Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Who would have known (besides our Queen’s English-speaking friends) that FM transmitters, and hence iTrips, were recently illegal in the UK.

Previous legislation designed to curb pirate radio stations disallowed use of the device in the UK. The law prohibited the iTrip from transmitting music from an iPod to any FM radio. Ofcom, the United Kingdom’s Office of Communications, has implemented the Wireless Telegraphy Exemption today and effectively lifted the ban on FM Transmitters.

We are sure that Griffin, Belkin, and all other iPod, Zune, and other DAP accessory makers were ecstatic about the new news.

Read [Jason Bradbury]

Griffin Technology, creator of all things iPod, announced the TuneFlex for iPod. Unlike some other models the TuneFlex does what it says, it is flexible to position where and how you like, making your screen easy to read while going 80 MPH--oh right, not a good idea to be looking down.
The TuneFlex plugs into your car’s outlet, powering and charging your iPod while you use it and displaying the charging status via a colored light.

For those of you who are loyal to iTrips the TuneFlex has a pass-through dock connector that lets you use your dock accessories while charging. For you analog junkies the device also has a 1/8” stereo line-out audio jack makes it easy to connect your iPod to your stereo via the included cassette. Finally, the TuneFlex has a low/high audio output switch to reduce distortion and comes with a trial edition of iFill all for $49.99.

Read [Playlist Mag]

We sometimes wonder how creative Griffin can get with their iPod accessory names. The BlueTrip is not the best name, as there really is no trip involved (as of yet), but the technology and functionality is stellar.

The BlueTrip comes with a dock and a Bluetooth dongle, reminiscent of the iTrip dongle. You plug the white transmitter into the bottom of your iPod and connect the receiver to your TV or stereo system via RCA cables, an optical cable, or the headphone out (1/8”) jack. Then you go through the simple pairing process, like when pairing a Bluetooth headset to a Bluetooth phone, and wahlah you are beaming CD quality tunes up to 30 feet, through walls, windows and more to your larger than life speaker system. This same transmitter plug also allows you to sync stereo Bluetooth headphone from Motorola, Plantronics, and others for wireless listening.

For $99.99, this may be the best accessory investment you make for your iPod. Keep posted for a full hands-on review of the BlueTrip.

Read [Griffin]

Griffin everyone’s favorite iPod accessory maker has now branched into the gaming market. They have announced three new accessories for the Sony PSP. All gadgets focus on the audio functionality of the device and are available on their online store The and in stores soon. iFM radio tuner turns your PSP into an FM radio with a wired remote control. It can automatically scan the FM band and save six radio presets. The iTrip FM lets the PSP transmit audio from games, music, or movies to nearby FM radios, like the iTrip. Finally, the SmartShare is a headphone splitter with individual volume controls for each headphone.

The iFM and iTrip FM for PSP are $49.99 each, and the SmartShare is $14.99.

Frustrated that your old iPod accessories don’t work with your new nano. uLink adds backwards compatibilities to your nano. This $17 adapter will plug into the headphone jack and dock connector and add a remote connector (along with a new headphone jack), to the bottom of your nano. This will allow the old iTrip, iPod remote, iBeam, and others to work with the nano. The Griffin iTalk and Belkin Voice Recorder are not currently supported but hopefully they can work that out. Not sure where you can buy this right now in the US, but in the UK head over here.

Go get those great accessories back and enjoy life your iPod once again.

Read [Gizmodo]

The iTrip 3 is a FM transmitter produced by Focal of Japan that will work with the: iPod 5G (Video), iPod 4G, iPod photo, iPod U2, iPod 3G, iPod mini and iPod nano. Simply connect the iTrip 3 with the iPod’s Dock connector and enjoy the music wirelessly on your Car Audio system. The LCD displays the frequency at which the music is transmitted. The frequency can be adjusted by a Jog Dial located on the side. The last set frequency is stored in the memory so you do not have to set it again. The iTrip 3 plays the sound is 2 modes LX Mode (Normal music) and DX mode (Mono sound, usually for pod casting). It draws from the iPod itself and can transmit while the iPod is charging.

Read [New Launches]

It seems Griffin’s new iTrip nano has slipped through the cracks.  While I have yet to use this unit (I do know that using the mini’s dock adaptor for the nano does not work out so well) it seems like it should work great. The design is very sleek and holds your precious nano in place throughout the drive. 

It ships in late November and is now available for pre-order via Griffin’s website.  At $49.99, it is rather a good buy for the new, advanced broadcasting technology.

Today is my birthday… preorder anyone?