Griffin Technology iTrip Auto (7259) (7259-TRIPUNP-2) Car / Plane Charger, FM Transmitter Review

All right... well my car's CD player does not work in the winter, and the silence is more than I can bear. I wanted to listen to my 3rd generation iPod Nano over the radio. I picked the iTrip Auto. iTrip makes a few different kinds of broadcasters for the iPod, but this one plugs into the sockets in your car and charges the iPod while it's playing. That's a huge bonus for me. My computer hates my iPod. It rejects it all the time like it's an alien virus.

The iTrip Auto charges an iPod super fast. Probably ten times faster than using the USB port in your computer. I almost never have to use the computer to charge it. The part that goes in the power socket has an indicator light on it. If it glows red, it's charging the iPod. When it turns green your iPod has been completely charged. Keeping it plugged in after it's totally charged doesn't hurt it any.

The cord for it is really long. In the middle, there is a rectangular digital display for tuning to the station. The numbers are large and easy to read. The "+" and "-" buttons are also large and easy to push. I don't use those very much. Basically, you press the large round "scan" button and the display shows you which station is the best to tune to and listen to your iPod. If you wish to pick your own station to listen to it on, then you can manually set it with the plus and minus buttons.

The problem with this is the problem with all FM transmitters. Sometimes you have to keep switching stations. You can only listen on a station that is static or has a faint signal. Obviously since you are moving, signals change. The biggest problems are in metropolitan areas. I don't know if this happens with all FM transmitters, but even if you are on a good station, moving the iPod around in the car can cause static to the point you can't hear the music. That's why I like this one. It has a cord. Most of the time, I loop it over the rear view mirror. Now I don't have static, and the iPod is at eye level so I can mess with it if I want to without needing it in my hand. If I had one without the cord, it would be constant static. If I put it anywhere in the car other than over the mirror, it doesn't work. Someone else wrote a review about why this is and the FCC regulations and everything. It's interesting. Read it here. 

OK, here's my problem. This thing was like $65 plus tax. I have had it for less than a year and already it's malfunctioning. When I plug in my iPod it turns off. I keep plugging it in and unplugging it in the sockets and putting my iPod on there and taking it off, turning the radio on and off. Eventually, some combination of doing that gets it to work. It has never shut off after I get it to work, but it's still less than a year, maybe that will come soon. I am still impressed at how fast it charges my iPod.

I say it's below average. The charging thing and the fact that it does do its job kicked it up a star from poor, but something that expensive shouldn't be going bad this soon. Like I need another reason to be annoyed with my iPod.