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best iPhone 3G car charger, transmitter, craddle/holder ?

aforty

aforty

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 27, 2007
1,494
780
Brooklyn, NY
Hi guys and gals. Been looking for something that will hold my phone upright for me to easily view in my car, charge it and be a FM transmitter. Price is not an issue, I just want something that feels solid and won't break after a week of use.

Any suggestions? It seems I can't find any that specifically work with the 3G so I'm a bit hesitant to get them without some kind of confirmation from here that they are indeed able to charge the phone as well.

Any and all suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 
I think a lot of people are looking for more options for this. My bf and I each have different brands of charger/FM transmitters that work on the original iPhone as well as on our iPods (3rd generation video and mini). I just switched to an iPhone 3g, but neither of our old accessories will charge my new iPhone.

When we had bought our old ones, we got them for about $40-50 USD each. Mine was from a random electronics shop in Gibraltar, and his was bought at an Apple Store in the US.

Now it seems that the only options in the Apple Store are $80 and $100 with the $80 one receiving poor reviews. I think (though I would love to be wrong and learn of another option) that the Griffin iTrip AutoPilot is the only realistic option. I have to admit, I feel a little cheated that the iPhone 3g refuses to charge on accessories not "Made for iPhone" and that the ones that are certified to work are twice the cost. I read that this is because "The iPhone 3G reduces the number of pins on the dock connector that can be used by accessories for charging. Therefore, some older accessories that use the Firewire pins won't charge the 3G." but I don't see why this would be any more expensive to produce a charger/FM transmitter for.

Lucky for my brother, he has a newer car that has an AUX input jack, so he was able to get away with just a $20 iPhone 3g car charger. Makes me more tempted to sell my car and buy the Smart Car I've been eying (which does comes with an AUX input jack standard as well).
 
I'm looking for an iPhone car charger with a 3.5mm audio-out jack (nothing else). The Belkin Auto Kit for iPod w/ Dock Connector fits the bill but I don't know if it works with the iPhone. Considering they don't list it as compatible by guess is it does not. Anyone have first hand knowledge about this product? Any similar products?

Update: I did a little more searching. According to this thread at ilounge forums the Belkin Auto Kit does NOT work with the iPhone. However, it appears that the Griffin Autopilot does work with the iPhone 3G despite the fact that it does not explicity say so.
 
BklynKid said:
Hi guys and gals. Been looking for something that will hold my phone upright for me to easily view in my car, charge it and be a FM transmitter. Price is not an issue, I just want something that feels solid and won't break after a week of use.

Any suggestions? It seems I can't find any that specifically work with the 3G so I'm a bit hesitant to get them without some kind of confirmation from here that they are indeed able to charge the phone as well.

Any and all suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I just got this one by Belkin called the iPhone Tunebase: http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-TuneBa...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1220552837&sr=8-2

It's amazing. It's a charger/cradle/FM transmitter all in one. As an added bonus it also has an AUX output opening on the bottom:).

I've seen it in Apple Retail Stores as well as Best Buy. Costs around $80-90 and the clarity is amazing:cool:
 
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Here's my set up...

I have been looking for a good solution for a car mount for my iPhone. I had originally purchased an adjustable mount, that sat in the cup holder. This worked for a short time, but after while the pressure clamps that the base sits in the cup holder wore out. I bought a suction cup style mount from the same company, and I didn't like mounting it on the windshield, as a few times the suction cup would give way under the weight of the iPhone, and the entire clap and adjustable arm would fall to the floor. Being paranoid of breaking the screen, this solution no longer worked for me.

I found an iPhone mount, that actually uses the bolt to the car seat to mount the arm to the floor of the vehicle. The quality is fantastic, and the gooseneck arm is very durable. This has got to be the most industrial feeling product I've come across, and it's perfect for my needs.

Here's a link, check it out...

http://www.mountguys.com/product_p/sm225-iphone.htm

I actually ordered it from their Ebay store, and got it in about 4 days.

With this, I used to use the Belkin Car Kit with the Aux output to charge. I switched to the Griffin Auto Pilot, which does the same thing, but works with the 3G phone.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/autopilot
 
Thanks everybody for the great responses!

I decided to go for the relatively cheap CarFM from PDO. Even though there wasn't much to be heard about it around the 'net I figured it was worth a shot. It seems like exactly what I need with *promised* iPhone 3G compatibility. I placed my order and got free shipping (good for today only).

I'll post back here with my impressions and a little review when I get the unit.

Again, thanks all for the great ideas and suggestions.
 
Hi Bklynkid

BklynKid said:
Thanks everybody for the great responses!

I decided to go for the relatively cheap CarFM from PDO. Even though there wasn't much to be heard about it around the 'net I figured it was worth a shot. It seems like exactly what I need with *promised* iPhone 3G compatibility. I placed my order and got free shipping (good for today only).

I'll post back here with my impressions and a little review when I get the unit.

Again, thanks all for the great ideas and suggestions.
Click to expand...

Just curious how the purchase turned out. Can you give us a short review? Thanks a lot.
 
Sorry guys, forgot to update this thread. I placed my order but apparently it would be out of stock for a month or more so I asked to get my order canceled.
 
I was thinking about ordering the CarFM but can't find any reviews. Not sure how good the sound quality, speakerphone, etc. are. Anybody have any knowledge? Thanks.
 
You're right. It does look the same. I think I may buy one. On ebay it's around $30. I'll write a review if I do go forward.Thanks
 
I just got this one in the mail yesterday.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13234
$24.27 w/ free shipping

sku_13234_1.jpg


It took a few weeks to get it since it shipped from Hong Kong.
I havent really had a chance to use it yet other than to make sure it wasn't DOA. I think I may have to make a few mods to it to get it to fit my car better. When it is plugged in, it blocks my radio and AC/Heat controls.

The FM signal is probably the clearest I have had from any transmitter... Further testing will need to be done though.

The bottom dock connector is only used for charging, no audio goes through it. The top headphone jack is where the audio comes from.
 
Bodah said:
I just got this one in the mail yesterday.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13234
$24.27 w/ free shipping

It took a few weeks to get it since it shipped from Hong Kong.
I havent really had a chance to use it yet other than to make sure it wasn't DOA. I think I may have to make a few mods to it to get it to fit my car better. When it is plugged in, it blocks my radio and AC/Heat controls.

The FM signal is probably the clearest I have had from any transmitter... Further testing will need to be done though.

The bottom dock connector is only used for charging, no audio goes through it. The top headphone jack is where the audio comes from.
Click to expand...

Yes please let us know.

How sturdy is the anchor to the car charger? Can you mount it, have it stand upright and give the phone some input without it moving around excessively?

Does it charge your iPhone 3G or does it complain about an incompatible device?

Thanks!
 
CARFM Transmitter for iphone

I too just received my pdo carfm transmitter and am generally pleased with it functionality -- aside from the fact that when the iphone is connected to the charger -- for some reason music is not transmitted. When I disconnect the charger not only does the music play more clearly than any other fm transmitter I've used but phone calls are heard very clearly and the other party said that voice was very clear. I am just disappointed that I cannot charge the iphone at the same time I play music.
Has anyone else had this problem and if so do you know of an easy fix for this?
 
scooterboy3 said:
I too just received my pdo carfm transmitter and am generally pleased with it functionality -- aside from the fact that when the iphone is connected to the charger -- for some reason music is not transmitted. When I disconnect the charger not only does the music play more clearly than any other fm transmitter I've used but phone calls are heard very clearly and the other party said that voice was very clear. I am just disappointed that I cannot charge the iphone at the same time I play music.
Has anyone else had this problem and if so do you know of an easy fix for this?
Click to expand...

It seems that one has the same problem with Griffin's Powerjolt charger for the car. If you charge the phone, it charges perfectly but when you want to play music and plug your phone with an aux cable to your car WHILE charging then it won't work as you can't even hear the music. *sigh* I was looking forward to a car mount that would do all three efficiently. Play, Charge and Hands free. So far I'm stuck with Griffin's iTrip AutoPilot that can charge and play, but can't do hands free.
 
scooterboy3 said:
I too just received my pdo carfm transmitter and am generally pleased with it functionality -- aside from the fact that when the iphone is connected to the charger -- for some reason music is not transmitted. When I disconnect the charger not only does the music play more clearly than any other fm transmitter I've used but phone calls are heard very clearly and the other party said that voice was very clear. I am just disappointed that I cannot charge the iphone at the same time I play music.
Has anyone else had this problem and if so do you know of an easy fix for this?
Click to expand...

Did you try disconnecting the 3.5mm cable from the carfm. DOn't just have it unplugged from the phone, disconnect it from the transmitter too. That can stop music. Also, do you have it turned up loud enough. Try both.
 
Try universal car holder and 200 Channel FM Transmitter car kit with car charger. This is the perfect way to get sound from your iPhone,iPod, PDA, MP3 into your car stereo. It can transmits stereo audio from your portable music player directly to your car's radio or home stereo through your FM radio.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Heimlich said:
Does your built in bluetooth in your car transmit all audio like music? If so, why do you need an fm transmitter?
Click to expand...

No, just phone calls, it would sound pretty bad coming out of one small speaker mounted in the door, but it is perfect for phone calls.
 
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