No Its not a new product from apple, but it is their biggest collective seller. The iPod / iPhone is set to conquer another market, Inadvertently.

There’s an old saying “success comes with success” Unless I have just made it up? (But it makes sense anyway) The success of the iPod has increased the power of apple as a brand, obviously with some careful guidance from the company management too. It seems that every man and his dog have some form of an iPod, whether it be a old school 1st Gen Nano a new 3rd Gen iTouch or the iPhone 3GS. A large portion of the market belongs to apple, with loyal customers willing to upgrade when new products become available.

The Size of the iPod market is HUGE and not just for apple, companies are always developing new products or systems to work with or on the back of it. This only strengthens Apple as a company. A New market that has emerged over the past 5 years is the iPod to Car market. It makes sense when you think about it. A lot of us have an iPod, Nearly all of us have vehicles and I’d say 99.9% of all of us love music, which ever music genre your into. Add them together and you see a new area that apple are inadvertently conquering.

Most people don’t think of their vehicle as an entertainment system, or having an entertainment system installed in it. But its not a new trend. Not so long ago, the only entertainment option in your vehicle was a radio, often receiving a below standard signal, playing music at the discretion of the producers at the station however it was a great option to have at the time. The Next Big thing was the development CD. Albums and singles from various artists can be played at your leisure (and still are) making longer journeys seem much shorter, or at least more enjoyable. Now its the turn of the iPod.

 Ipod car kits are a new wave in vehicle entertainment. We have never had so many options as to how we listen, and what choice of music we listen to in the car. The aftermarket ipod kit market is already strong. Companies like Dension have been producing kits to integrate ipods into the vehicles factory fitted stereos for the last seven years. Growing year on year as the trend becomes more popular. Other aftermarket vehicle entertainment solutions come in the form of stereos such as Alpine, of Sony. Who are now producing iPod / iPhone (and radio) only stereos.

The success of the these companies and the growing trend in general have encouraged vehicle manufacturers to experiment with ipod car kits into their own vehicles, more and more new vehicles are offering these kits as an optional extra on purchase. Specifically used to drive sales for specific vehicle brands. However these kits are usually overpriced and often use the same software / hardware as the Dension equivalent, in fact more often that not it is actually a Dension Kit unbranded.

So being masters of mobile music industry allows Apple to control other areas of business without realising it. So if you never even thought of the idea of playing music in your car from iPod or iPhone or never realised there was a iphone car kit available to do so. You will know all about it soon, in fact I dare say in two or three years time all vehicles will have some form ipod car kit installed for your entertainment.

iPod car accessories are useful for long journeys, car accessories for the iPod and iphone can range from protective cases, to protect against scratches and more serious damage, Through to fully integrated iPhone car kits which provide a digital connection combined with iPod and music control through the stereo / steering wheel adapters and charging facilities.

I was OVERWHELMED! It was a Dension iPod Car kit, really cool. Well, that was the very first one. So, you can understand that I was quite in love with it. To be honest, I was not going to get it. I was expressing my disappointment over having to receive calls every now and then for work, to my sister, and it just **** me off, when I had to use phone while driving. It’s not that I can’t handle a simple phone call when I am driving. But I fall into the category of those people who really enjoy driving and when I get inside my Saab Convertible, it becomes a whole new world for me. No one, just my car and me… well, that’s what I was lamenting to my sister some day and the next day, she bought me this Dension iPod Car piece.

But honestly, I just hated the installation process. I was never good at mathematics, and God, I was a technophobe. I just hate those hi-tech stuffs that have wires coming out from every side of them. I just get so confused on where the red wire is going or the black wire connects. And I am pretty sure I have many friends, readers here who think the same. They are good with affiliate marketing business, they like being the financial analyst but figuring the wires and chips are never their cup of tea.

Here, let me tell you something. My brother helped me a lot when it came to installing the Dension iPod Car kit, but most helpful was that short simple manual guide that we got from the supplier. It was real quality. It told you in step-by-step process, how to dissemble it and then assemble it, all in an simple way a newbie can understand. Well then again, I just love my Dension iPod car kit now. It is sleek and fashionable, and I just boast about it to my friends. It just suits my personality. Style meets style! But apart from that, how can I deny the legal rules that I have to abide by, in US or most countries. You cannot use a mobile phone while driving. No, let me rephrase that. You can use a phone. But you cannot with a phone with your ‘hands’. No, you are not supposed to use them with your legs. Okay that was a bad joke.

But it sure is dangerous. But after getting that cool Dension iPod Car kit, I not only added some character to my style (that’s what I think anyway!), it just made it so easy for me to receive phone calls while driving via the BTA1500 bluetooth module. It has some cool features. I just have to cycle through the options using the vehicle controls and it will load all of my contacts for me.

Recently, I saw there has been some updated products. Perhaps, I will get myself the newest Dension iPod car kit very soon…lol.

iPod car accessories are useful for long journeys, car accessories for the iPod and iphone can range from protective cases, to protect against scratches and more serious damage, Through to fully integrated iPhone car kits which provide a digital connection combined with iPod and music control through the stereo / steering wheel adapters and charging facilities.

The apple iPhone combines a fully functional phone with a top of the range MP3 player and so much more. However when it comes to getting more value from your iPhone, its difficult to know what accessories are best value for money and worth while investing in and which are a waste of time.

Do to the nature of the iPhone, you should be looking for a kit that matches its performance and usability. The iPhone has somewhat revolutionised the mobile phone industry in the past four years. Although touch screen technology was around before, the iPhone’s usability and functionality surpassed all its competitors. The screen was more accurate, the navigation more simple and the music storage and playback included in the package is better than any other phone / MP3 player available today.

So if you want to improve the functions of the iPhone or any other iPod for that matter you need something that will a) allow the iPhone to do something that it wasn’t capable of doing before and b) ensuring the product is the best on the market for what you want it to do, assuming you don’t want to just make do. This is usually where people get confused. What do I want the product to do?

There are various products available for the iPhone that allow integration into most vehicles factory stereo equipment. (Assuming you want a hard wired connection) which provide a variety of different functions and features. Ranging from full music control from steering wheel or stereo to track and image display on screens, through to Bluetooth functionality for an additional phone. After market technology for OE (Original Equipment) hard ward installed in the vehicle is now better than ever and can improve the driving experience for all road users.

Ipod integration into vehicles is now commonplace, a lot of new vehicles are pre installed with them or have the option to upgrade, however this is usually a more expensive option with less functions than most after market solutions. The market leaders in this area Dension offer a wired connection into the back of the CD Changer port that provides a full digital connection and control of the iPod / iPhone when docked.

Other features can include Text display, and advanced track search functions, USB integration and iPod charging, Other kits also provide some of same functions and can be just as reliable however Dension cover the vast majority of vehicles and stereos which most other brands do not.

Unfortunately one of the only draw backs to the iPod car kit when using the iPhone is that the phone functions are restricted and the iPhone’s flight mode is automatically selected. The iPhone becomes an iPod when connected to the system and to date there no way around this, however with continual software updates and improvements in technology a solution may not be too far away? However the quality of audio played is second to none, the full digital connection plays music to the quality of the MP3 or AAC file uploaded to the iPod. Music downloaded from iTunes usually runs at 256bps rather that the 128bps usually written on CD’s meaning the quality achieved is far superior. The continual development of this industry also means that improvements to the systems are common, and additional parts and accessories which offer an improved service are introduced regularly.

The need for an iPod / iPhone car kit is purely a luxury, its not essential but it is a fantastic way of passing the time when driving. Enjoying the music you love to hear rather than what ever happens to be on the radio or trying to dig through 100’s of CD is one of the main reasons for people purchasing these kits. Apple introduced Music on demand, popularised by the iPod. This is extended further now with the introduction of iPod / iPhone car kits. Your music when you want it, where ever your going.

OK, so you’ve seen all the blogs, virals, youtube videos and thousands of adverts advertising what NEW and IMPROVED features various app’s may offer…. It seems that using an iPod as a sprit level and other fairly useless functions is a growing trend, and soon no doubt builders the world over will down tools and purchase a multi-functional iPod which is capable of Sawing, Hammering and Screwing, drilling and any other task builder’s may have to do daily.

Dont Get me Wrong, I think some of the iPod and iPhone features and app’s are absortultly genius and provide an excellent service, made much more convenient and user friendly than ever before. However in general these app’s are few and far between.

Some of you may be wondering at this stage what the "Thing" is that everybody seemed to have forgotten. Its simple, Why aren’t we using the iPod for the task in which it was invented??? Playing Music …. I have seen several adverts recently regarding Apple and the iPhone 3gs and iPod Touch, and at no point in the advertisment did apple mention what the iPod was best used for (an MP3 player BTW). It seems to be all about the extras you get with package nowdays!

So The One thing that everybody should try using an iPod for is to store and play your favourite music

I’m obviously Kidding, the iPod is obviously an inspriational invention so here are some other things you can do with it that you might not of thought of?

Here are some uses for an iPod or iPhone include;

1) App’s can transform your iPhone from a simple phone and mp3 playing device to navigation device, resource finder, account manager or so much more depending on which app you use. Look long and hard, some of the best apps are still to be popularised.

2) Google Maps, Every contact with a physical address (regestered in google) in your contact book can be found on google maps, even better these contacts are automatically found when browsing for directions say to a resturant stored as a contact. Simply search for the contact and you have directions to the location from where your standing. Genius !!

3) Mobile internet, where ever you are you have full access to the internet, emails and all that the internet brings.

4) Videos and TV programmes, The newer iPods are capable of storing more information than ever before. Take advantage of this and load your favourite videos and TV programs to watch at your convenience.

5) The iPod can be transfromed into a truely mobile MP3 Player with the use of an iPod car kit. Plug in to your Car Stereo and you have full access to all of your tracks while you drive

The Apple iPod has done its bit to shape society over the past ten years, Not only is it a desirable gift or accessory. Its changed the way we listen to and purchase music. The most noticeable improvement the iPod / iPhone deliverers over its predecessors, is the ease and simplicity of use and instant satisfaction it delivers.

Music and applications can be downloaded instantly, negating the need to travel to a store to purchase CD singles or albums. Which except for a few people, was seen as a hindrance. No longer do we need to carry stacks of disc’s and filter through them to find an album for what ever mood were in. Put simply the iPod has revolutionised the music industry and carried it into the future, making music more accessible in our daily routines.

Many other companies have joined the music revolution in a bid to further improve the way we control and listen to our favourite albums. It has become big business, with more and more companies offering improved quality and functions for home audio and visual systems as well as car and mobile audio. One of the market leaders in the car audio field, Dension, have been developing new systems which allow full control of the iPod through the stereo and entertainment system in the vehicle.

For many the iPod symbolises mobile music, and more recently mobile entertainment with the release of the iPod touch and iPhone, and the continuing developments Apple are making in the Video and TV area. Dension have adopted this ethos of entertainment on the move and produced iPod car kits that surpass any other kit on the market in terms of quality and integration.

iPod integration is key for quality and ease of use of the kits, if they don’t match Apples exacting standards for the iPod there is no point in developing them. With this in mind Dension set about improving previous versions of iPod kits they already produced. (Which they were already market leaders) and come up with a kit that ensures great quality audio and simple easy controls. The Gateway Lite was born.

The Gateway Lite is the next step up from the Gateway 100 / Gateway 300 ipod car adapters, The lite offers a much improved navigation system which was not available on the 100 / 300 unless text compatibility was available on your vehicle. By making the system easier the Gateway Lite is much more effective when making a track selection, reducing the browsing time and frustration this may have caused.

Combined with USB input the Gateway lite makes your favourite music truly mobile, allowing you to carry you entire music collection in your vehicle, you no longer need the poor quality and probably illegal FM transmitters. Simply choose the Gateway Lite.

Dension are market leaders in iPod car kit integration. Their iPod car adapters provide better quality audio and track navigation and selection over any other kit on the market. Drive, Control, Charge and Play your iPod.

Once you’ve decided to purchase an iPod car kit, inevitably you’ve chosen the Gateway Lite produced by Dension. You only have one further obstacle to hurdle, the installation. There are two options available to you for installing the kit. The first option, Pay a professional engineer to install the kit, either travelling to them or they can travel to you. The second option, is to install the iPod car kit yourself. Which is by far the more cost effective option and probably most convenient too. See below an installation guide to judge whether your capable of the installation, should you choose to go ahead.

The installation of the Gateway lite is fairly simple and pain free. Although this is a generic installation guide, it will suit 99% of vehicles.

Before you begin the installation, please remove the keys from the ignition and check that any radio codes are recorded for future reference.

Step one is to remove your car stereo, this will usually involve radio removal tools which will vary depending on what vehicle you have. Radio removal keys are readily available and the majority of online shops or traditional vehicle based retail outlets stock them. Radio removal tools are extremely convenient and can save you a lot of time and energy. This should take between 1-5 minutes

Step two is to remove the harnesses from the back of the stereo, Most vehicles have a Quadlock connection, this is a fairly large connection block that houses the wires to and from the stereo. If the Harness is a Quadlock connection the Dension harness will usually replicate the original harness exactly. The Dension Lite harness simply fits into the vehicle harness and then back to the stereo, basically a link between the vehicle and the stereo.

If the vehicle doesn’t have a Quadlock connection, the gateway lite harness fits into the CD changer port on the the back of the stereo. Usually located in the top right of the stereo as your looking at the back of it. Most of the time the harness simply connects straight into place, however occasionally the harness may have to be connected into the original harness then re-connected. This stage should take 2 minutes.

Step three is to connect the Gateway Lite PCB (the little black box) to the dension harness, its the most straight forward step of the installation. This will take 30 seconds.

Step Four is to connect the iPod dock and USB extension cable to the PCB, again very straight forward. Once this stage is done its usually a good idea to turn ignition on to check the system works. (Follow the user manual to perform the operations for iPod/USB track selection) Again this will take 1-2 minutes.

Step five, Route the cables through into position within the vehicle, this is usually the most time consuming part of the installation. Depending on the vehicle this can be a complex job and may require the removal of some of the fascia / Dashboard. This part of the installation may take up to 30 minutes depending on difficulty, especially if you want a professionally installed look.

Step Six, replace the stereo into its fittings. Read the operational instructions from Dension and enjoy the use of your iPod and all of your music while your driving.

The Gateway Lite is the latest in a long line of Dension iPod car Adapters. With each predecessor showing an increase in usability and functionality. Dension Gateway Lites predecessor the Gateway 100 was the most successful iPod kit in history. Offering a more advance track browsing system than any other kit on the market. However the complex nature of the 100 was ultimately its own downfall.

The 100 iPod kit offered track selection from the steering wheel controls / Stereo or the iPod, in which either artist, album or playlist could be selected. However the complexity of the gateway 100 system was not well suited to the majority of vehicles stereos, which cannot provide text support. This meant users would have to remember which combination of functions would enable iPod or stereo mode, and allow selections of tracks depending on browsing type, something that frustrated a lot of users.

The problem isn’t necessarily with the Dension unit, as the system works perfectly with text compatible radios. The problems occur when no text is available, and unfortunately most factory radios are not capable of displaying text rendering the gateway 100 kits difficult to use.

Dension have realised this problem and have improved the browsing system used in the new Gateway Lite. Dension designed the Gateway Lite specifically for none text compatible radios, and by doing so improved the browsing functionality by simplifying the track selection process.
Rather than the complex deep structured system in the Gateway 100, the lite is controlled via the iPod click wheel to browse through the iPod folders. Once the source is selected, tracks can be flicked through using the steering wheel controls for ease of use.

However the improved browsing functionality isn’t the only addition to the gateway lite, Dension have added a USB input into the system as standard. Enabling an additional 8 to 16Gb of music to be browsed through. Browsing through the USB drive is as simple as the iPod, CD button 6 selects the USB and 1-5 select Playlist, albums or artists.

In short Dension have yet again improved upon previous kits. Increasing the usability, simplifying the operations and adding additional source selections, you might think all these benefits come at a cost. You’d be wrong. The gateway lite is actually cheaper that the Gateway 100 and Gateway 300. The only downfall is that it doesn’t provide any text compatibility, however the this will never be available for those vehicles without CAN Bus systems.

Dension have announced the latest product in a long line of iPod car kit adapters. The Dension Lite is the newest kit that will be replacing the Gateway 100 and Gateway 300 for vehicles with CAN systems.

Dension have simplified the Lite kit, which some people may find a bit odd? A new kit with fewer navigation options than its predecessor. However due to the majority of vehicles stereo’s unable to support text display the previous Dension kits were often difficult to navigate and use. Resulting in users becoming a little frustrated in the products. Due to the complex menu structure the gateway 100 and 300 were only really suitable when text display is present.

The Dension Gateway Lite Negates the need for Text to be displayed on the stereo by utilising a much simpler operating method. Once the device is connected press the CD button on your vehicles stereo and you will start to receive audio from the iPod. The iPods click wheel controls the music selection while the steering wheel controls allows the user to skip forward and backward through tracks, providing a far superior system over the gateway 100 and 300.

Updating the controls isn’t all that Dension have modified on the Gateway Lite, It comes as standard with USB integration. So you can connect up to 8Gb of additional music to browse through. The method of navigation for the USB is different as there is no click wheel to operate from. However the operations are still simple. Just press CD button 6 to select the USB, and buttons 1-5 to select which albums / Playlists are played.

The Dension Gateway Lite is great value for money, as its much cheaper than its real equivalent the Dension gateway 300. In fact its nearly half price if you only require USB connectivity.

Dension Will be discontinuing the non Text compatible Gateway 100 and 300 units soon and rolling out the Newer Lite Kits is already underway.

Visit iPod Car Kit Direct for more information on the Gateway Lite iPod car adapters functions and compatibility.

As you would imagine iPod Car Kit Direct are rushed off our feet at the moment with the Royal Mail strikes and Christmas coming up. Dension have decided to throw a spanner into the works (but boy do we love the pressure!) with the release of a whole bunch of new products and have taken a bold step and discontinued the Gateway 100 & Gateway 300 for certain vehicles (The vehicles that cant see the text info (ID3 Tags) that the Dension kits send). It is important to note that the Dension Gateway 100 & 300 is NOT discontinued completely & is still the current model for vehicles that DO display text information (ID3 Tags).

Densions new kits are as follows:

Dension Gateway Lite (Replacement for Gateway 100 & 300 for certain vehicles) – GWL1 XXX (Replace X with vehicle specific codes)

• Available for Audi, Skoda, VW, Alfa, Renault, BMW, Seat (and more coming soon)
• Comes as standard with a USB connection (only previously available on the more expensive Gateway 300)
• Retails at a cheaper price than the Gateway 100 so you get extra features for cheaper!
• Still charges the iPod when you add a Dock Cable or an Active Cradle onto your kit
• Control the iPod/USB from the stereo/steering controls or the iPod itself
• Easy user interface as aposed to the old Gateway 100 and the Gateway 300 which was very complicated to use when your vehicle doesnt show text info
• Still uses the CD Changer port so you still get CD Quality audio
• Can be used as a USB car kit if you dont have an iPod, just simply purchase it without the Dock Cable or Active Cradle
• Works as an iPhone car kit and fully supports 5v charging

Dension Ice Link One (EXACTLY the same product as before but CHEAPER) – ILFICR91

• Hard Wires into the back of the stereo
• Charges the iPod
• CD Quality Audio
• Comes as standard with a Cradle
• Current Price £89.97, New Price £69.97
• Works as an iPhone car kit and fully supports 5v charging

Dension Gateway 500 Lite (Replacement for the Gateway 500 for certain vehicles) – GWL1MO1, GWL1DB1

• Works in exactly the same way as the Gateway 500
• Designed to work with vehicles that cant display track information, makes iPod/USB operation easier
• Cheaper option to the Gateway 500
• Retail price of £230
• Works as an iPhone car kit and fully supports 5v charging

We will be updating our blog daily with more detailed descriptions and information on vehicle specific kits

There are a lot of different mp3 players on the market today, but Apple are the leaders of the market with the numerous variations of the iPod. Initially the iPod was successful due to its styling and functions, however the current rise of popularity is also down to other factors including additional accessories and add-ons to the ipod to make it more functional and or usable.

The iPod’s primary use is for music play back, Although current iPod and iPhones are capable of so much more. Accessories that increase the functionality of the iPod are now seen as a business in there own right. A perfect example of an iPod accessory is the iPod car adaptor. Its primary function is to allow you to listen to your music while in your car. This has obvious advantages over other forms of entertainment systems in your vehicle, first and foremost you can listen to the music you love rather than what happens to be on the radio at the time, secondly the quality is far superior to the radio as they provide a digital connections into the cars entertainment systems. There are many other advantages depending on which kit you choose to purchase. However these advantages largely depend on your vehicle.

Other iPod car accessories can be found in a lot of local or online stores and include simple charging cables from the cigarette lighter, Ideal for when your iPod loses battery charge, FM transmitters, a more basic version of the Digital iPod car kit. The quality can be poor on Transmitters so its important to choose a good brand and if you live in a built up area its likely you wont receive a good reception. Ipod cases aren’t specific to car accessories however they can and will stop your iPod from being damaged while left in your vehicle.

Ipod car accessories can provide a useful extension to your iPods functions, Its likely that you love to listen to music. Driving is the perfect opportunity to cycle through track’s you haven’t heard for a while. The iPod car adaptor is the perfect means of doing so.