Mac peripheral maker Griffin Technology Inc. today announced that it is shipping its long-awaited iTrip — an FM transmitter for the iPod.
The iTrip enables iPod users to output audio from their iPod through any available FM radio. And unlike other products that work on the same principle, the iTrip can be tuned to any available frequency, instead of just a handful. The device doesn’t use any batteries — it draws power directly from the iPod and automatically deactivates after 60 seconds of silence to conserve the iPod’s power supply. The iTrip connects through the iPod’s headphone jack and can rotate to reveal the iPod’s FireWire port, if you need to charge up your iPod’s batteries or transfer music or data.
The iTrip officially debuted at Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco this past January, and Griffin reports that thousands of users have already placed pre-orders for the devices. Those customers will among the first to get their iTrips. Van Thompson, Griffin Vice President of Production, noted that it’ll take several weeks to fulfill the pre-orders that have already been placed, so if you’re waiting, you might need to exercise just a bit more patience.
The iTrip is priced at US$35. The device can be purchased from Griffin and will be available at retail outlets soon.
The news of the iTrip’s release comes on the heels of Griffin’s announcement earlier this week that it was working on a new FM radio for the iPod called the iFM. Like the iTrip, the batteryless iFM draws current from the iPod, and enables users to use the wired remote control included with recent iPod models to tune station presets, scan the radio dial, or manually tune to their favorite stations.