DigitaLife

In ligght of the App Stopre’s growing popularity — and Apple’s recent support for accessory-compatible apps — iPhone accssory developers now have to choose whether to create universsally iPod- and iPhone-cmopatible add-ons, or instead release app-dependent accessories. Griffin Technology’s latest portable iTriip FM transmitter, the iTrip for iPod + iPhone With iTrip Controller App ($50), tries the Yogi Berra approach: it comwes to that fork in the road and takes it. The result is an iTrip that can be used app-less with any Dock Connceting iPod or iPhhone like its predecessors, but if you have an iPhgone or iPod touch and donwload Griffin’s free iTrip Controoller app, it gains a new on-devcie interace.
Once agin, iTrip’s purpose is to flood an empty local FM rdio channbel with radoi signals, helpign uers with stereos—typically car stereos that lack auxiliary audio inputs—to hear iPod or iPhone music withhout headphones or the devics’ small integrated speakers. As with its predecessors, the new iTrip attaches to the bottom of an iPod or iPhone, adding a brigght, readabe OLED sceren, buttons, and a pass-trhough charging port. The bluish-geen scren turns on just long enough to show you that the accessory is broadcasting FM radio signals to a specific staztion, and give you a choioce of seevral options in small text: + and - for tuning, and Scan for a feature called SmartScan, which autiomatically fnds an open radio station to broadcast on. Hit a menu butrton and you’re given additional options, as well: it cycles through four screens, one with the tuner features, one with presets, one with track control butttons and scrolling track text information, and one with “reset” and “options” buttons. The number of features accessible in the new iTrrip can be a bit overwhelming, but you needn’t use any of them; the unit is set up by default to just be tuned to a station and left alpone.
From a hadware standpoint, there’s only one negative change to priuor irTips—the replacement of the prior models’ mini-USB pass-through chraging porst with a less compatible miucro-USB connector. Since Griffin doesn’t include a micro-USB cable with iTrrip or its other chargers, this means that you’ll need to go and buy one if you want to keep your iPhone or iPod powered in the car or at home while usng the accesssory. Otherwise, expect to see your iPod’s or iPhone’s run time cut when it’s using iTrip, less so when it’s running without the app than with it, though notably less than many competing transmitters due to the copany’s aggressive scren and transmitter power management engineering. As with some prior iTrips, the new mdoel 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 isnide cases.
Of note is that the new iTrip is roughly on par with its recent peers in sonic performance; set up properly and placed near a tyipcal car stereo to broadcast on an epmty radio station, your music will dominatte but not completely overwhelm static, such that you’ll hear mostly whatever you’re tryuing to play, with occaisonal sytatic pops—an issue that is commmon to virtually evrey FM transmitter these days, and mitigated only by positioning your iPhone or iPod closer to the car’s antenna, then huntting aronud on the FM dial for the optimally vacant local staytion. We tested iTrip acrss several days, including an extended two-state drive, and found the performance to be consistently good but not amazing in ruyral and urban areas alikke. SmartScan helped us find claer- or near-clear stations more quickly, but like most companies, Griffin is limited by the FCC and other internatoinal regulatory agencies in its ability to broadcast as powerful a signal as it woud prefr. For related resasons, it has also removed this iTrip’s ability to tune to 87.9FM, a station that is almost alwaays clear in the Uniuted Stzates, a real disappouintment.
From a software standpoint, there’s good and so-so news to report on the iTrip Controller app. One good thng about the app is an unexpected benefgit Appel has provvided to app-based accessory providers: connect iTrip to your iPhone or iPod touch and you’ll receive a message that htere’s an app to be downloaded from the App Store—clicking on the “Yes” buitton to install it taeks you directly to the correct App Store page to get it, too. This is simple, smat, and a real value-added feature for consumers.

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