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Griffin iTrip AutoPilot FM Transmitter for iPhone

Friday May 23, 2008 4:29 pm PDT by Arnold Kim

Griffin Technology announced a new version of the iTrip that is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and regular iPods. The iTrip AutoPilot broadcasts music from your iPhone onto any open FM frequency so you can tune in with your car radio. FM transmitters are useful for cars without any other form of audio-in.

The $99.99 device ("Coming Soon") includes the following features:

- SmartScan scans the radio dial for the three best frequencies and saves them to presets
- RDS technology shows song information on your RDS-enabled car radio display.
- New SmartSound Plus technology delivers clear sound under real-world conditions
[ 31 comments ]

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xUKHCx
Posted: 52 months ago
I haven't used an iTrip for a long long time, ever since apple got rid of the connector on top of the iPods in fact, so I don't know if this is a totally new feature but this would be brilliant


- RDS technology shows song information on your RDS-enabled car radio display.


I would be tempted to buy one just for that.
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w_parietti22
Posted: 52 months ago
$99? SmartSound™ hopefully makes the price worth it because I've never heard great sound quality from an iTrip.
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megfilmworks
Posted: 52 months ago
You will never get great sound with a FM transmitter. If you have a factory stereo in your car then it's not a big deal but if you have a great custom system you need a direct digital connection. I can't even listen to FM radio anymore due to the glaring lack of sound quality compared to my iPod digital connection.
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carlgo
Posted: 52 months ago
My experience with other brands has not been good. On your normal commute you find clear unused channels to transmit to, but on the road you get different stations coming and going and it is a hassle and even dangerous because you have to fool with switching stations all the time to find a clear one.

I kept getting religious stations out in the middle of nowhere. Erie, ooooh.

This system may be better, but I would contact Crutchfield or a local installer to hook up a direct connection with an actual wire.
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bigandy
Posted: 52 months ago

I haven't used an iTrip for a long long time, ever since apple got rid of the connector on top of the iPods in fact, so I don't know if this is a totally new feature but this would be brilliant


++

I'm not really that bothered about these things, but that RDS thing:

I would be tempted to buy one just for that.


++++++ :D


The thing is $99.99 there means £70 here, I'll bet.

I think even £50.45 ($99.99 at today's xe.com rates) is waaaaay too much for an FM transmitter, no matter how cool.
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TEG
Posted: 52 months ago
The only advantage that this iTrip has over the regular iPod Connector iTrip Auto (not to be confused with the Headphone Jack one or the Sansa one) is the RDS and that the iPhone won't complain about the device not being made for the iPhone. That is unless there is some special shielding to reduce or prevent GSM noise. Until I'm convinced of the reduction in GSM noise, and that it still uses 12V Firewire Power, instead of the 5V USB for my 3G iPod, I'll stick with my iTrip Auto.

TEG
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rush0
Posted: 52 months ago
I'm gonna get one once its avail. Some cars make it very difficult/sloppy to get a real ipod system installed.
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Lexoticstylez02
Posted: 52 months ago
I've never had a good experience with the iTrip and that is pretty pricey. Anyone looking to listen to their iPod/iPhone through their OEM stereo should definitely check out www.gromaudio.com. It's $10-20 cheaper than the iTrip and is a direct connection with CD quality sound. It even charges the device while it's in use, I've had mine for about 4 months now and it's amazing, highly recommended. You can even control the iPod through your headunit :)
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Seamaster
Posted: 52 months ago
This has been "coming soon" for a year - Griffin were touting it when the iPhone launched.

Vaporware?
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jay794
Posted: 52 months ago
I have an iTrip Auto SmartScan and although when I plug it into my iPhone, the phone says "This Device was not made for iPhone" it asks if you want to put it into Airplane Mode to reduce interferance but when you play music it works fine with the iPhone. So I fail to see why we should buy another one when the current model does work with the iPhone even though it says it doesn't
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