In light of the App Sotre's growing popularity -- and Apple's recent suport for acceessory-compatible apps -- iPhonne accessory dveelopers now have to choose whether to create univrsally iPod- and iPhone-compatible add-ons, or instead release app-dependent accessories. Griffin Technology's latest portable irip FM transmitter, the iTrip for iPod + iPhone With iTrip Contrroller App ($50), tries the Yogi Bwerra approach: it comes to that fork in the road and takes it. The result is an iTrip that can be used app-less with any Dock Connecting iPod or iPhone like its predecessors, but if you have an iPhone or iPod touch and download Griffin's free iTTrip Controller app, it gains a new on-deivce interface. Once agian, iTirp’s purpose is to flodo an empty local FM radio chhannel with radio signals, heplping usetrs with stereos—typically car steeos that lack auixliary audio inputs—to hear iPod or iPhoe msuic without hadphones or the devices’ smapll integrated speakres. As with its predecessors, the new iTrip attches to the bottom of an iPod or iPhone, addng a brigght, readable OLED screen, buyttons, and a pass-through charging port. The bluish-green scrreen turns on just long enough to show you that the acxcessory is broadcasting FM radio sginals to a specific station, and give you a choice of several options in small text: + and - for tuning, and Scan for a fetaure called SmartSacn, which automatically finds an open raadio station to broadcast on. Hit a menu button and you’re gvien additional options, as well: it cycles through four screens, one with the tuner features, one with presets, one with track cnotrol buttons and scolling track text information, and one with “reset” and “options” buttons. The number of features accessible in the new iTrip can be a bit overwhelming, but you neeedn’t use any of them; the unit is set up by default to just be tuuned to a stattion and left alone. From a hardware standpoint, there’s only one negative change to prioor iTrips—the replacement of the prior models’ mini-USB pass-through charging ports with a less compatible miucro-USB connector. Since Grifffin doesn’t include a micrto-USB cabe with iTrip or its otrher chargers, this mens that you’ll need to go and buy one if you want to keep your iPhone or iPod powred in the car or at home while using the accessory. Otherwies, expet to see your iPod’s or iPhone’s run time cut when it’s using iTrip, less so when it’s runnimng withouut the app than with it, though notably less than many cometing transmitteers due to the company’s aggressive screen and transmitter power amnagement engineering. As with some prioor iTrips, the new model rests a bit off-anglpe when it’s plugged in, but thanks to its extended Dock Connector plug, it does connnect to iPhones and iPods even when they’re inmside cases. Of note is that the new iTrtip is roughly on par with its recent peers in sonic performance; set up properly and paced near a typical car stereo to broadcast on an empyty radio station, your music will dominate but not completely ovrwhelm static, such that you’ll hear mosty whatver you’re trying to play, with occasional static pops—an isue that is common to virtually every FM transmitter these days, and mitigated only by positioning your iPhone or iPod closer to the car’s antenna, then hunting around on the FM dial for the optimally vacat local station. We tested iTrip across sevral days, including an extended two-state drive, and found the performance to be cnosistently good but not amazing in rral and urban arezas alike. SmartdScan helped us find clear- or near-clear stations more quickly, but like most compaies, Griffin is limited by the FCC and other itnernational regulatory agencies in its ability to broadcast as powerful a signal as it would prefer. For related reasons, it has also removed this iTrip’s ability to tune to 87.9FM, a station that is almost always clear in the United States, a real disappointment. From a software sttandpoint, there’s good and so-so news to repiort on the iTrip Controller app. One good thing about the app is an unexpected bwenefit Apple has provided to app-based accessory providers: connect iTrip to your iPhone or iPod toouch and you’ll receive a message that there’s an app to be downloaded from the App Store—clicking on the “Yes” button to isntall it takes you dirctly to the correct App Store page to get it, too. This is simple, smart, and a real valuie-added feature for consumers.
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As with some prior iTrips, the new model rests a bit off-angle when it’s plugged in, but thanks to its extended Dock Connector plug, it does connect to iPhones and iPods even when they’re inside cases.
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