The IPOD. Worth it as an alternative?

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by ewebby

I just got an IPod mini and a Belkin TuneBase FM for iPod mini. $49 at Belkin. It sounds very good, and a lot cheaper than getting it wired or a 6 disk changer. It also has a flexible-steel neck that holds the IPod up in the air.

Details

Play your iPod mini through your car's stereo wirelessly — and charge it, too! TuneBase™ FM plugs into your vehicle's DC power socket and your iPod mini mounts to the end of its flexible-steel neck — conveniently at hand for safe use while driving.

Its built-in transmitter wirelessly connects to the car's sound system via multiple FM channels (from 88.1 to 107.9 MHz) and features an LCD for easily finding the optimal frequency by scanning or with four presets. Measures 11" long. Three-year warranty.

$49.99 at Belkin
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...uct_ID=186770#


http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/ca...21933/pcatid=2

Kevin Basso
2001 X5 3.0i

If you are using the iPod in multiple cars and don't live around cities with lots of tall buildings, this will work as an economical solution, but the sound quality is far from comparable.

Here's an excerpt from an FAQ I created for the Dension guidelog:

FM Transmitters:
The marketing department of FM transmitters do wonders for advertising the device. Simply plug-in a device on your iPod, simply take an existing FM station on the FM band and tune it into your vehicle’s radio. Seems simple, doesn’t it? This does not begin to tell the whole story. The iPod is a high-quality MP3 player – the best on the market proven with over 4 million units sold (statistics show that an iPod was sold every 30 seconds in 2003 alone!). Most MP3s are recorded at a 128kbps to 192kbps, the higher the number, the better the sound. Most FM stations tune in at a 64kbps to 92kbps, depending on location and frequency. This is why you hear a drastic difference between FM radio and CD audio.

What you are essentially doing with an FM transmitter is transmitting the MP3 to a FM wave, drastically degrading the audio quality (by as much as 50%) to your vehicle’s FM band. FM transmitters are highly troublesome in urban areas, making locking into a signal almost impossible at times. You made a wise decision on purchasing the best MP3 player on the market – you deserve the best in vehicle integration.

We compare a FM transmitter on an iPod as equivalent to driving a Ferrari with the parking brake on.

[X5Ghost]

Tom G., here you go man, you are coming through again. You make perfect sense to me. I simply did not have the knowledge you brought up. I do like to have more control over the unit therefore, I'm set on my first X5 project, Ipod/Icelink retrofit. Now, the search continues on the best Ipod model at the lowest price. Some folks on ebay are selling the color 20G for $259. Sounds good. Any of you found that 5000 songs are not enough therefore wishing they would have bought the 60G? b Thx Tom G. for the valuable info.

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by X5Ghost

Tom G., here you go man, you are coming through again. You make perfect sense to me. I simply did not have the knowledge you brought up. I do like to have more control over the unit therefore, I'm set on my first X5 project, Ipod/Icelink retrofit. Now, the search continues on the best Ipod model at the lowest price. Some folks on ebay are selling the color 20G for $259. Sounds good. Any of you found that 5000 songs are not enough therefore wishing they would have bought the 60G? b Thx Tom G. for the valuable info.

In my opinion, buying an iPod is like buying wheels or a monitor for your computer. If you have your heart set on the bigger model, do not settle for something less - you will just want the larger model afterwards.

Take it from someone who's upgraded from a 10G model to a 15G to a 20G to a 40G and now a 60G.

I may not need 60G of music, but whenever I want to listen to a particular song, I know it's in there. Not to mention it's handy for a portable HDD as well.

[X5Ghost]

Can you really use it for other files as well like Word, Excel, etc?

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by X5Ghost

Can you really use it for other files as well like Word, Excel, etc?

Absolutely, you can even boot a computer off your iPod. It was the main reason I picked up my iPod shuffle as well.

[X5Ghost]

I'm sold. Hey Tom G., do you have a store somewhere on the net where you sell the icelink + and Ipods?

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by X5Ghost

I'm sold. Hey Tom G., do you have a store somewhere on the net where you sell the icelink + and Ipods?

I offer the ice>link Plus kits, but not the iPods. Most people purchase the iPod from Best Buy w/ the Extended Warranty as an extra precaution (or Costco as well).

[saloveku]

has anyone seen or heard of this product which has not been released yet. May give Denison a run for its money. The demo is an a BMW and on harmon kardon's web page it also shows it running in a bimmer.

http://stevegarfield.blogs.com/video...driveplay.html

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by saloveku

has anyone seen or heard of this product which has not been released yet. May give Denison a run for its money. The demo is an a BMW and on harmon kardon's web page it also shows it running in a bimmer.

http://stevegarfield.blogs.com/video...driveplay.html

You're kidding I hope. According to Circuit City's webpage, the sound is FM Modulated.

[ewebby]

I mainly use my IPod for business audio books and magazines. I found www.audible.com to automatically download to my IPod. It is like 19 per book and one month of magazines or radio programming recordings.

Great to use with IPodder, like internet radio with auto download.


Happy IPodding!

Kevin