 "Just doesn't work well enough to bother" | 2009-11-11 |
| - Reviewed By preston@gtw.net |
| On the positive side, the physical design and contruction are excellent. However, setting and changing the playback stations is so tedious and time consuming that I have to give low marks to features and ease of use. Worse, the effort does not pay off. I tried the unit in a VW Jetta, Jeep Liberty, Honda CRV and Toyota Corolla and was never able to get acceptable sound. Radio static is the main problem, but compared to FM stations, the dynamic range is very short, with clipped high and rumbling lows. Noise that the car radios do not usually pick up, like from power lines and vehicle ignitions, is amplified. The experience is like listening to a cheap AM car radio from the 1950s. My Griffin iFM dock is in the trash because I can't give it away. |
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 "Fantastic Product!" | 2009-07-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: A34OQYWYOFVY82 |
| This little gem works great with my Ipod Nano 1st Gen which I purchased refurbished. Great value for the price, since now I have the option of listening to the radio or controlling the Ipod remotely. |
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| "Works better than expected" | 2009-06-15 |
| - Reviewed By wehowardjr |
| I bought this despite what some reviewers mentioned. First and foremost it's a small plastic electronic for $10.00. No can compare it to the iPod for craftsmanship and expect it to withstand the same abuse. Small plastic things are going to break if not treated as such. I have taken into account for this and careful where I attach it to me whether it be my shirt pocket or pants pocket. When doing something I remember that I have this on me and carefully watch what I am doing so it doesn't get caught and break. The controls... They're not too small. I am 6 foot 1 inch tall and a big guy with big hands. I have no issues what so ever controlling the radio or the remote. This little gem has worked above and beyond my expectations, worth the $10 I spent for it. |
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 "Griffin FM Radio Receiver for Ipod" | 2009-04-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3P1GYTLU26N59 |
| If you want to listen to your favorite radio station on your iPod, this is an accessory you need to have. Listen to your favorite morning show while at the gym, then easily switch to your iPod playlist during commercials. Sounds great, small enough to clip to your shirt pocket, and turns your iPod into an FM radio. I love mine.Griffin iFM (Dock Connector) / FM Radio and Wired Remote Control for iPodGreat price and ships extremely fast too! |
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| "works well on ipod touch (1st gen)" | 2008-12-04 |
| - Reviewed By avchao |
The ipod touch is great, except when it is -20C outside in Canada, and you want to wear gloves so your fingers won't freeze and fall off. That's when the touch isn't so great. So I've been looking for a remote for the touch for a while. [...]
I was able to find the Griffin iFM here on Amazon for pretty cheap. So far (about a month), the iFM works pretty well. Since I just have the remote and the touch in the same pocket, I find the long cable a little unnecessary, but that's easy enough to just tie into a bundle.
If you want the volume control to work, you have to plug the earphones into the iFM's earphone jack.
The FM mode on the iFM works well. I'd been curious as to how it was to work, since the ipod touch does not have any radio application built in. So, in FM mode, essentially the iFM just draws power from the ipod, but it doesn't use it for anything else. It displays the station you are listening to on its own LCD display.
The only downside to the iFM I think is the FF/REV rocker button is placed a little awkwardly. So it isn't the easiest to push. And certainly if you want to use those buttons to auto scan ahead FM stations, it is quite difficult (especially if the whole thing is in your pocket).
Aside from that, I am pretty happy so far. And with winter already here, I am thankful it works! I just hope it lasts through til at least next spring!
Edit: Well, a few more weeks have passed since I wrote that review, and temperatures continue to drop, and one day leaving work my earphone cable got caught. That yanked the earphones out of my ear, and when I put them back, I realized only the right side was playing. At first I thought it was the earphones, but when I plugged them directly into the ipod, they were fine. Then I plugged them back into my iFM, and no go, somehow my iFM is now only playing in one ear. This is true regardless of whether I am playing a mp3 or using the FM function. So now I have to plug the earphones directly into my ipod. This means I cannot use the FM feature, and of course I lose volume control as well. With this in mind, I think I will have to downgrade my rating for this to a 3/5.
One good thing, apparently Griffin is coming out with a new product the Navigate. It is more expensive, but maybe it will be better built. Hopefully nothing else with my iFM breaks, at least until the Navigate comes out. |
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 "Too many complaints for one good title" | 2008-11-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1O6P8YP459WOL |
I have owned both this FM remote and the Apple fm remote. Both had the same main issue -- the wires tended to get tangled. However, I HIGHLY recommend the apple brand over the Griffin.
These were the problems I had with it:
- Volume. While there is a volume button on griffin, it doesn't get loud enough to listen to on the street or at the gym. The radio volume is not routed through the ipod, so it doesn't matter if you have the ipod turned up all the way.
- Navigation. Because the radio is not routed through the ipod, you have to navigate the stations on the griffin (not too bad, but annoying to switch around).
- Clip. This is a common complaint that I've read. The belt clip is very flimsy and doesn't attach to anything. The apple brand clip is a lot stronger (and I used it to gather the excess wires).
- Durability. This is my main complaint . . . IT TOTALLY FELL APART!!! I took it out of my bag one day, and the on/off button had fallen off. I managed to get it back on, but the next day, the entire face plate had fallen off, and all the buttons had fallen out. I because all the electronic cards inside were now shifted around, I wasn't able to put it back together. Neither amazon nor griffin would replace it for me (though as you can probably guess, I wouldn't want another one).
The only pro for this item is the price, but honestly it's not worth it.
Note: the apple brand remote also stopped working after about a year (think it got rained on), but honestly, I wish I had shelled out the $45 to replace it with a new one instead of the griffin. |
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