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.

If your in the market for a FM Transmitter, its probably somewhat inevitable that you’ll end up that a Griffin product. Whether it be an iTrip, or the Griffin iTrip auto version of it or a Griffin RoadTrip. Most people don’t mind paying that extra £5 to £10 for the additional quality.

So if we assume you want a griffin transmitter, which one will best suits your needs?

This depends very much on how you listen to your music & therefore control your iPod. If your a constant track flicker for example you’ll be better off having the device mounted in one position, so its easily accessible and controllable. The Roadtrip comes with a flexi tube which supports the iPod / iPhone when mounted & holds in position near the Cigarette lighter.

If you like to listen to albums or playlist you might be happier with the iTrip and just leave the iPod running in the tray, ready to pick up and flick tracks when necessary?

One thing you must bare in mind is the charging facilities of the devices, as the iTrip is a stand alone device and draws power from the iPod / iPhone when in use. Whereas the iTrip auto & RoadTrip have cigarette light attachments to recharge the battery, and generally speaking its much better to have the charging facilities as the battery on the iPhones drains fairly quickly.

In essence your getting a fairly similar product which ever you choose. One is stand alone, another offers charge and the RoadTrip offers charge and Mounting.

Griffin have announced a slightly new direction to the next range of products released in 2011.

Handsfree is on the agenda for griffin as even the more popular products such as the griffin iTrip auto are receiving the handsfree functions.

See a full list of the griffin handsfree products here

http://www.griffintechnology.com/drivesafe/

Griffin have announced a few new products to hit the market soon, Which should excite some of the current griffin fans.

New releases to the market are to come in the form of a bluetrip and an updated version of the roadtrip funnily enough called the roadtrip handsfree. Both of which offer handsfree and music input to the stereo (Via different forms).

There isn’t too much information about the level of integration of the bluetooth devices, however its likely to be similar to the current iPod or AUX connectivity offered on other devices.

One potential problem with the kits maybe interference issue caused by stronger radio signals in particular areas of your region. However one thing you can rely on is the quality of the griffin products in relation to its competitors.

Dension have recently released there brand new Gateway Five onto the market. Although the initial uptake has been a little tentative due to a few teething problems the moment is now definitely building behind this fantastic product. They have now announced the release of the Gateway Fives little brother, the Gateway Blue.

The Dension Gateway Blue is, in effect, a Gateway Lite with a built in bluetooth function. The kit has been designed for non text capable cars and provides all the features of the Gateway Lite kit such as control from the iPod and charging but also incorporates a basic bluetooth capabilities. You can use the kit to accept and reject calls as well as make calls from the phone through the cars standard speakers. This is perhaps the ultimate iPhone car kit for the none text vehicles.

There is currently only a small range of kits available however Dension are working hard to increase this range over the next 6-12 months. Look out for the full review and video demonstration soon on www.ipodcarkitdirect.co.uk.

Dension are perhaps the biggest name in iPhone integration at the moment. They already have a large array of kits available for 95% percent of the vehicles on the market. The new products they have in development could well be the be all and end all of car integration.

The Dension Gateway Five is the first iPhone car kit from there new generation of kits. This is the latest fully integrated solution to work with Can systems. It incorporates both music playback via the iPod dock connection and Bluetooth calling via the latest in bluetooth chip technology. Dension have been dealing with the iPod integration for a number of years now and are recognised as being a market leader. The innovative part of this kit is the integration of the bluetooth side of the product, displaying full phone-book and phone controls through the vehicles can system.

This kit looks like it is set to take the market by storm in 2011, the first kits have been released late this year and early signs are looking promising. As with any new product there are a few issues with the early kits however Dension have already released 10 updates and the majority of issues are now fixed. This is the kind of product support that Dension have always prided themselves on.

Look out for the product video and full review coming soon from www.IpodCarKitDirect.co.uk!

Griffin, generally speaking hold a large majority of the market for FM Transmitters for iPods and other MP3 players. Over the past 5 years they have built up a good reputation for producing some of the best iPod accessories on the market. Griffin products range from iPod cases, protective screens & additional wiring, however its the iPod car kit market where griffin have made their name. Specifically the griffin iTrip.

Griffin produce a range of iPod fm transmitters however its the iTrip that is the most desirable of all griffin products. Probably due to its simple functions and audio quality, but what else sets this product aside from all the other FM transmitters on the market?

There are various other products on the market which offer very similar features, however one of the main reasons for success is not so much to do with the performance of the product. Equally the branding and styling of the product have also played as big a part. All ipod fm transmitters are on display in the car and connected to the iPod, so its often as important for the product to look as good as it performs.

Other Fm Transmitters may have one of the functions which is comparable with the iTrip, maybe they perform well but the look, style & quality are poor, or they look great but have no performance. This is the problem with products with such little price tags. You have to sell many millions of units to allow for investment and further development.

This is why the iTrip is the best Transmitter on the market, it performs as well as any other & has the style and build quality your looking for in a product for your iPhone. Which is something that most of the other brands fail to deliver.

 The iTrip FM Transmitter is now the most popular MP3 car kit in the uk market. The numbers sold are enormous in the past few years. The griffin Itrip is one of the more popular search terms when people are looking for kits online, proving the popularity of Griffin.

The success of the iTrip can be put done to lots of things, however its likely that the name & reputation has grown due to both the styling & quality of manufacturing of the product. Word of mouth and cleaver branding have also forced Griffin to the top of the tree, and providing the quality of the kits remain at the level they reach today I cant see many companies knocking them off their perch.

The iTrip is an FM transmitter, meaning that it doesn’t integrate into the stereo too well, however without doubt it offers the best quality of all the FM Transmitters on the market.