Recently my brother-in-law bought his very first Apple iPod Video 30GB MP3 player and along with it he purchased this Digital Lifestyle TransPod FM transmitter.

At first he wanted to get the iTrip and he did get it, but after he read the manual and played around with it that he discovered that the iTrip that he purchased was not compatible with the new iPod. So he had no other choice but to go back to the store and get this instead as they did not have the iTrip that was compatible with his iPod. FM transmitters are great for wireless car integration, but at a cost of sound quality; the best way to integrate your iPod by far is to hard wire it.


DESIGN AND CONTROLS :
First of all, let me tell you that it is a little bigger than I would like it to be, but by brother-in-law seems to have no problem with the size. The unit comes in three colors (white, silver, and black) and has a backlit (one line) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen in the middle; this LCD will show you the radio frequency and charging status. There two arrows on both sides of the LCD that allows you to scroll through radio stations; there are four preset stations to choose from. You can also turn the backlight on and off using the arrow buttons. And as a bonus this cradle will charge you iPod while you are on the road. The overall design is new to what I am used to as I use the iTrip and also prefer it over any other. This FM transmitter is has no rough edges and also has a back support for the iPod.


WHAT IS IT & HOW TO USE IT :
This FM transmitter looks almost like the iPod docking station that has an adjustable arm. All you need to do to use is to plug it in to the car lighter adapter, plug in your iPod, and adjust the arm as needed. It is nice to have this right in front of your shifter for easy controlling. I always like to rest my hand on the shifter and they play around with my iPod while it is plugged in to this transmitter.

Note: Do not turn the volume on your iPod higher than seventy percent (70%) as the sound will just degrade enormously if you set the volume any higher. If you keep it below seventy, you should have not problem with the sound clarity. You can always use the volume control on your stereo system to adjust the volume to your needs.


INSTALLATION :
The installation was simple enough, but you may get overwhelmed by it when you first open the package as there are about ten separate pieces to put together for the arm. But you do not have to worry a bit about that as the detailed setup instructions sheet will guide you step by step with any problems. You may have to play around with the arm adjustments for best comfort in your vehicle, but once you have it setup you simple forget about it.

The arm is made of some flimsy plastic that bends when you use the controls on your iPod, but with a little help from some adhesive Velcro tape I was able to hold it tight with the cup holder; you have to say goodbye to one of the cup holders as this cradle will block access to it. We also had an incident where we were driving on a bumpy road and this thing was swinging pretty well but the Velcro took care of that without much hassle.