DLO | TransDock micro All In One Car Solution for iPods

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

May 02, 2006

Over the years I have reviewed quite a few FM transmitters that were compatible with just about any portable music player. But today I am going to take a look at my first FM transmitter made to complement all versions of the Apple iPod specifically. Conveniently enough, this transmitter will also work with any audio device with a line-out jack.

The Digital Lifestyle Outfitters TransDock micro charges and broadcasts music from every iPod, but it has a few other surprises in its bag of tricks. Included in its package is the TransDock micro and a removable 51" USB charging cable. The TransDock micro measures approximately 4.75" long x 2" wide at its display end; it is composed primarily of black plastic with white and gray plastic accents. The device feels well built, not flimsy or cheap at all.

The top of the dock has a USB port which can accept either the included USB cable or the end of an iPod Shuffle. It will also accept USB based charging cables, such as the Lil' Sync Pro or the BoxWave miniSync, to provide power through the cigar lighter for non-audio devices.

Behind the dock's 2" wide x 1.25" tall x 1.25" deep display end, there is an adjustable ratcheting neck. This neck can be positioned and locked in any of 13 positions, allowing up to a full 180º angle for the best fit and display angle when the dock is plugged in a vehicle's cigar lighter.

On either side of the display head are grey plastic buttons which are used to either advance to or retreat from FM radio dial settings from 87.9 to 107.9. Short presses of the buttons will cause selections to advance by single digits, and holding either button will cause the selections to rapidly pass.

Here's the right side of the device...

...and there is the left.

The bottom of the dock's head has jacks for line-out and line-in. What this means is if the user has a cassette adapter they would prefer using, a mini-plug cable, or a set of speakers other than the car's, then they can plug that cable into the line-out jack. The line-in jack is for directly wiring to any other audio device, including but not limited to MiniDisc players, CD players, portable game players, portable DVD players and laptop computers.

When using an iPod, the included USB to iPod cable is all that's necessary to both charge and transmit the player's contents.

I really like the fact that the TransDock micro charges the iPod while it is in use, because not only will I have my tunes while in transit, the iPod will be ready for use once I'm at my destination.

The DLO site touts that the removable dock cable is handy for home or travel use, and that it is a $20 value on its own. I assumed then that it would power my iPod from any USB port, but I did not find that to be the case. When the cable was plugged into my desktop's USB port the iPod's screen's backlight came on without a charging notification, I got a popup on my computer screen showing that an unrecognized device was in the USB port, and no charging power was provided.

When the TransDock micro is plugged into a powered cigar lighter, its 1.5" screen will glow with a strong blue backlight. This glow might seem a bit distracting to some drivers, but depending on where the vehicle's power port is located it may be possible to turn the dock to a less distracting position.

When the iPod (or other rechargeable device) is charging via the USB connection a lightning bolt symbol will flash on the right side of the screen.

Once the iPod (or other rechargeable device) has charged, a full battery symbol will display on the screen.

Pressing and holding both buttons on either side of the dock at the same time will cause the chosen radio dial to be set as a channel; up to four channels may be preset. Activating a preset channel is done by quickly pressing both buttons together.

Using the DLO TransDock micro in a vehicle is simply a matter of figuring out at what angle dock will best fit, choosing an empty FM station on the radio's dial, and then turning to the same station on the dock. Placement of the iPod itself will just depend on the vehicle's interior.

iPod Shuffle users will find that they get their the best sound when the Shuffle's volume is set to max; they can then control the overall speaker volume through the vehicle's radio controls. The long cable makes it convenient for the driver or passenger to change songs while driving...not that I am recommending that the driver ever take their eyes from the road.

As would happen when using any FM transmitter, there was a small loss of volume and sound quality when audio was transmitted via the dock. Simple adjustments on the iPod's built-in equalizer and the volume of both the iPod and the vehicle's stereo easily compensated for the loss, and I felt that the resulting audio was quite good.

Overall, I am pleased with the multiple uses that the DLO TransDock micro provides, but I feel let down by the cable not working as expected. Others may or may not feel the same.