Overview
The iTrip Auto Universal Plus is a pretty simple device. It essentially has 3 parts, the power connector, FM transmitter and 1/8-inch audio jack. So starting with the power connector it is one that goes in your cigarette lighter or 12V power outlet in your car. This power connector is a little different as there is a cap on the end that when opened reveals a USB power port. So this way you can charge a USB device as well.
Moving down the cable in the center you have the FM transmitter. It is pretty simple and small. On the front you have 3 buttons and a small LCD screen. The plus and minus buttons will allow you to adjust the transmission station and the SmartScan button will scan available stations and set the transmitter to one of those stations.
At the end of the cable you have a 1/8-inch audio jack. This is great actually because you can use pretty much any device that has that connection. This means your iPhone, iPod, Zune, Smartphone, hell even a CD player! The whole tandem of the power connector, FM transmitter and 1/8-inch mm audio jack is actually pretty long so if someone in the backseat of the car wanted to control the music they could.
Usage
Getting the iTrip Auto Universal Plus setup is pretty easy. Just take it into your car and plug the power connector into your cigarette lighter or 12V power port. Then connect the audio connection to the headphones port on your audio device. Finally if your device uses a USB charger you can use the USB power port on the power connector. Then just go ahead and set the FM transmitter to an open station and you are ready to start listening to your music.
I have been using the iTrip Auto Universal Plus for a little over a week now and I really like it. One of the biggest reasons is that it works with my iPhone 4 and my iPod touch. I had been using the older iTrip Auto from 2008, which did not work with the iPhone or iPod touch. Since this version has the audio connection not the iPod connector it works with all devices.
The FM transmitter works great and I really did not have any issues with it. Although just like every other FM transmitter the audio quality is not the same as playing a CD in your car. Also sometimes it is hard to find an open station, especially if you live in a large metro area. The SmartScan function works great and really helps with finding an open station.
Griffin has put out a great line of radio transmitters for 2010 and deserves all the good reviews. My iphone/ itrip version works great, and noise interference issues can be significantly reduced by changing the station or by tightening the cord.
These also fits the Otter Box case. Pairing this with the Gomadic cup holder makes for an enjoyable ride.
During your testing did you attempt to play music that was not in iTunes ie Pandora, etc? I often use Pandora and find it tricky to get it to play outside of my iPhone.
Yes I played Pandora, DI.FM, even YouTube and everything works fine because you are using the headphone jack on the iPhone.
Awesome thanks for clearing that up Bob!
I have the itrip universal PLUS. It is cool except for the fact that I paid $50 and it tore up after 15 months. Only came with a 12 month warranty. The cord that leads to jack that connects to the device is tearing up. I can see the color wires on the inside and now it is shorting out! Not my first transmitter, but maybe my worst as far as how it held up. Smart scan not accurate.