If you have an iPhone & a Car, Dension have developed the perfect product for you. The Dension iPhone Car Dock allows you to use your iPhone comfortably and safely while you drive.

Its designed specifically to allow all the functions of the iPhone to remain usable when driving, so if you want music you can play music, if you need navigation apps you can run them. If the other half wants to watch a video or do some shopping you still can. Of course the main purpose is the handsfree calls. The device is connected into the vehicle speakers system so you get great audio quality for music and handsfree conversations and it keeps your iPhone charged.

Best of all is the device works with Siri, (Although not all of the functions of Siri are available here yet) So you can read and send messages without touching the phone or taking your hands off the steering wheel.

Its a great gift idea for Xmas & one which will keep your loved ones safe as well as functional.

Click Through to product here

http://www.ipodcarkitdirect.co.uk/Dension_iPhone_Car_Dock

The New Dension Car Dock and Go iPhone car Dock is part of a new wave of products coming out of the Dension factory in Hungary. The direction inspired by the insurgence of the iPhone (overshadowing the iPod to a certain extent) brings a new need for the customer. Firstly to make and receive calls as well as listen to music and secondly to allow other app’s to function when in use.

The iPhone in its most simple form is a phone, however in its most complex form it also offers the ability to be as complicated as most computers (Possibly more so). Its for many, a central hub of information, especially now for business users. Its email, Communication, Calendar and now Siri help plan and organise the day to day activity for the average business man. Combined with other helpful apps and navigation functions the iPhone represents an all in one product reducing the need for other gadgets.

With this in mind, its important for new and emerging products to embrace the iPhone and all its functions not hinder them. Dension have tried to do just that with the Car Dock and Go. Rather than try to mash the iPhones complex operations to a vehicles (very different, more simple) control system and plug a few gaps in-between. Dension have allowed the device to fully respect the iPhones brilliance. There’s no need to over complicate things when the iPhone is perfectly suited to do what’s its designed for, be a mobile device with easy and intuitive control.

So when you make a call, the car dock and go may not be able to navigate through the menus via the steering wheel controls like the gateway five, but simply press a button and go to contact, or if you have 4s, simply ask it. Music is just as simple, in fact what could be easier than using an iPhone (iPod) to play music. Its the device that revolutionised the whole industry. In many ways this is the brilliance of the Car Dock and Go, Its not over complicated, it doesn’t have to try and merge two different systems, but it does let the iPhone do what the iPhone does best & you cant ask for more than that.

The iPhone Car Dock can be purchased from http://www.iPodcarkitdirect.co.uk : Current price £84.99

Dension have been market leaders in the ipod car kit market for quite a while, offering by far the best integration & text display into the majority of vehicles. One new area they are looking to crack is the iPhone car market. Making a product that offers both music and handsfree integration.

The concept has been attacked in three different ways, the fully integrated system, partially integrated system and the universal system. Although producing more than one product can often confuse customers, Densions method is born more out of necessity than a desire to do so. The problem being compatibility with vehicles & their systems. Some cars are capable of displaying text info and some just aren’t. Dension (or Dension users) found it too difficult to use a fully integrated system with out text display. It made navigating through menus and phonebook’s impossible. Thus the need for the partially integrated product.

The Gateway five is the fully integrated offering, connecting your Phone and iPod or iPhone into the cars system, pretty much control your whole phone from the menu structure & control music in the same way. In fact its a very easy system to use when you spend a little time learning it. For those of us without text compatible cars the gateway blue will be available. Offering a similar style integration (or quality) the Gateway Blue is still controlled via the phone / iPhone or iPod. Music selection and phone book control is done through the device, however partial controls are retained through the steering wheel making the system much easier than navigating “blind”

The third method however is a fully universal option. The Dension iphone Car Dock will connect to the vast majority of cars (some cars may need an aerial adapter), The device gets its charge from the cigarette lighter and can be connected into the aerial or AUX input if you have one. Keeping the quality as close to digital as possible. The other advantage of the Car Dock is that the controls are entirely through the iPhone, music selection, phonebook, messages etc however this actually serves as an advantage in our opinion. Why change the intuitive layout of the iPhone for partially integrated mash up with which ever car you have control systems.

We actually found the device very easy to use & was a little surprised by the handsfree quality. Each conversation we held via the system gave very positive feedback. Needless to say the music functionality was to the usual high standard. Dension have even developed an App to use with the system. However the best part of the system is that the iPhone still operates as an iPhone when in use. So you can still use google Navigation rather than your sat nav, cycle through your music library or play the latest videos & TV programs If you choose to (Although its more than likely illegal to watch tv when your driving where you live)

All in all we can see the Dension iPhone Dock becoming the iPhone car kit to beat in the coming months and years & sets a new standard for universal iPhone input.

New article regarding iPhone car kits.

iPhone car kits – May help you understand a little more about iPhone car kits and their functions.

iPod Car Kit Direct are soon to launch a slightly revamped and revised version of the popular website. The new feature called the car kit wizard allows the users to get to the product they need much quicker and limit the amount of time spent trying to decide which product is most suitable for them.

The problem we face is two fold,  first is that everybody has different expectations and functions they want or expect from the kit. The second is that each kit isn’t necessarily available or doesn’t offer the same functions for each vehicle as they do others. So finding a product for each customer and vehicle can be quite challenging.

With the new system the customer can find a product via four different methods.  Firstly via their vehicle, secondly via the product function, thirdly via a brand and finally via a brand and part number for the customer who know what product they need.

We have a new article on-line explaining the differences between FM Modulators like the Dension Ice Link One and Transmitters like the Griffin iTrip Auto.

It also has 3 tips to help you get the most out of your transmitter & received better quality audio with less interference. See the article in the knowledge base or follow the link the Difference between FM Transmission and FM Modulation.

At iPod car kit direct we are always looking for new kits to offer our customers and today we are please to announce the latest range. Xcarlink have been a suitable challenger to Dension’s iPod car adapter crown for a little while now, offering similar features and quality to the gateway 100 range. However the Xcarlink have a few tricks up its sleeve so to speak, mainly the ability to add a bluetooth interface into the kit to allow Bluetooth functionality as well as iPod and iPhone audio playback.

We have added the Xcarlink for iPhones (packaged including the Bluetooth Dongle) in the iPhone car kit section which will now provide a serious alternative to the gateway five. The Xcarlink is available for the vast majority of vehicles unlike the gateway 5, however you don’t get the smooth navigation through the iPhone, iPod, other Phone’s menus and the ability to control through the vehicle controls. However with the price coming in £70 cheaper than the Dension equivalent were sure it will be a popular product to carry.

The Xcarlink is also available for iPod / iPhone (music only) competing with the Dension gateway 100 range for factory fitted stereos. Again the Xacrlink products do provide text display on several vehicles including BMW, the majority are non text only. However the price for the product including the Dock Cable is £77.99 coming in £50 cheaper that the gateway 100 (With Dock Cable) which will offer our customers real value for money and an exceptional alternative to the Dension range of iPod car adapters and iPhone car kits.

Well,  I cant speak for everyone here (although I know for sure that the whole team here are as giddy as I am) but boy do I feel like a kid at Christmas! When we arrived at work this morning there was a large PalletWays lorry sat waiting with a Pallet next to our warehouse back door. Printed on the pallets outer cardboard protetcive packaging was the word “O-Car”. I couldn’t open the pallet quick enough! After checking the pallet off and racking the items away into our stock racking I just had to take the one I saved for myself upstairs to my office to open in the view of installing when I get home tonight. Here are the very first photos of our item that I saved for my personal use looking sleek, shiny and simple…

If you haven’t already heard, there is soon to be a new type of car stereo released onto the market which is set to push the boundaries and surpass all expectations we currently look for in a car stereo. In fact we believe its as important a break through since the CD player, probably greater. No Definitely greater.

The Oxygen O-Car has been creating a lot of hype in the vehicle entertainment retail industry for a few months now, specifically for the new type of integration and control which is the biggest innovation since the very first CD playing stereo (a long time ago now). This is due to the docking and more specifically the control of the stereo purely from the device (iPhone).

Previously iPod / iPhone integration offered limited control and usage of the device through the stereo. You could perhaps listen to the music, control the track selection and with some devices control the phone book through the stereo like the Dension gateway five. With the O-Car however The iPhone is the control as well as being an iPhone.

The iPhone docks into the stereo unit and becomes the control for it. From here you can control everything you would on a normal stereo and so much more. The stereo is run from apps all down loadable with the unit meaning you can change everything on the stereo in fine detail thanks to the iPhone interface sensitivity. Furthermore all of the existing apps available for iPhone work through O-Car. Meaning for the first time the Vehicle can become a true multimedia system.

O-Car comes with pre-outs for front, rear and adjustable subwoofer and a audio/video output for rear screens. Meaning its ready for the next generation of add-ons ready for the ever increasing demand of DVD head rests or Video & Gaming for rear entertainment. Put simply you can fully maximise the multimedia potential the iPhone was build for. Your DVD collection is now fully Downloadable to play and keep the kids happy in the back.

The really exciting part of the development is the prospect for future developments whether it be via apps or additional products to emerge from the shadows. Think a few years from now when mobile broadband can match the speeds the Japanese systems currently achieve, and we push the boundaries further to achieve high download speeds. HD movies could be played in real time whist driving down the motorway, Albums can be purchased & Listened to from iTunes whilst your driving. Current systems like Spotify and Pandora can be used to their full potential and not limited to your home wifi. That’s without predicting future developments the new systems opens the doors to. The possibilities are endless.

Currently O-Car allows for apps like Google maps, youtube, Petrolbuddy and any other related app to be used whilst connected into the stereo. These are useful however they may eat into your download limit quite heavily so for the short term they may be used sparingly. However you have seen the future of vehicle stereo systems today, and that future looks very bright and interesting indeed.

Take a look at the Oxygen O-Car in action and view the Video on the product page.

iPod FM Transmitters have been the most popular type of iPod car adapter in the past decade or so. The ease of use, ability to quickly connect into any car & the price of the products available have made them easily accessible for the majority of the public to purchase.

However as technology is improving at a rapid pace, are transmitters becoming extinct or do they still have a purpose?

If you were to scratch the surface and look at the sales of iPod kits over the past few years, it would be easy to assume that sales of FM Transmitters are still alive and kicking. However with the ability to integrate iPhones and iPod ever increasing, there must be a limit to the value of a kit with minimal integration until the point it becomes undesirable.

There are a number of products now that have taken iPod / iPhone integration to the next level, for example the Oxygen O-Car aftermarket car stereo which is entirely controlled by the iPhone. Allowing app’s to be used through the cars entertainment system. (Read more about the O-Car here) With this level of integration the more simple tech products must be loosing touch with target?

Well Griffin have a new line of products to be released soon which extends the usability and functions of a few of their own products like the Griffin iTrip Auto. However they still work in the same fundamental way, FM Transmission & AUX input. Is this technology becoming a fossil and outliving its shelf life?

There is only one place we can look for the answer to this question. Which is the annual unit sales. If people are still buying the transmitter kits (Which they are) there must be value for money in the products, and in the current financial meltdown perhaps value for money matters the most?

In Our opinion the shelf life is shortening, however people are happy with the more limited functionality that Transmitters offer & if uncomplicated and cost effective offers the best value for money for the majority iPod FM Transmitters will be around for a while yet.