Griffin iTrip Auto SmartScan
Starting at: $42.95
CNET Editors' Review
CNET Editors' Rating
- Reviewed by: Donald Bell
- Reviewed on:
The good: The Griffin iTrip Auto SmartScan is an attractive FM transmitter and battery charger for the iPod that can make short work of finding a suitable station for in-car broadcasting.
The bad: The mirrored surface on the Griffin iTrip Auto's display is distracting and nearly illegible during daylight. The iTrip's long cable may be too messy for neat freaks. As the name implies, the iTrip Auto can be used only in your car.
The bottom line: The Griffin iTrip Auto can only bring distraction and eye strain. Last year's more useable model can be found for half the price.
The world has no lack of iPod FM transmitters. Unfortunately, because FM broadcasting technology is tightly controlled by the Federal Communications Commission, the FM transmission performance of this year's crop of iPod FM transmitters is largely unchanged from the previous year.
The Griffin iTrip Auto ($79) is no exception to the parade of vaguely revamped products from 2006. Unfortunately for Griffin, the iTrip Auto Smartscan may actually be a step backward, compared with last year's model.
The Griffin iTrip Auto is essentially one long cable (3.5 feet) with a universal iPod dock connection on one end, a ... Expand full review
The world has no lack of iPod FM transmitters. Unfortunately, because FM broadcasting technology is tightly controlled by the Federal Communications Commission, the FM transmission performance of this year's crop of iPod FM transmitters is largely unchanged from the previous year.
The Griffin iTrip Auto ($79) is no exception to the parade of vaguely revamped products from 2006. Unfortunately for Griffin, the iTrip Auto Smartscan may actually be a step backward, compared with last year's model.
The Griffin iTrip Auto is essentially one long cable (3.5 feet) with a universal iPod dock connection on one end, a cigarette lighter adapter on the other, and a digital FM tuner right smack in the middle. Unlike the Belkin Tunebase or the DLO TransPod, the perceived benefit of the iTrip Auto is that it doesn't try to provide a sturdy (and usually bulky) docking station for your iPod. Instead, the iTrip's cable allows you to place your iPod wherever is most convenient--whether that's on the passenger seat, in a cup holder, or shoved in a change tray. If you're the type of person who hates messy cables, the iTrip Auto is not the right choice for you.
Cable mess aside, the major failure of the Griffin iTrip Auto is its thoughtless interface design. Gone is the legible monochrome display found on last year's iTrip Auto. In its place is a squinty,blue readout that is hopelessly obscured behind a mirrored plastic shell. The result is a product that is nearly impossible to read in the daylight hours. After the sun goes down, the display's illuminated blue letters eventually reveal themselves, leaving the iTrip Auto's indistinguishable black buttons as the only dumbfounding design flaw.
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Donald Bell is CNET's senior editor for tablets and portable media players. He's also a musician, a hardware hacker, and a collector of vintage audio gadgetry. He appears every week on CNET's Crave video podcast. His band, Aloha Screwdriver, plays regularly around the Bay Area.
User Reviews
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"Better than expected" By shivenator115
Pros: Little to no static, Simple to operate
Cons: Glare on screen in daylight
Summary: I didn't expect much from this product when I got it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the smartscan isn't very helpful at all, if you play around with it for a little while you'll find a good radio station with no static. The bad side to ... Expand full review
"At least smartscan can find a frequency in NYC" By jensays
Pros: Although the sound quality isn't superb, it's good enough. And in NYC, where there are a lot of FM stations, I was glad to let the smartscan find some open ones, since I'd tried rather unsuccessfully on my own with a Belkin.
Cons: Like review says, hard to read transmitter, but if you don't plan on changing frequencies often, it's a non issue.
Summary: I'd tried out a Belkin with very little success. The smartscan enabled me to find a clear frequency (107.7 in NYC) almost immediately. While the sound isn't perfect, it's certainly good enough for typical car listening (plus I listen to lots of audiobooks as well as ... Expand full review
