NOTE: At the time this review was published Digiana/Mistic Audio was a site sponsor. This fact did not influence the comments or conclusions reached in this review.

The Facts
Specifications according to the manufacturer:

- Car power charging
- Four station memory presets
- Full frequency range (88.1MHz - 107.9MHz)
- Auto on/off
- Stereo sound
- Blue backlit LCD
- Blue deco light indicates charging and pulses to music
- "Made for iPod" certified
- Price: US $44.99

Construction and Materials
The construction of the iTube is... well... interesting. The workmanship and materials are good, it's just funny looking. It's smaller than I thought it would be too.

The electrical plug is a strong and well built piece. It's short and compact and it's shaped in such a way that you can grip it easily.

The first segment of the flexible stalk is about 4.5" long. It connects to the brain of the device. The second segment is only about 2" long and features the iPod jack on the end of it. While the stalk is thin, it needs to be stronger to hold it's shape, especially in a bouncing car. One of my test cars had an outlet mounted on an angle between the seats and there was no way of keeping the iTube vertical when installed in that location. But if you keep the iTube mostly upright, and the ride isn't too bumpy, it does an acceptable job of staying put. One other observation about the flexible segments is that they are covered in a white material that is prone to show dirt. It is a matte finish coating, slightly off white, and is showing scuff marks when the rest of the iTube is still glossy, clean white.

The iPod plug is not a standard USB jack - you can see more than the standard four conductors inside of it. The iPod slides into it easily, maybe a bit too easily since my iPod vibrated loose once while driving and a sonic wall of static was the result.

The center portion of the iTube, the brain of the device, is a slick little ergonomically contoured control center that fits your hand very well. Chrome buttons to the side control up/down tuning and a white button in the center of the face saves or recalls memory presets. The display is large enough to read from a short distance and has a very useful and attractive blue backlight. A thin long light strip runs down the face and indicates charging or pulses to the beat of the music. It's a little bit superfluous, but I found that since it wasn't bright enough to be distracting, that it was a tolerable addition to the iTube.

The poorly translated user guide helps to explain how to use the iTube and use the memory settings, but it's actually a very easy device to figure out. It works well, the four memory settings are handy to have (for different cars or different driving destinations). They are a little bit tricky to set while driving, at least you don't need to do it very often, but they are easy to recall and use. The automatic on/off feature of the iTube is very handy and makes for one less bother when making numerous short trips in the car.

A Note on Testing
FM transmitters are a tricky group of products to test. Too many variables come into play when evaluating the quality of sound and strength of transmission. Factors such as local FM noise, lay of the land, car radio sensitivity, and antenna location all come into play. What works great for one person might be useless for another. Having said that, the only way you'll know how well any FM transmitter works is to try it yourself, in your car, and on the roads you typically drive.

I tested this device in three different cars, two with whip antennas and one with a built-in glass antenna. I drove in areas that ranged from remote (receiving only a handful of FM stations on the dial, lots of free frequencies with clean static) to a large metropolitan area with only a few empty frequencies to transmit on.

Results
Like I've mentioned, I spent at least a few hours with the iTube in three different cars. One of these cars has notoriously poor radio reception, both FM and AM, and another iPod transmitter that I have simply does not work in it. This car then, was the ultimate test for the iTube and I have to say that the iTube did a great job of it. The FM transmission and sound quality ranged from very good to good in all three cars.

The Bottom Line
The important area of sound quality and FM transmission is where the iTube excelled. Even in a car known for lousy radio reception, the iTube did a good job transmitting listenable and enjoyable iPod shuffle sonic delights. The interface and display are easy to use and pleasant to look at, and the automatic on/off/charge function is very convenient. The extended, multi-segmented shape of the iTube is what I have a problem with, though. It's too long, too flexible, and doesn't retain it's shape well enough. It would be better if there was only one flexible segment and the iPod mounted directly into the controller. So, the iTube has left me with some mixed feelings about it, but it did a good job in the most important area of transmitting music, and for that I can live with some funky, floppy styling. Just don't call my car the S.L.O.W.

The good: Very good sound quality and FM transmission, nice backlight, easy to use, convenient features.
The not so good: Dr. Seuss styling, awkward, stalks not stiff enough.

For more information: Digiana.com

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