8/05/2011

Griffin 10008-SNSATA iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Car Charger for Sansa Review

Griffin 10008-SNSATA iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Car Charger for Sansa
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(More customer reviews)
Amazon doesn't have this product, but other online stores have it, and you can get it from the manufacturer. Look around. I paid $69.99 + Shipping for the iTrip from the manufacturer, and it works great.
First off, Griffin has always spent time on their product's outward appearance. How long will you stare longingly at it before you get to actually try it out? Can it be a truly great product if the outside looks like one of those old "Electronic Science Kits" or something? Glossy, smooth exterior almost perfectly matches the Sansa. (The Sansa is more rounded than the iTrip.) How many buttons do you need for something like this? Answer: 3. An up, down, and select button is all you need, and the iTrip's uncluttered front display is perfect for the job.
Operation of the device is nearly plug and play. I have a couple reasons for the "nearly" qualifier:
1. You NEED to make sure you've got the latest firmware from Sandisk for your Sansa. The original firmware was not designed to work with the "Made for Sansa" devices, and won't work without updating. Download the updater from Sandisk before trying out the iTrip Auto. You WILL need your synch cable in order to do this. Once you've got all that together, the actual update is a snap. When I bought the iTrip, I immediately upgraded my firmware, as I knew that I wouldn't be able to do so at work when I got the device. Easy to do, and the iTrip won't work without the new firmware.
2. The iTrip is excellent in that it will operate on any frequency of the FM band. However, I anticipate that this will cause problems with users who accidentally change the band and can't get it back easily. The nice thing is that you have to press the Select button when you find the frequency you want to use in order to change it. So it's pretty easy to set and forget it. I recommend finding your frequency before going on a drive. Better to mess with the distracting electronic device while sitting still.
That being said, the device will work for most people out of the box. I forget what frequency it worked, but it was in the high 80's, which is rarely used for actual broadcast. The thing is backlit, which makes changing stations in the middle of the night a snap. It runs off the car's 12v system, and even charges the Sansa's battery...all without any problems whatsoever.
To answer the guy's complaints about the delay in Griffin getting the technology out the door, he is dead wrong. It's not just a matter of putting a Sansa connector on an iPod iTrip. The simplest thing is getting the sync cable end to work with the internal software of the iTrip. The hard part is working with the Sansa firmware to get it to work. The Griffin device has to be completely compliant with whatever standards Sandisk has, and I guarantee that a major part of the delay was the Sansa firmware itself. If Sansa could avoid releasing firmware updates, they would. However, I would venture to say that the reason they had to release firmware was because the original firmware was impossible to work with, etc. If I had to point the finger at anyone for the delay in devices, I would point to Sandisk for either not providing the firmware specs to the manufacturers in a timely fashion, or else creating a firmware that was originally impossible to work with. It's not just Griffin who was slow...Macally only just got their device out before Griffin, and DLO still doesn't have anything out there for the Sansa.
This device is excellent, and anyone who can lay hold of one, you will not be disappointed.

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Listen to your Sansa's music on your car's FM receiver with the Griffin 9202-SNSATA iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Car Charger. Powered by your car's 12-volt accessory port, this receiver features a backlit LCD for clear visibility during setup. It also plays on the full spectrum of FM frequencies (87.9 to 107.9 MHz), has an operating range of 10 to 30 feet, and is compatible with Sansa C200 and Sansa E200. The iTrip works by sending the music on your Sansa to your car's FM radio, so you can listen to exactly the music you want when you're traveling in the car. Additionally, the iTrip Auto charges your Sansa on the go, so you can enjoy great music while you're driving, and then arrive at your destination with a fully charged player. Great for road trips, this compact transmitter has a 33-inch cord and is backed by a limited one-year warranty.

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