News & Views

Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 12:41:02 -0500
From: Frank Petrie <phranky@mac.com>
Subject: Op-Ed / iFrustrated

Op-Ed / iFrustrated
by Frank Petrie
I am losing my tiny, little mind trying to find a way to get a solid connection betwixt my iPod and my Ford's sound system. Hence - iFrustrated. First, a little background is in order.

I used to own a 1989 Toyota Corolla wagon. I replaced the speakers and the factory-equipped AM/FM/Cassette player with a Blaupunkt. The beauty was that the Blaupunkt had an auxiliary input on the back. So (even though this was in those dark days before the iPod), I had a portable CD player which would benefit greatly from this. So I drilled a hole in one of the dash compartments and fished a mini-plug through, which I could plug my CD player directly into. Not bad.

Fast forward to early 2003. I buy a used iPod which also benefited from my auxiliary input. Even with a entry-level system, the music sounded very nice. Lots of dynamic range and a large breadth of sound. Good for me.

Skip forward to early 2004. Through a series of incidents (it's one of those long family-politics stories) my beloved Toyota was replaced with a Ford Taurus wagon. Bad for me.

While the factory AM / FM / Cassette isn't bad sounding and has a good deal of oomph to it, I can no longer connect my iPod directly to the sound system. And there in lies my frustration. How can I get the best sound out of my iPod without jumping through too many hoops to attach it to my car stereo?
THE SEARCH BEGINS

FM Transmitters. Tried this option first but with little success. I found that if you live in a metropolitan area, the airways are already packed. So, you end up getting a lot of bleed through of other stations. And that's totally unacceptable.

Cassette Adapters. I never thought that I'd say something like this, but I found these to be more satisfactory than the transmitters. Note that I used the word 'satisfactory.' I get a bit of interference from the engine's electronic components now and again. It'll do but it still doesn't fully tap into the capabilities of my iPod's output.

An iPod-Friendly Car. Read on when you've gotten up off of the floor and have stopped laughing.

Special Adapters. There are some that will let you put a 'black box' into your CD magazine but then you have to run another wire back to the front of your car so that you can plug the iPod into it. Seems like a bit too much work and too high of a cost. As I write this, one of the Mac news pages has the press release of an optical connector that I can use with my iPod in my Mercedes-Benz. What a relief. At least I'll have good sound on my Sunday drives.

A New Radio. I just spent a chunk of change on the iPod! Now I spend that much again? Not to mention the labor involved. Remember, I purchased an iPod partly for its ease of use. So, no, I don't think so.
ANSWER

What's really needed here is something like Bluetooth. Or Airport Express technology. But at a reasonable price, of course. Apple (or whoever develops it) would make a mint! It shouldn't be hard for Apple. They have already created the transmission technology. Hell, they even came up with colored socks to keep my iPod ever so warm. So why should this be such a stretch?

This would make the iPod experience an ease all the way around. I play through my home stereo via AE technology and it sounds great. Why not the same wireless experience for my car?

Steve? Jonathan? Can you hear me?

=========================================©2004 Frank Petrie, Freelance writer, Macsimum News contributor, SJAUG eCommunicator, Curmudgeon
Email: phranky@mac.com
iChat: phranky
AIM: phrankyw
Archiive: home.comcast.net/~phranky

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