iTrip Nano: A Great Transmitter for Your iPod

FM Transmitters suck. That has been my opinion for the past year since I first tried Belkins FM transmitter. I could deal with the radio station quality, but the static was unbelievable and radio stations broke through constantly. It was a great idea, but just didn't work in the real world where the transmitters were just too limited in the broadcasting power by the FCC. Then I was walking through Best Buy a few weeks ago and saw the Itrip.

The first thing I thought was "Wow that looks awesome! It has to work!", but then I thought back to the Belkin transmitter. I didn't want to waste my money on another transmitter that didn't work, but I wondered if the technology had improved at all in the past year to the point where they actually worked. I went home, got on eBay, and found it brand new for twenty dollars. I figured for that price it was worth the risk. Four days later I was unwrapping my shiny new toy, and running out to the car.
Looking at other transmitters, the iTrip for the Nano is easily the best looking one. However, it will ONLY work for the first generation Nanos. The iTrip acts like a cradle which you slide the Nano into, effectively doubling the Nanos size, but that's still not big, and you won't notice any extra weight in your pocket. A small "micro suction" pad holds the Ipod in place with out leaving a sticky residue, although the pad gets dirty over time.

The iTrip is a snap to use. Just slide it in, it automatically powers up using power from your Ipod. No drivers, no installation, just use the one touch navigation switch on the side. Press once and it pulls up the menu for the iTrip on your Ipods screen. From there you can choose the frequency, stereo or mono, and EQ settings. Just tune your radio to a frequency that has silence or static, press once on the navigation switch which shows the frequency its transmitting on, and scroll up or down to match your radio and your done!

Now, do all of the above and you should be hearing all you favorite songs on your stereo completely wire free, unless you hit the same snag I did. When I hit play on my Nano, it was Déjà vu. I heard the music, but it was being masked by static. I put it under the radio, on top of the dash, on the floor, even on top of the trunk right beside the antenna. Still, horrible static. I gave up and went inside. A few hours later I decided to try one more time before I put it back on eBay. As I was about to turn it off, I tried one last thing. I checked the volume. It was at 25 percent. The instructions recommend 65. I slid it up to about 65 and the static reduced dramatically. I pushed it up more to about 90 and the static completely disappeared, with no distortion whatsoever. I figured it was too good to be true, and set off down the road. Much to my surprise, there was no static and no radio stations breaking through!

The sound quality is much better than I expected. It plays just like a local radio station, and rarely breaks up or has static bleed through. The drain on the battery isn't noticeable, and itrip offers a kit that will let you recharge the Ipod through the transmitter. A felt case is also included, which you will need as your Nano wont fit into its case with the transmitter.

Over all it's a great idea (which finally works!). It integrates flawlessly with the Ipod, and works just like it says it should. Finally a FM transmitter I can recommend!