For her birthday last year, I got my wife a 3rd generation iPod Nano and to go with that, I also bought her a Griffin Technology iTrip Auto FM Transmitter so she could use it in the car and play songs while driving. After a while, she decided that she wanted to use her iPod Nano at home too so I went and looked for an iPod dock with speakers. After checking out several items, I found the Altec Lansing inMotion iM500.

Technical Specifications:

• Width: 8.5 in
• Depth: 0.7 in
• Height: 5 in
• Weight: 12 oz
• Connector Type: 1 x Audio line-in , 1 x Docking station
• MP3 Player Compatibility: iPod nano 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation
• Included Accessories: Carrying case, Adapter cable, Power adapter
• Power Device: Power adapter – External
• Run Time: (Up To) 8 hour(s)
• Battery: Standard AAA type

Product Photos:

I didn’t get to read any reviews of the iM500 before purchasing it but because it was made by Altec Lansing, I was quite sure that it would be good but didn’t have high expectations because of its size. But when I first tried it, I was surprised with the excellent audio quality considering that it had such slim and thin speakers. It exceeded my expectations and I was very happy that I purchased it. Aside from the excellent sound quality, the Altec Lansing iM500 has a very attractive design. It’s superthin, compact, durable and portable. It can be powered by 6 standard AAA batteries and can be used as an iPod dock with a USB cable. It’s also an ideal desktop iPod speaker because it only takes up small space and because it can be powered by batteries. Now, my wife and I can enjoy listening to our favorite songs at home from her iPod Nano using the Altec Lansing inMotion iM500.

The only disadvantages that I can think of from this product is that there’s no remote control, gets easily knocked down if there’s no iPod docked in it, comes only in black color and the dock is designed only for the Nano so if you have other types of iPods, you won’t be able to use it. However, you can still use the mini auxiliary (found at the back of the speakers) to connect to your mp3 player and use the speakers to play songs.

To sum it all up, if you are looking for a portable, compact and stylish speaker system/dock for your iPod Nano, then the Altec Lansing inMotion iM500 is definitely for you or something you should consider buying. Previously, it was sold for $99 but now you can get it for less than $40.

How about you guys? What kind of dock/speaker system are you using for your iPod or other mp3 player? Anyone else has the Altec Lansing inMotion iM500?

DISCLAIMER: JaypeeOnline is an affiliate of Amazon.com

Today was a special for Apple fans, as the Apple “It’s Only Rock and Roll But We Like It” event was held early this morning at San Francisco, California. September has always been the designated month for Apple to release new versions/models of iPods, and aside from an iPod Touch with a camera on it, a lot of people have been speculating that Apple would be releasing their touchscreen version of the netbook.

Some of you might have followed the event earlier so I’m sharing this to those who missed it. Btw, I followed the event this morning via Engadget’s live blog.

The event started out with Steve Jobs walking out into a standing ovation. He then started his speech by thanking everyone for their support, especially thanking his organ donor and encouraging others to be an organ donor. For those who don’t know, he recently had a liver transplant.

I won’t go much into the details but here’s a list of some of the stuff that was released/announced during the Apple “It’s Only Rock and Roll But We Like It” event, earlier today.

• iPhone OS 3.1.
• 30,000 ringtones
• iTunes 9 (Genius mixes, Home sharing, iTunes LP)
• iPod Touch w/ OpenGL (8 GB $199, 32 GB $299, 64 GB $399)
• iPod Classic (160 GB $249)
• iPod Shuffle (2 GB $59, 4 GB $79, stainless steel special edition)
• iPod Nano (Video Camera, FM Transmitter + Live Pause, Pedometer; 8 GB $149, 16 GB $179)

Redesigned iTunes 9

New iPod Nano with Video Camera

After all these product releases, Steve Jobs also talks about how Apple is being environment-friendly. All iPods are now Arsenic-free, BFR-free, Mercury-free, PVC-free and highly recyclable. The event ends with Norah Jones performing for the audience.

I was hoping that Apple would release an iPod Touch with a camera on it like what they did with the Nano but unfortunately they chose not too. I guess they want the iPhone to have more features than the iPod Touch. Although the price cut on the 8GB version was nice. There was no Apple Touchscreen Netbook in this event so we’ll have to wait til the next Apple event to see if they would indeed release it.

Anyone else followed the Apple “It’s Only Rock and Roll But We Like It” event? What new product or feature did you like the most? What product were you hoping/expecting to be released in this event?

Last month, I bought my wife a 3rd generation iPod Nano for her birthday and since she wanted to play songs in the car, she also asked me to find a FM transmitter for it. What we needed was a simple FM transmitter that doubles as a car charger and of course one that has good sound quality and transmission. I browsed through Amazon and decided to get the Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Auto Charger.

Technical Specifications:

• Width: 0.49″ (12.5 mm)
• Length: 2.84″ (72 mm)
• Total length: 33.47″ (85 cm)
• Weight: 0.6 oz
• Antenna: Built-in
• Power: Provided by cigarette lighter or 12 volt power outlet (no batteries required)
• Modulation: FM Stereo
• Frequencies: US (88.1 -107.9 MHz)
• Oscillator: High stability crystal oscillator, phase-lock loop control
• Frequency response: 50 Hz to 15 kHz
• Operating range: 10-30 ft
• FCC Compliance: PAV9501

Since I have an Amazon Prime account, I got 2 day shipping for free and got the package 3 days after I placed the order.

The moment it arrived, I tried it right away to see if it works or not. Since the Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter is also a car charger, you need to plug it into the cigarette lighter power adapter. This thing works right off the box. Just plug it to the cigarette lighter power adapter, turn on your car radio, choose the frequency, turn on your iPod and you’re good to go!

Most people who buy the Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Auto Charger, don’t know that they can set the frequency to 87.9 and are stuck on the lowest default frequency which is 88.1. To be able to get the 87.9 frequency (still a legal frequency in the US), you’ll need to set the unit to International mode. To do that, just press on the PRESET button for about 10-15 seconds. First option you’ll see is switching LX to DX, continue pressing until you see the US/INTL mode. If you see the US mode blinking, just click on the +/- button to switch to INTL (vice versa). After that, it will just go back to the main screen. Now your Griffin Technology iTrip Auto FM Transmitter can transmit at 87.9 frequency.

Pros:

• Works out of the box.
• Plugs directly to the dock connector and has a constant line-out volume level and is not affected by the iPod’s volume dial setting.
• Starts instantly when car is started and iPod is auto-paused when car is stopped. Doesn’t require warming up unlike other previous Griffin FM transmitters.
• You can tune to 87.9 FM, turn off your car or unplug iTrip, turn it back on and resume use of the channel immediately.
• Since it also works as a car charger, this unit charges the iPod while you’re using it. You don’t have to get a separate iPod car charger and you don’t have to worry about your iPod losing power.

Cons:

• The FM transmitter power is quite weak.
• Volume transmitted is a little bit soft so you’ll have to increase your car radio’s volume.
• The LCD unit is wired to the connector and located in between the cigarette lighter plug and the dock connector. It can be an issue if you use your cigarette lighter power adapter for something else like a GPS unit.
• Static can be strong and annoying depending on your location.

Bottom line, if your car doesn’t have a tape deck, Bluetooth or an in-line jack and are looking for a simple and affordable way to an iPod on your car, then the Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter and Auto Chargeris something you would consider buying. The overall quality is not as good as listening with headphones, using a cassette deck adapter, Bluetooth or in-line jack but the sound is good enough. What I needed was a simple FM transmitter that worked so I got what I needed and for the price, I can’t really complain about it coz I got it for less than $30.

DISCLAIMER: JaypeeOnline is an affiliate of Amazon.com