gslusher wrote:

There are already several devices that will do this. .

Add another that just came out, the Griffin RoadTrip. It has a removable FM transmitter like the Seidio model, but it is integrated with the mount/power connector.

Daviddjr wrote:

Shame they didn’t combine these two. Most cars don’t have two DC jacks and I can see people wanting both. Would have been nice if someone had developed a cradle for the iPod like the one reviewed but that also had the built in FM transmitter.

There are already several devices that will do this. This pair has to be one of the lamest ideas I’ve seen yet. It combines some of the worst features of other devices: multiple connections, direct mount to the cigarette lighter, using the headphone jack for the sound, etc.

- The Belkin TuneCast II has an optional Mobile Power Cord that plugs into the cigarette lighter and has connectors on the other end for the iPod AND the TuneCast II.

- The Sonnet PodFreq , which is powered by the iPod, has a FireWire input that can be used to power the iPod with something like the FirePod, which plugs into the cigarette lighter and has both USB and FireWire sockets, or the Griffin PowerPod, which has a FireWire connector. This also allows the iPod to be synced INSIDE the PodFreq. The PodFreq also uses the “line out” audio from the iPod, NOT the headphone jack, so it is not affected by the iPod’s volume control.

- The Griffin iTrip and PowerPod can be used together.

- The Monster iCarPlay puts it all in one unit, but it only has a few frequencies, which can be a serious limitation. It also uses the line out on the iPods with the dock connector (3G & 4G).

I would stay away from anything that directly mounts to the cigarettte lighter. That puts the iPod in a not-so-visible position from which it cannot easily be moved. To change anything, you’d have to look away from the road. It would be difficult to read the iPod’s display, in any case. (In my car, a 2004 Toyota Prius, the power outlet is below the dash, almost out of sight.) There are other mounts that use the car’s cup holder–see Belkin’s TuneDok and Griffin’s PodPod. Those are “loose” mounts, so you can easily pick up the iPod from them. There are other mounts that clip onto one of the air vents.

I have most of the above: TuneCast II & Mobile Power Cord; PodFreq; iTrip; PowerPod; FirePod (and FireCable); and TuneDok. If anyone is interested, I’d be glad to do a short comparitive review of the three transmitters.

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/seidio-ipod-car-review.html

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