Smart Buying
iPod to the Max
Tune in where you want, when you want.
By Sean O'Neill
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, January 2006
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Home run
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Boost your home-entertainment system with the DLO HomeDock from Digital Lifestyle Outfitters ($100 at www.dlo.com). Just slip in your iPod, connect the device to your stereo or TV with the included cables, and you can use the HomeDock's remote control to play music through your home stereo or run a slide show of photos (or videos, if you have the latest iPod) on your TV. It works with iPods that dock from the bottom, rather than by a USB or FireWire cable.  | |
Car talk
Send your licks to your car-stereo speakers via your iPod with Griffin Technology's iTrip FM transmitter (recently $30 to $39, depending on iPod model, at www.pcmall.com). The transmitter broadcasts your tunes via a vacant FM frequency. The iTrip costs far less than wiring your iPod to your car speakers, but its wireless service is somewhat less reliable. In our roughly 400-mile road test, iTrip couldn't find an open frequency in some places. There is an iTrip model that works with every iPod, except the iPod shuffle.
Portable jukebox
Sonic Impact's i-Fusion portable-speaker kit (recently $150 at CircuitCity.com) doubles as a hard case and charger, sparing you from having to carry both your iPod and a separate charger. Its rich sound and superior bass tops that of rivals, but it lacks a subwoofer. The hard case acts as a speaker cabinet, improving the fidelity. The i-Fusion is compatible with all iPod models, thanks to an included adapter, and it can connect an iPod to a traditional stereo.
Radio to go
"Video Killed the Radio Star" was an early '80s song, but today's version might be "RadioShark Saved the Radio Star." RadioShark, made by Griffin Technology (recently $50 at Target.com), is a fin-shaped antenna you can program to record FM and AM stations. Replay a show (edited, if you wish) through your PC or any iPod. Never endure a pledge drive or a commercial again.
Silencers are Golden
Some iPod users gripe that Apple's earbuds don't fit their ears or filter out external sounds. Now come one-size-fits-all Solitude headphones ($200 at www.protravelgear.com). The soft fabric gently cups your ears, while filtering out the rattle and hum in airplanes and subways as effectively as other top noise-canceling headphones we tested.
Desktop deejay
JBL's On Stage II (recently $170 at Apple.com) refines the iPod speaker concept by adding a remote control. We found the remote will operate the device from a distance, even through a plaster wall. The speakers pump out rich treble and bass, but there's no subwoofer for deep sound. On Stage is compatible with the standard iPod, the shuffle and the mini (and many MP3 and CD players, plus laptops and other devices). Owners of the iPod nano need to order a free attachment from www.jbl.com.