About.com Rating



Works With
3rd-5th Generation iPod
1st-2nd Generation iPod nano
1st Generation iPod Shuffle
iPod Mini

The Good
Strong FM broadcast
Charges iPod during use
Feels safer than mounted car adapters

The Bad
Sound is a bit washed out
Minor radio interference

The Price
US$59.99

The DLO TransDock micro is a car kit for the iPod that allows you to broadcast music from your iPod directly to your car stereo over a FM signal.

It is a predecessor to the TransDock Deluxe.

The TransDock micro has some of the same limitations of the Deluxe, but many strengths as well.

To install the car kit, you simply plug the TransDock micro into your cigarette lighter and then plug the attached cable into your iPod’s dock connector. You then turn on your car radio and turn it to the station the TransDock is tuned to (often 88.5 FM) and start playing the iPod.

Music generally broadcasts well, though crowded radio space will occasionally cause interference between radio stations and your iPod. The TransDock micro’s broadcast, however, sounds washed out, degraded. Though this wasn’t true of the TransDock Deluxe, whose broadcasts sounded very good when there was no interference, the micro sounds just a little bit worse than a cassette adapter connecting the iPod and car stereo.

Despite that, the TransDock micro has a number of nice additional features. For instance, it charges the iPod during use, can work with other audio players through its AUX jack, and offer up to four presets for stations that it broadcasts on.

An especially nice touch is the cable that connects to the TransDock. Not only does it work in the car, it also detaches and can be used to charge and sync the iPod with computers via USB.

One thing that I noticed about the TransDock mico, and liked a lot, was that it felt safer than other car kits that require mounting the iPod. With those kits, using the iPod requires looking down, away from the road. Since the micro attaches to the iPod with a long cable, you can use the iPod while holding it up at eye level, minimizing looking away from driving. That may seem like a small thing, but it feels safer to me, which I appreciate.

So, while the TransDock micro has a few drawbacks, it’s a safe, solid offering for those looking to take their iPods in the car.



Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.