Reviews for Kensington 33169 Digital FM Radio & Transmitter

Kensington Digital FM Radio & Transmitter

Strengths: Works on all iPods, FM Radio options, small, good signal strength

Weakness: No spot for charger while in use

Overall I found that these charges are either hit or miss. This on is a HIT. Works great with my Nano, and the FM option is really great. Decent signal strength, I can't really complain. Wish it had a charger plug on the bottom, but it doesn't seem to go through the batteries of the iPod that fast. I don't use them, but the present option also seem worthwhile. Overall a great product.

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A FM Transmitter & Radio

Strengths: Can use it anywhere & fits all ipod with dock connectors

Weakness: Can't charge the ipod

A truly portable FM transmitter & radio, you can not only play ipod through car stereo but also through any FM radio in your home. You can also turned ipod into a FM radio and enjoy it on the move.

The Audio quality is fine. The pushbutton tuner makes change of stations easier. Four stations pre-sets also add some conveniences. It fits all ipod with dock connectors.

It will be really nice if we can have the option to charge the ipod while using the transmitter.

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Kensington LiquidFM for iPod FM Transmitter

Strengths: Appearance and features

Weakness: FM transmitter doesn't carry more than five feet (approx).

Being one who listens almost exclusively to my iPod in my car, I care to have an FM transmitter that allows me to have station presets while still enabling a full-spectrum choice of channels. I also need something that is easy to use and doesn't distract from my driving.

I had a Monster iCarPlay, which worked well, but only had eight station presets. I used it until the cable came loose, and then threw it away. I replaced it with a Griffin iTrip, which works very nicely, except the lighter-plug keeps coming out unexpectedly.

The Kensington appealed to me because it's the only device that has an on-off switch, which means I can leave the iPod connected without having to worry about power surges when starting/stopping my car. It also has auto-seek, a nice way to manually change channels, and three user-settable presets.

Unfortunately, the FM transmitter doesn't work in my car. The antenna on my car is in the rear, and even with my iPod volume set all the way up, station bleed-over and lack of transmitter power render the device useless.

I'm going to contact Kensington to see if perhaps I've received a flawed product (iLounge rated it "B"). But it's likely I didn't. Anyone want to buy an (almost) unused FM transmitter?

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It's a pretty good one

Strengths: Powered by Ipod, Very good FM Reception, OK FM Transmission, Memory Buttons

Weakness: Powered by Ipod, "Find channel" for transmission doesn't work, poor design, FM radio doesn't go through Ipod

This FM radio/transmitter is pretty good. I put that it gets its power from the Ipod as both a weakness and a strength. While it's convenient, it runs the Ipod battery down. It would be nice if there was a pass through connector that would charge the Ipod while using this transmitter. I don't like that the radio doesn't go through the Ipod. The headphone plug is in the bottom of this device. That just kind of bugs me. Also, the way the plug is designed, it stick out just a little below the back of my 60G video ipod with silicon cover. That causes it to not stay on my dashboard as good as it does with just the silicon cover. That worked fine with the bubblegum transmitter, but this Kensington transmits just a little bit stronger, so I'll probably use it more. A final thing I don't like about it: They advertise the ability to "find" a station to transmit on. When I do this, the transmitter only skips past the very strongest stations. I can do better than that very easily. Another note about the FM radio, you have to use headphones with this radio because it uses the headphone wires as an antenna, so no using speakers to listen to the radio. Another thing I don't like is that when you are listening to the radio, it causes the ipod to be on, and it will even play while the radio is playing. I guess that could be cool because two people could be using it, one listening to the Ipod and one listening to the radio, but, mostly it is just a way for the power to be used when you didn't know.

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Working great

Strengths: Worked right out of the box.I'm using it with my ipod mini. Good sound quality.

Weakness: Can't charge the ipod Can't be used with other nonipod mp3 players

This is my first experience with any fm transmiter.
I'm using it for 45 days now didnt have any problems
at all.Very small and doesnt and require batteries
Recommend

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Working Excellent

Strengths: Worked right out of the box. I'm using this with my IPOD. Nice sound quality.

Weakness: I wish it was charging my IPOD !!

Worked right out of the box.
I'm using this with my IPOD.
Nice sound quality.

I would buy again, if you need a FM Radio to use at the Health Club or a tuner in the car.

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Digital FM Radio And FM Transmitter For iPod

Strengths: cheap

Weakness: too much static

This is not a good choice for a fm transmitter. Except the price is cheap, I can't see any good point about the product. Most of the frequency can only get statics!! I have tried it in my car & at home. Both condition cannot make a clear reception on my ipod. I will not recommend it at all!

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great product

Strengths: small easy to use works great for Fm and tuner

Weakness: can not charge ipod

I would buy again, if you need a fm radio to use at the ymca or a tuner in the car. great product and would buy again. also no other product does this

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Kensington 33169 Digital FM Radio & Transmitter

Strengths: The good thing about the transmitter is its wireless feature and it enables FM radio to be played on the iPod.

Weakness: The transmitter does not transmit a good signal to the home stereo or the car stereo. There is a lot of static from the device making listening quality minimal.

I would not recomend this product to anyone. I am dissatisfied with the transmitter. The sound quality of the transmitter is bad on every station that was tried. The only good thing about it is the option of listening to FM radio through the iPod and the wireless capabilities of the product. I would recommend spending a little more money for a transmitter with charging capabilities.

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Nice transmitter for ipod

Strengths: Small, nice design, good singal, easy to use

Weakness: It uses ipod battery, and thus reduces playback time of ipod

This is a good digital FM radio and Fm transmitter. It is easy to set up, and has full frequencies to choose. The sound quality is very decent even in large cities. Well, of course it cannot be compared with CD. The drawback is that I cannot charge the ipod when it is connected to the transmitter, and the transmitter uses the battery of ipod, which reduces the playback time of ipod.
Generally, this product is not expensive and has good functions. It is a good buy for me.

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Nice and compact

Strengths: Nice compact design, good digital readout, simple operation

Weakness: So-so performance, connection to dock connector is iffy if you have a case on your iPod

Nice design allows you to use this as an FM transmitter or radio receiver for your iPod. Operation is very simple. I wish I could charge the iPod with this unit connected, but I know of that drawback before I bought it. As with all FM transmitters, your own experience will vary widely depending on where you use it and how crowded the FM airwaves are.

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Kensington Digital FM Radio And FM Transmitter For...

Strengths: 2-in-1 radio and transmitter; good stereo sound quality as a transmitter; compact size; fits all kinds of ipods

Weakness: consume quite high power from ipod battery, which largely reduce the playback life-time of the ipod

I am satisfied with this product, which includes both functions of radio receiver and FM transmitter as the size is just comparable to those others with only transmitter function. The outlook is pretty cool and match my color and style of the ipod; however, its size is a bit too big if it is plugged into the nano.

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Kensington FM transmitter for ipod

Strengths: Nice design, frequency selection

Weakness: consumes battery

This is a very nice FM radio and transmitter for the ipod mp3 players that plugs into the ipod and has an LCD screen to browse and select the desired frequency that has the least interference. its very portable and has no dangling wires. but it does run off the ipod battery so one has to be aware of that. the 2-in-1 function of FM radio and transmitter is awesome.

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Easy operation.

Strengths: Small, fm radio

Weakness: weak signal

Not very useful in big cities such as Chicago, San Francisco. A lot of static, need to change channel all the time. But if you are in the rural, you get pretty decent quality, pretty handy if you want to listen to the music on your ipod.

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Great Product

Strengths: First, it just looks cool. Second-unexpectedly, given its slim profile-it actually cranks out some impressive sound.

First, it just looks cool. Second-unexpectedly, given its slim profile-it actually cranks out some impressive sound. That's largely due to an innovative flat-panel speaker design supplied by esteemed Brit brand NXT.

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Digital FM Radio And FM Transmitter For iPod

Strengths: works qa advertised

Weakness: looks cheap - far worse than the pictures

I got this radio/transmitter mostly for the radio part, which is sadly lacking in the ipods.
It works just as advertised - I had no problems listening to my favorite radio stations.
However the housing is horrible - looks completely cheap especially next to an ipod. The worst are the huge up/dn buttons. I get the feeling that it was designed in USSR in the 80's.
22

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Great for ipods

Strengths: FM transmitter and receiver. Small and fits my ipod video perfectly.

Weakness: Drains the battery from ipod and can't charge ipod at the same time.

As an FM transmitter, I am happy with it. The digital tuning buttons are really nice and the automatic search function is great. It has a full frequency range to go through. I didn't have any trouble when I started using it. The only downside is it drains the battery from ipod and I can't charge ipod when I am using the transmitter.

As an FM radio receiver, even with the earbuds connected as an antenna, the quality is not that impressive. When I am walking around, I get the static noise sometimes. It's okay with me. I don't listen to the radio that often.

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FM transmitter for Ipod

Strengths: samll form factor, full frequency spectrum, fits all ipods

Weakness: does not charge Ipod when connected

This is a great FM transmitter for the price I paid. It has a small form factor and fits the ipod perfectly. It has the full frequency spectrum available to use. It fits all Ipods even the new ones. The only negative is that it does not charge the Ipod.

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kensington ipod FM transmittor

Strengths: good quailty, sturdy

Weakness: problem is that it is rather bulky

overall a decent buy, although I would suggest the smaller version of this. And as you would think it can have probelms transmitting at certain frequencies but the advantage is that it allows you to store several frequencies

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Digital FM Radio And FM Transmitter For iPod

Strengths: compact, wireless, works as advertised

Weakness: can't charge ipod while connected

This product really has two distinct functions -- it adds an FM radio to your portable ipod, OR it allows you to listen to your ipod on an existing FM radio. In my opinion, the first function (FM radio) is it's best function -- but not for those people who use their ipod primarily in the car. I find that in the car, a combination charger/FM transmitter works much better.

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Digital FM Radio And FM Transmitter For iPod.

Strengths: Cheap, good sound quality

Weakness: It uses the ipod battery, should have been made to use like 2AA or something so it wouldnt drain the ipod battery.

I bought this product just so I can use the radio part, so far so good. The sound is not CD quality but not too shabby. I haven't used the FM transmitter part, but from what I read, it is either hit or miss. I will try this feature soon enough. This thing is using the ipod battery, it is good because you need to carry extra battery around, it is bad because it really drains the ipod battery. Oh well for the price (very cheap AR from Amazon.com) I can tolerate all the downfalls.
Highly recommended, just on the price alone compare to other devices.

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two in one

Strengths: Both Tansmitter and Receiver, Fits all ipods

Weakness: You cannot connect it to a charger while using it

This is a very good FM Transmitter/Reciever at the price compared to similar products. The transmitter is powerful enough to receive the signal on a car or home radio. You cannot expect cd quality but it definitely gives good radio quality. The frequencies are easy to change with the buttons and the backlight is very useful especially when you are driving and need to change the frequencies. All in all this is a great little device at a great price.

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Nice features, however no iPod charger

Strengths: Nice features include FM receiver with 4 station pre-sets. Transmits to clearest station rather than a fixed number of frequencies. Small and light.

Weakness: Can't charge iPod while using transmitter.

Great for the price, and very good sound quality. Stereo separation was surprisingly good. Works with all new iPods, or any with 30 pin dock connector (Not compatible with shuffle).

I'm quite happy with the design and features and would recommend this product.

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FM radio and transmitter for IPOD

Strengths: Nice function,acceptable signal quality

Weakness: a little bit big for my ipod nano

Fit for my ipod nano 1st generation, extend my ipod function to FM radio, and transmit radio signal to my car.The sound signal quality is acceptable, if not excellent. The size is a little bit bulky for my nano, but still within acceptable range. I would recommend if you want a unit with both FM radio and transmitter combined.

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Cool product, good overall

Strengths: Good price, convenient for use.

Weakness: A little bit bulky.

Good for the price, however the signal is not that good as I exected. This is the first one I had, so cannot give any comparison to other products. It's good over all.

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Digital FM Radio And FM Transmitter For iPod

Strengths: Transmits + Receives; works with iPod nano 2nd gen

Weakness: weak transmit power; limited instructions; physical dimensions don't quite align with those of the ipod nano (so doesn't look as "cool" as it could); draws power from ipod batteries

the kensington duo fm transmitter and receiver is a very handy device for an ipod nano. not only does it transmit, but it also receives radio signals, adding this (surprisingly) missing feature to the ipod. the transmit power is fairly weak, which isn't a problem over the short distance (this will be the most common case since this will live in my car). however, even in the same room as a stereo i had very limited range - probably between 5-10 feet - and it depended on the orientation of the transmitter with respect to the stereo.

the unit is constructed of plastic. it's not the sturdiest thing i've ever purchased, but i think it's well suited to the fairly safe environment of a car. when it's connected to the ipod nano, the 3.5mm audio out jack on the ipod is blocked - but luckily the kensington unit includes an audio out jack. additionally, although the unit functions perfectly with the ipod, you can tell it was designed for the larger ipods - about a third of the unit extends past the side of the ipod on the left side. i don't much care about aesthetics in something of this nature, but i suppose that could be important to someone out there.

all in all, it's inexpensive and functions as advertised, with the added benefit of adding radio capability to the ipod. i'm happy with my purchase so far!

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Kensington 33169 Digital FM Radio and Transmitter...

Strengths: Not CD quality but its not all that bad, maybe FM quality (if you want CD quality you need a car stereo that has direct line in or ipod jack that are in alot new cars now)

Weakness: My only complaint(s) with this is that there is no way to charge the iPod and use the transmitter at the same time

Excellent product. When using your ipod through your car radio it digitally scans for an open station, (unlike the other one I have that only allowed four choices). Also it doesn't change the reception if the ipod is not exactly pointed to the radio. Listening to the FM radio through the iPOD is o.k., am able to listen to over half of the stations clearly. Overall, I highly recommend this product

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Good Product Great Idea Minor Flaws Overall BEST...

Strengths: 1 piece intergration without unsightly cables Not CD quality but its not all that bad, maybe FM quality

Weakness: Drains IPOD's battery Cannot charge ipod at the same time

Good buy if you get for $20 odd bucks. Definitely not worth 40 but if you loook you can make is almost like a zune with the FM ability this device adds apart from the transmitter

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Kensington 33169 Digital FM Radio and Transmitter...

Strengths: Signal is good

Weakness: using ipod battery

I got this new Digital FM Radio and transmitter to replace my old Belkin manual transmitter. First the design is very nice, matching your ipod with small LCD screen showing FM band. The sound quality is good.

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Kensington Digital FM Radio & Transmitter for iPod

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