ABT iJet for iPod nano
Pros: A hybrid iPod nano accessory combining a highly protective case, FM transmitter, and RF remote control into a single package, available in either black or white versions. Remote stows into case’s back when not in use, provides access to on-iPod radio tuning up close or from a distance, and allows for iPod control from a reliable distance of around 50 feet. Unlike Infrared remotes, doesn’t require line-of-sight between base and remote in order to connect to the iPod, and can be used indoors from a room away.
Cons: Quirky remote design is less intuitive than we prefer. Though the base has a bottom Dock Connector port for charging, audio output, and synchronization, remote’s volume controls only work through the iPod’s headphone port, requiring you to connect a second cable - not as good of a remote implementation as in recent dedicated iPod docks we’ve tested. If purchased only for FM transmitter features, more expensive than our top-rated options by a fair margin.
Conclusions
Overall, ABT’s iJet for iPod nano is an interesting amalgam of features: a highly protective case, a better-than-average remote control, and a good FM transmitter, all in one body that’s color-matched to your iPod of choice. It’s also a standout because of its first-of-kind ability to let you change FM transmitting stations from a distance - a feature that users with challenging car radio antennas may appreciate - and its pass-through Dock Connector port at the bottom, which permits charging, syncing, and audio control when used with separate cables or docks. Even with all of these positive features, though, we struggled to decide on an appropriate overall rating for three reasons: first and most importantly our uncertainty about which FM transmitter consumers will ultimately find in their boxes, second, the otherwise good remote control’s quirks and limits, particularly on volume control, and third, the $70 price tag, which isn’t unreasonable for a hybrid accessory, but isn’t cheap, either.
Since ABT has assured us that the newer transmitter will be the one consumers receive, and the performance of that transmitter is in fact quite impressive, we are provisionally rating iJet for iPod nano as an A-, highly recommended iPod accessory, and assuming that end users will experience the better of the results we described above. With that improved transmitter performance, iJet is as viable an option for iPod nano owners as Belkin’s and Griffin’s cheaper TuneFM and iTrip for iPod nano - slightly more expensive, but with a smart protective casing and pretty good remote control as added incentives to spend a bit more. Without the transmitter improvement, iJet strikes us as a bit less of a standout, and one that we wouldn’t pick over the other options unless we really needed a remote and acceptable transmitter in the same package. For that reason, if we receive reader reports that contradict the positive performance we experienced from the newer model, we will adjust our rating downward accordingly.
