8 December 2006 1:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

The iTrip is now legal, but is the original iTrip worth the cash? We took the iTrip on the road to find out.

The iTrip bolts on to the 4th and 5th generation via the docking station connector at the bottom of the unit and comes in both white and black.

The unit features a small screen to display the frequency that you want to transmit on and there is a toggle switch at the side that allows you to manually change the frequency.

The small screen is illuminated and shows the bear minimum information that you need. That information is basically the range of FM signal you can transmit, in this case 87.9-107.9 FM.

Once tuned in, all that is left is to tune your FM radio into that frequency. And here lies the rub; you've got to make sure that the signal your trying to transmit to is free. Try and take over the Radio 2 signal for instance and you're going to struggle with lots of interference.

That said, when you do find a spare bit of signal on the band, you're in business and your favourite tunes will be piped out in your car for you to sing along to.

In our tests, quality of the iTrip was very good, there is no software to install and it’s a case of plugging it in, selecting the channel and away you go. We also found that the closer you could sit the unit to the radio aeriel the better the result.

Verdict

As a small bolt on to the iPod, the iTrip is a great addition to your iPod as long as you can get a signal on your nearby radio.

The cost of this neat package is that the iTrip does suck power from the main device and it was noticeable to the battery levels performance in our tests.

If you're fussed about battery life, then this isn't the one to go for, however if you don't want to cover your car or house in more wires then this is the best option.

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Review Recap

Made by

Griffin

Price as reviewed

£39.95

The good

Easy to install, easy to use

The bad

Have to find spare frequency a transmit signal to

Quick verdict

If you're fussed about battery life, then this isn't the one to go for, however if you don't want to cover your car or house in more wires then this is the best option to go for

Score

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