5 reasons why you need an iPod Car Kit

In todays environment where gadgets are considered so important, the easiest question to ask is can you live without an iPod kit, NOT if you can live with one!

iPod kits started out in 1999, Dension were the first to produce one and are still the market leaders. Back then, the kits were very basic – only allowing a simple audio connection. Dension developed them further, adding features as they went along. Before long, the kits charged all iPods on the market and then moved onto starting to look at being able to control the iPods from the radio.

Control of the iPod from the radio or steering controls was a tough one, Dension found that the easiest way of doing this was to let you use playlists and select them using the radio preset buttons (1-5). This evolved further, bit by bit, until we have what we consider to be a fully functioning kit now with the iPod being able to be FULLY controlled from the stereo. Gone are the days of playlists controls (although if you really want to browse your iPods playlists from the car you still can). The days of iPods being controlled via artists, albums, podcasts and pretty much every way possible, are now here.

Here are the reasons why you shouldn’t be without an iPod kit:

· Have your entire music collection at your fingertips while driving.

· No need to keep messing about flicking through CD’s while your eyes should be on the road!

· Entertain passengers with their choice of music without bringing a bag full of CD’s.

· Keep yourself relaxed on your long journeys listening to the music that you want to listen to.

· Make use of “add-ons” like Bluetooth adapters so you can connect your phone to your car stereo and make and received hands free calls, Video Output adapters which will allow videos on the iPod to be played through the car stereo and cradles and new cables to allow for a personalised installation.

The Dension Gateway 100 is the little brother of the Dension Gateway 300.

Play iPod Video's in Your Car - are the kits worth the investment?

Everyone knows that iPod car adapters allow users to listen to the music on their iPod while they drive. Some iPod car integration kits, however, even allow drivers to play iPod videos and DVDs on their dashboard-mounted user interface or in the head-rests for rear passengers. This may seem like an unnecessary accessory – why would the person who is driving need to be able to watch videos while doing so? Well, they wouldn’t, but there are many situations in which such a device might come in handy.

Imagine that you have a flat tire and you’re waiting for roadside assistance. Or you went to pick your son or daughter up from practice, and it’s running late. Maybe you’re stuck in traffic, or going to a restaurant, and there’s a wait before you can be seated. In pretty much any situation that involves you having to wait in, or near, your car, there is a potential for severe boredom, which is where the iPod video car kit comes in handy. It’s especially useful if you happen to be in a situation where waiting is involved, and you have bored children in your car.

Some say that the dashboard-mounted video unit isn’t safe, because drivers can be distracted by it, or attempt to watch it while driving. However, this isn’t a problem that is inherent with the unit itself – it’s a problem with some people who might use it incorrectly. Just like everything else on the market, most people use it properly, but there will always be those who don’t. The people who are likely to misuse the iPod car kit add-on would most likely partake in illegal activates while they drive such as using their mobile phone or applying make-up, which would be equally if not more unsafe.

The iPod is the ideal platform for storing additional music and videos, the Gigabytes of space can be difficult to fill. Take advantage of this and add films, TV programs or music videos to your iPod so they are there to watch when you or your kids have a spare 30 minutes to an hour to enjoy them.

See below our top 10 scenarios of when an iPod Video Kit for vehicles is useful in combating boredom.

1) Stuck in traffic on the motorway.
2) To keep your Kids entertained and stop them arguing and fighting in the back of your car.
3) Keep passengers entertained on long journeys.
4) if your waiting for a booking or appointment.
5) If your Vehicle has Broken Down and you’re waiting for assistance.
6) Keep up to date with news and local current affairs via pod casts when you’re out of your county or state.
7) Watch your favorite TV Series if you pull over for a fast lunch break.
8) If you’re waiting to pick somebody up whose train or plane is delayed by an hour or two.
9) If you’ve been kicked out of your house (Oops you shouldn’t be so naughty).
10) If you’re on a camping trip and stuck for something to do at night.

We've thought of a few instances when an iPod car kit with video integration could come in handy, i'm sure you can think of a few more!

I Have an HD Radio – Why do I need an iPod car kit?

More and more people are getting HD radio installed in their cars. The reception is better, the sound is clearer, and there is a wider variety of shows and stations to listen to. So, if you have already purchased an HD radio for your car – or if you bought a car with a HD radio already installed – why get an iPod car kit?

For one thing, with HD radio, the sound quality is improved over a normal radio but the sound will be poorer than an iPod kit; there are also commercials in between tracks. Sometimes the commercials are as often as every few songs, depending on the station. There is less static with HD radio compared to the standard FM or AM radio, but you can still have problems listening to stations; the station won’t fade out as quickly, but if you are too far from where the station is being broadcast, you won’t be able to hear it. This is especially a problem for people who often make long drives – searching for a new station every hour, because you’ve traveled outside of the previous station’s broadcast radius, can get pretty annoying. Obviously, neither the commercials, nor the geographical location, are a problem for someone who is listening to an iPod.

Even though HD radio has a greater variety of programming than regular radio, it can’t beat the variety of programming that can be found on podcasts, and played through your iPod. With an iPod, you can always choose what you want to hear; if a song comes on that you don’t want to hear, you simply fast-forward. No more flipping through stations hoping to find something you’ll enjoy; you have control over what you want to hear, anytime you listen.

The iPod is now more universal with the iPod Car Kit

Parrot Bluetooth Car Kits - Still Leading the Game

With all the Bluetooth car kits on the market today, the Parrot Bluetooth kits are some of the most versatile. The Minikit Slim is a discreet model that clips to your visor, which, when paired with your mobile phone, automatically synchronizes its phonebook with the list of contacts in your mobile phone. This kit is for anyone who wants all the perks of having a Bluetooth car kit, but doesn’t like the large dashboard display of some of the other kits, such as the Bury.

The Parrot PMK 5800 gives you all the benefits of a wired or wireless Bluetooth car kit, without the inconvenient (and sometimes costly) process of installation. This model plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter power supply, and once paired, the device automatically connects to your mobile phone whenever you get in the car, without your phone ever leaving your pocket or purse.

The Parrot MK 6100 is a Bluetooth kit specifically designed for mobile phone users who use their phones to play music. This kit is capable of playing the MP3 files stored on your phone through your car’s stereo. The device is also capable of voice dialing.

Even if you have a moped or motorcycle, there is a Parrot for you. The SK4000 comes with a helmet-mounted earpiece and microphone, allowing users to use their mobile phones while riding. With all of the various models of Parrot Bluetooth kits available, it is quite possibly one of the most versatile and customizable line of Bluetooth kits on the market.

Bluetooth Car Kits: Who’s listening to my calls?

Many people have had the experience of talking on a cordless or cell phone, and hearing snippets of another person’s conversation, a police radio, etcetera. Therefore, the concern over having someone eavesdrop on your conversation, or even steal data from your mobile phone, because you are using a Bluetooth device, is a legitimate one. However, these kits are designed so that doing so is extremely difficult for hackers.

Bluetooth kits utilize a common frequency for signal; the same frequency used by many mobile phones, cordless phones. However, even though it would seem as though Bluetooth devices would cause, or receive, a lot of interference because of this, the manner in which two Bluetooth devices are paired (or set up to discover and recognize each other) results in no interference. Bluetooth devices must be connected to one another, and once they are they establish a closed network of signal, which is very difficult to hack.

It is possible to take extra steps to protect yourself; if you set your phone and kit so that they are not “discoverable” by other Bluetooth Adapters, it is much more difficult for anyone who might want to steal your information to do so. Also, because Bluetooth devices operate on an extremely low-powered signal, which only has a diameter of about 30 feet, the likelihood that there is someone within 30 feet of you who is trying to steal the use of your phone is very low. So, despite the concerns of the ease of hacking wireless devices, the manufacturers of Bluetooth devices have safeguarded the technology against most opportunities to do so.