkin from ackNOWLEDGE. There are a few reasons for this:
Second, I like the silicon skin of the iPod. It feels comfortable to hold and it prevents the iPod from slipping around as you drive or even have it just sitting on the desk at work. The feet and holes on the back of the iSkin allow for heat ventilation, and, of all the cases I've tried out, it's the easiest to get on and off. Believe me, with some iPod cases, this is quite a problem. The The iSkin is strong enough to absorb minor bumps, but it doesn't offer complete protection. There is nothing to protect the iPod screen, and anything that can cut through silicon can still reach the iPod itself. You certainly don't want to use the iSkin to pack the iPod in a suitcase or take it out for a jog. The lip around the wheel is reinforced, but perhaps to a fault; it rises a bit too high above the wheel, making it difficult to comfortably reach the wheel buttons. The iSkin also has nowhere to store the headphones, but I don't think this is a problem; I hate those ear bud headphones, and the ones I bought are far too large to be stored in any iPod carrying case anyway. So, yeah. Portable. The combination of the SoundFeeder FM Stereo Transmitter, Auto Charger for iPod and iSkin may not be the best set-up for every situation, but if you're looking get 4,000 songs in your car, it's a handy way to go. Just make sure you have someone with you to retune the SoundFeeder when the signal gets dropped, which it will. If so...well, there's always NPR.
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What you have to do
is set your radio to a band between 88 and 95MHz that's not
receiving a signal. Turn on the iPod and the transmitter,
then start playing some music. You then have to fiddle with
dial on the transmitter until it's synched up with the radio
station, and you're all set...for a while, anyway.
Now, if you're
making longer trips, aside from needing someone to retune
the signal from time to time, you'll also need to recharge
the iPod a lot, right? Wrong. With Dr. Bott's
First, and this
won't be the case for many Mac users, I'm sure, I like the
colors. I remember a time when Apple gave us colorful
products, when everything wasn't so...sterile and creepy.
The iSkins bring this back...perhaps to a fault. Some of the
colors available could make women feint in the streets and
men run screaming in terror, but hey...at least there are
choices (many of them), and they're all more interesting
than the boring white and silver of the iPod.