iPod SEEKS FM FOR LTR
Let's check out what is in the box.

(All images link to higher resolution)

Figure 1: Inside the box you will simply find the transmitter / receiver and an instruction guide.

Figure 2: This is definitely an iPod-only accessory!

The connection port fits all iPods with a dock connector.

Figure 3: The controls are pretty simple.

The oval button switches between FM transmitter, FM radio and off. The button to the left of the display is to tune a radio station while the button on the right is to control volume.

HEY, BABY! I'LL BE BACK FOR YOU LATER!
I travel quite a bit for work and often rent a car when I am away. I was really looking forward to giving this device's FM transmitting prowess a try. First, a little setup is in order. The Kensington is powered from the iPod's dock connector and also receives audio in this manner. So, I plugged the device into the port connector on my 4G iPod Photo 30GB. Kensington advertises that this device uses a new technology from Aerielle called ClearFM that is supposed to vastly improve the quality of the iPod to FM transmission.

Figure 4: When I plugged the Kensington into my iPod both devices immediately woke up.

It is hard to see in this picture, but the digital display on the Kensington has an orange backlight.

The device begins in FM transmit mode. You can manually tune the station to transmit on using the up/down arrows to the left of the digital display. What I really wanted to check out is the automatic ability to find a clear frequency to broadcast on. You accomplish this by first plugging in headphones to the headphone jack on the bottom of the Kensington. The headphones are necessary because the headphone cord acts as an antenna. Second, you press the volume up/down button, which is to the right of the digital display for a couple of seconds. The transmitter then automatically finds a clear frequency and locks it in.

How does it work? Surprisingly well. I let the device find the first available frequency and indeed it was able to transmit clearly over it. I continued to have the device find frequencies and each one worked. This is definitely easier than hunting around the radio for a frequency you think is clear enough to transmit over. I wish that you didn't need to plug in headphones, but I understand the need for an antenna.

How did the FM transmission sound? I have used FM transmitters that draw power directly from the iPod such as Griffin's iTrip, and the Kensington sounded much better than that popular iPod accessory. I have also used transmitters that plug into the cigarette lighter socket and overall those seem to sound better, perhaps because they are receiving more power. I can definitively say that the Kensington is the best-sounding FM transmitter which draws power directly from the iPod that I have used. Transmissions were mostly static-free, although the transmission volume was somewhat low. Overall, I was pleased with the sound quality and the device's ability to find a clear frequency.

RADIO DAZE
Apple seems to keep forgetting to include an FM Radio with each new iPod they introduce. Fortunately, the Kensington not only transmits your music over an FM frequency, but it also adds an FM Radio to the iPod.

Figure 5: The bottom of the device has pre-set buttons and the headphone jack.

FM Radio quality was quite good for a portable device, even indoors. Again, the headphone cord is being used as an antenna, which certainly helps. You can program in up to 4 pre-set stations in both FM Radio and FM Transmitter modes which is a really nice feature.

To listen to the radio you have to use the headphone jack on the Kensington and not the one on the iPod.

PURCHASING

PROS

• Automatically finds a clear frequency on which to transmit
• Good FM transmission sound quality
• Good FM Radio quality

CONS

• Need to connect headphones to automatically find a clear frequency
• No way to connect a power supply to the iPod while in use

OVERALL IMPRESSION