SONNETT PODFREQ FM TRANSMITTER FOR ( FMT-IPOD )

Rating:
Summary: disappoinment
Review: Did not work with my car FM at all and even when 12 inches from my Home Stereo FM antenna I mostly static. This is the best FM tranmitter for the IPOD. I suggest you wait for the next generation of these products.

Rating:
Summary: Works as I wanted it to
Review: I had been looking for an FM transmitter for my iPod for awhile. Had checked out the iTrip and others, but they just didn't seem all that reliable or robust. I found out about the Podfreq from a very favorable mention in MacWorld Magazine, the Feb 05 issue, I think.

I checked around for suppliers and found the best price at Amazon. Got it about a week ago.

It does exactly what I wanted to do, and a bit more besides. I really like being able to tune in the radio station from the Podfreq base instead of from my iPod. I have a digital radio in my car so it's very easy to match frequencies. It does not seem to pull much power from the iPod, and it does come with a car charger. It also comes with foam pads that enable you to custom fit your iPod to the Podfreq. The latch mechanism holds the iPod quite efficiently.

There is also a very solid extendable antenna that works quite well. I have had very clear reception in the city. And if I hear any static over the radio I just extend the antenna and it goes away.

Previously I had run the iPod through my car system by means of a tape. The sound is much better now, and I don't have to have that extra wire, so the iPod is much easier to use. And the excellent sound quality of the iPod comes out through using the Podfreq, as it never did with the tape.

Haven't tried it out on the road yet, so I don't know how much of a pain it might be to change stations. I suspect not much, but I don't have experience of that.

The whole thing seems quite well-built and designed. With respectful handling (it is, after all, mostly plastic) I think it will last quite awhile. The latch holds the iPod very well and the foam pads keep it from rattling. The buttons for power and changing the radio station are big enough to handle easily, and the display is large and easy to read, even for 50-year-old eyes. The antenna attachment on the back seems firm, and the antenna seems the same as you'd find on portable radios--in other words, not flimsy. The car charger is pretty compact and has a coiled cord which I prefer to a straight cord.

I have two small concerns: the part that rotates out from the base so that you can stand the Podfreq up is plastic and looks delicate, so I don't think I'll be using it in the car. Also, I will be sticking some velcro on the back of the unit so that the whole thing doesn't slip off the car seat when I come to a stop. But that's easy to do.

The Podfreq does the same thing inside my car as my other can't-do-without accessory, InMotion speakers, does inside my house. I'm very glad I got it, and it has resulted in my using my iPod much more in my car because it's easier to use and sounds a whole lot better.

Rating:
Summary: Sonnett FM Transmitter A+
Review: I just received this item today and my initial impression is that Sonnett hit a home run with this item in terms of ease of use and generally very good to superior sound quality. Once out of the box, it took less than 2 minutes to slide my iPod into the protective Sonnet case, turn it on, find an open frequency, set a matching frequency on the Sonnett, and start listening to music on my car radio. I then memorized the open frequency as a push button save on the car radio, thus allowing one touch access to the "iPod" channel. Overall, this is a very easy item to use. I was attracted to it because it has received some very favorable computer magazine reviews and so far, I would have to agree with their assessment that this is a well made device with superior performance within its category.

The Sonnett transmitter itself is a kind of protective case/cradle for your iPod. When you slide it in, it connects via a dock type plug at the base of the unit. There's no complicated wiring or extra cables, just the dock connection. The top then swivels down and is locked with in place with a small snap latch. It accomodates different iPods by using small foam backing spacers that cushion the iPod inside the Sonnett frame. On mine, I simply slid the proper sized spacer into the frame and then slid the iPod in next to it.

The Sonnett turns on and off independent of the iPod, so you have to turn both devices on before you can start listening. I suspect that the Sonnett runs off the iPods battery and is not powered independently. However, it comes with a car charger that will power both devices and charge your iPod while driving, good if you have long trips and want to listen to lots of music to fill the time. For shorter trips, you can operate it without the car charger, so if you wanted to leave the Sonnett/iPod in your pocket while driving, it will work that way as well.

You can program the Sonnett to shut off after 1 hour and other incremental intervals, presumably so if you forget about it when you leave your car, it doesn't eventually drain your battery. Otherwise I'm not sure why this feature was added. On the back of the unit is an FM antenna that can be extended out to about 6 to 7 inches. I found that in the close proximity of a car interior, it wasn't necessary to raise it at all. However, if you chose to use this with a home stereo system, you could probably put the iPod/Sonnett on a counter somewhere and broadcast to your receiver a few feet away. I haven't tried this yet, but it seems like a cheap alternative to buying wireless devices (Airport Extreme for instance) if all you want to do is broadcast music inside the home.

In the car, I found that I had to adjust bass and treble differently than the way it had been set for the radio. The iPod produces much stronger bass frequencies, so it had to be toned down just a little. It wasn't that bad to begin with, but it clearly sounds better by toning it back. All volume and other sound adjustments are down via your car radio interface so you don't have to look down and mess with the iPod for sound settings. Overall the sound quality produced by this device is very close to CDs that you would burn and then listen to in car CD players (my significant other's car for instance). It's not quite as good, but it's close - clearly very good to excellent (depending on the quality of the source) and should be suitable for everyone but audiophile perfectionists. I think if I had to change one thing about it then I would ask for it in black, because the white color tends to be very visible to anyone who happens to be looking thru your car window when your car is parked. It clearly comes off as something other than a cell phone charger and has a $$ look to it. Probably OK to leave it in locked in your car in most residential neighborhoods, not necessarily OK at certain shopping plazas, downtown parking lots etc.

Rating:
Summary: Battery zapper
Review: I like that this allows the IPOD to play through the radio and charge at the same time. It also allows for lots of stations - between 88 and 107, however it would be better if it went down lower on the freq scale. My main issue is that you can't leave it in the case, b/c even if you have the power of your IPOD off, and hold clicked, the FREQ case can still easily power on in a pocket, etc and suck the power of the IPOD. It shouldn't work if the ipod isn't on or it should be more difficult to turn it on and off. I would buy a different model - and in fact will shortly.