iPods are one of the most successful inventions if not the most successful inventions in the last 10 years, Its one of a very few inventions that transcends generations. In my family I have one, my parents have two and even my grandparents have one (Admittedly they struggle to use it sometimes).  However this demonstrates the desirability, use-ability and functionality of them. Due to this invention It’s likely within 10 years most of the worlds music collection will be digital, with very few singles & albums released on CD or any other physical media.  With this in mind it’s important to realise now what impact this will have in the present and more so in the future.

There’s a growing trend within the car audio and entertainment market to connect the iPod into the entertainment system, through the car stereo. This allows access of all of your favourite music and videos (where compatible) at the touch of a button. With the use of these devices you are in control of what you listen to, when you want to listen to it, without having to change 100’s of CDs to switch from artist to artist.

Many aftermarket manufacturers already offer this function with their newer stereo ranges. However the vast majority vehicle owners do not want to remove the original stereo equipment and replace with an aftermarket equivalent. This is more evident in the case of the more luxurious and executive vehicles owners such as Audi, as it’s more difficult to integrate aftermarket systems into the more expensive and desirable interior. If this is the case for you there are more options available than you may have thought.
 
iPod Car kits are available for factory fitted radios, among the best are Dension and the US equivalent Dice. These devices connect into the CD changer usually found on the back of the stereo. When connected they emulate the CD changer but allow you to connect you iPod into the system. From here you can control your music selections from the vehicle steering wheel controls or from the stereo & navigate back and forward through albums while it keeps you iPod charged and ready for when you exit the car.

Kits are available for the following Audi Radios,

Chorus, Chorus II, Chorus Gen2, Concert, Concert II, Concert Gen2, Symphony, Symphony II, Symphony Gen2, Navigation Plus RNS-D, Navigation RNS-E, Navigation RNS-Low

Separate kits are required for the MMI, MMI Basic fibre optic systems.

As you are all aware, sterling is at its lowest value for over 18 years. All Dension products are shipped to the UK from Europe and subsiquently, paid for in Euro’s. The effect of recent currency movements means that a price increase was always inevitable. This price change also coincides with the release of all new Dension products that now have the ability to charge the new iPods with the 5V charging system.

Unfortunately all the Dension prices have been increased with immediate effect.

Please be aware that any stock purchased online or through a local dealer which hasnt been increased to the new retail price by the retailer IS GREY STOCK meaning that it has been imported through the incorrect channels and is not covered under warranty. You can check this by asking the retailer to confirm the serial number of the item for you.

Dension will be rolling out the new stock over the coming weeks which could effect delivery timescales but we will try our hardest to minimise the effect on our customers. The latest breakthrough on the Dension production line the vehicle specific CD Retention kit and the all new AV Extender which  are currently available on pre-order.

Price changes are as follows;

We have been hitting stumbling blocks recently with misconceived ideas about FM Modulation when connecting an Apple iPod into your vehicle. Understandably, people get confused between Modulation and Transmission. We are here to set the record straight as these thoughts couldn’t be further from the truth.

Here are a few questions that we get asked and our answers:

Will I receive interference?

Absolutely not, no. There are a number of features that make sure this isn’t possible with Modulation;

·         It doesn’t transmit through airwaves as it is fully hard wired so radio stations signals cannot be received by your iPods signal.

·         As it’s fully hard-wired, the iPods signal is being sent down a wire, just like you would expect from an Auxiliary wire or a CD Changer wire.

·         The Modulator kits have a electrical "on/off" switch which physically block out your cars aerial when the iPod is connected to the kit, meaning that your aerial isn’t even connected.

Does it charge the iPod?

It does indeed. All the iPods will receive a full charge from the iPod car kit.

How hard is it to install?

Installation takes about 30 minutes at the maximum. The kit just needs to plug in to the rear of the stereo, it’s that simple.

How good will the audio quality be?

This will be similar to what you would expect from DAB, very close to CD Quality. On 99.9% of installations, you won’t be able to tell the difference between the iPod and your CDs, especially when you take into account the road noise coming from the car.

Why can’t I have a fully integrated kit like the Dension Gateway devices or the Dice Electronics Car Kits?

There are a few things that might stop you being able to use a fully integrated kit:

·         Your stereo doesn’t have a CD Changer port, therefore not being able to connect into the cars stereo

·         Your stereo simply isn’t good enough, this could be due to the lack of processing speed, the lack of software support or even because it is too advanced!

·         You just might not want to spend the amount of money that a fully integrated car kit costs

Are there any advantages of having a Modulator over an integrated kit?

There are a few, yes. Firstly the price, the Universal Modulator kits from Dension and Dice come in at £69.97 and £79.97 respectively. This can be a saving of around £40 over a fully integrated iPod Car Kit. Secondly, the kits come as standard with the iPod connection, unlike the integrated kits where you have to add the cable or cradle into the kit. Thirdly, the installation can be easier; it could save you an hour of labor!

We hope this might clear a few things up for you guys, if not then you are more than welcome to contact us at anytime.

After spending a week over in the States with Dice Electronics, we have some exciting news. There is soon to be a new Dice iPod Car Kit to go in development for the VW-Audi group which will allow ID3 tagging and track info from the Apple iPod and iPhone on the vehicle screen!

Just how this is to be achieved is unknown by iPod Car Kit Direct at the moment but we have been assured that Dice’s secret has been tested and works fine.

This isn’t expected to be released until late 2009 but the anticipation is already kicking in as news spreads. Dension are sure to combat this kit with one of their own… Watch this space.

There are a variety of iPod car kits available on the market today, some good, some bad and some extremely poor. What are the best kits available and what features do they offer?

OK guys, GREAT news for those of you who have a new Apple iPod (Whether it be an iPod Touch, and iPhone, an iPod Classic 80gb or 160gb or the new iPod Nano 3rd Generation)and wanted to integrate it into your Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Renault and all other car brands – your options were limited if you were trying to get these working in your car, before now.

As you may or may not be aware, the new Apple iPod’s don’t have the same software/firmware on them as the old iPods. This made it very hard for the team at Dension and Dice Electronics to crack the software and allow integration into vehicles.

Dension (being the iPod car kit manufacturer market leaders that they are), have raced to the finish line with perfection, now making ALL Dension Gateway 100, Dension Gateway 300 and all Dension Gateway 500 products work with all the new iPods. DICE are a little behind but we are sure they will catch up.

Dension even have new inserts/sleeves coming soon that will allow all the new iPod’s to be integrated into your Dension Active Cradle. The best iPod Car Kits just got ALOT better!!!

We would like to inform anybody that are looking to buy Dension Gateway iPod kits from ANY source – whether it be online or offline – to be very careful.

iPodCarKitDirect & Dension have been informed of a number of “Grey stock” items which have been imported illegally or through the wrong channels are worming their way into the UK market.

When buying an iPod kit for your car, please double check that the items you ordering are legitimate otherwise the Dension warranty will be void. If you are aware of anybody selling these kits then please inform ourselves.

There are VERY FEW legitimate online dealers of Dension iPod kits, for a full list visit the following link:

http://www.dension.com/dealers.php

OK, so you are probably thinking “How do i tell if the people selling me the Dension kit are buying them from the correct source?” Well the answer is simple:

When you buy, ask the retailer if they can tell you the serial number on the item, the serial number is always found on a Dension sticker on the bottom of the unit. If they cannot provide this then they don’t have one – meaning that the stock is NOT to be trusted.

If you already have an item purchased from anywhere which doesn’t have a sticker then please contact them to discuss.

Dension have been working very hard behind the scenes to make sure that all you guys with new Apple iPod’s and the new Apple iPhone can have them mounted on your dash in a cradle.

Previously, if you wanted a Dension Gateway kit that would hold your iPod or iPhone, you would have to have gone for the Dension Dock Cable and stored your iPod or iPhone in your glove box – NOT ANY MORE.

Dension have just released sleeves/inserts which will come with the Dension Active Cradle as standard on any order from now on. They will allow all new iPods to fit into the Dension Active Cradle as well as the iPhone.

This is very exciting news for our customers, many of which have been waiting for this for a long time!

If you already have a Dension Active Cradle and DON’T have the sleeve/insert for the new iPods and iPhone then fear not, these will be available soon to be purchased separately.

Due to the high demand for this item and a good platform, Dension have decided to expand the capabilities of the Dension Gateway Bluetooth Adapter. Expected features include phonebook browsing, music streaming from your phone, text capability (on supported cars and phones) and a few other little tricks which we are keeping up our sleeves.

Dension are due to split the original Gateway bluetooth adapter (the BTA1000) into two separate parts:

The Dension BTA1500 Bluetooth Adapter, specifically designed for the Dension Gateway 500 on all platforms (BMW, Audi, Porsche, Saab, Volvo, Mercedes) and will definitely feature phonebook display.

The Dension BTA2000 Bluetooth Adapter, designed for all other Dension Gateway models including the Dension Gateway 100, the Dension Gateway 300 & the long awaited Dension Gateway 200i (for when it finally arrives – most probably near December 2008).

The Dension bluetooth adapter is just another chapter in Densions push to continue to be the worlds number one iPod Car Kit specialists. Dension seems very confident that these new designs will be knocking on iPod Car Kit Directs doors within 2 or 3 months. Prepare yourself for the ULTIMATE integration!

iPod Car Kit Direct recently had a stand over at a big car show. We had plans to try and push the idea that FM modulators are “crap” for lack of a better word.

For a long time now FM modulators have been misconceived and people automatically link them to a transmitter, this is the biggest misconception that you are likely to make when trying to find an iPod kit to connect into your factory fitted radio.

We at iPod Car Kit Direct want to redesign the way people think when they see FM Modulators. The effect we had when we changed peoples minds on the matter was astonishing. Most people were seriously amazed with the quality of audio through the Dension and DICE FM Modulator kits.

An FM Modulator doesn’t send FM signals through any airwaves or to any satellites and back down to the stereo. It connects into the stereo hard wired, sending a digital signal down a wire. The quality is comparable to DAB signals and when the iPod is connected the car aerial is disconnected through an automatic switch in the kit.

We were pleased with the reaction of people at the show and will continue to develop and push FM modulation for people who cant get a fully integrated kit for their iPod or just simply don’t have the budget.