What did we do before the invention of the iPod? Its like Mobile phone, how did we communicate before we had these? Back in the dark ages (10 years ago) we had to play music on tape and had to be at home to make a phone call. Just like most things in these times, we want everything on demand. Instant Music, Instant TV, Instantly contactable. Well the good news is Music is now just that, even in your car.

Digital Media Vs Radio, which do you prefer? Your own choice of music, albums and play-lists available for you to browse through at any point or tuning in to a radio broadcast and listening to the DJ. Not always, but usually making an anecdote about a story that really isn’t worth listening to, and playing a predetermined play-list dependant on weekly budgets rather than playing good music. Most people choose playing music from their iPod. Or at least have the choice to do so.

Your Music is available on your iPod when ever you want it, and presumably you like all the music tracks you have on there? Otherwise they wouldn’t be there right! Well combine the music you love and with the iPod car kit and you have the perfect solution for the long and tedious drives when your usually either reduced to tears or subject to road-rage before the end of the journey. I’m not saying that these are a miracle cure for road-rage but they may help reduce stress a little?

When Wanting Music in your vehicle the most convenient and easiest way of doing so is usually an FM Transmitter. Its a simple process to get music playing, which usually entails taking it out the box, setting a frequency and pressing play on your iPod (The process couldn’t be simpler). Music is played through the stereo via an FM frequency, providing the frequency isn’t used often you’ll receive a good quality audio signal through stereo and subsequently the speakers.

I was OVERWHELMED! It was a Dension iPod Car kit, really cool. Well, that was the very first one. So, you can understand that I was quite in love with it. To be honest, I was not going to get it. I was expressing my disappointment over having to receive calls every now and then for work, to my sister, and it just **** me off, when I had to use phone while driving. It’s not that I can’t handle a simple phone call when I am driving. But I fall into the category of those people who really enjoy driving and when I get inside my Saab Convertible, it becomes a whole new world for me. No one, just my car and me… well, that’s what I was lamenting to my sister some day and the next day, she bought me this Dension iPod Car piece.

But honestly, I just hated the installation process.
I was never good at mathematics, and God, I was a technophobe. I just hate those hi-tech stuffs that have wires coming out from every side of them. I just get so confused on where the red wire is going or the black wire connects. And I am pretty sure I have many friends, readers here who think the same. They are good with affiliate marketing business, they like being the financial analyst but figuring the wires and chips are never their cup of tea.

Here, let me tell you something. My brother helped me a lot when it came to installing the Dension iPod Car kit, but most helpful was that short simple manual guide that we got from the supplier. It was real quality. It told you in step-by-step process, how to dissemble it and then assemble it, all in an simple way a newbie can understand.

Well then again, I just love my Dension iPod car kit now. It is sleek and fashionable, and I just boast about it to my friends. It just suits my personality. Style meets style! But apart from that, how can I deny the legal rules that I have to abide by, in US or most countries. You cannot use a mobile phone while driving. No, let me rephrase that. You can use a phone. But you cannot with a phone with your ‘hands’. No, you are not supposed to use them with your legs. Okay that was a bad joke.

But it sure is dangerous. But after getting that cool Dension iPod Car kit, I not only added some character to my style (that’s what I think anyway!), it just made it so easy for me to receive phone calls while driving via the BTA1500 bluetooth module. It has some cool features. I just have to cycle through the options using the vehicle controls and it will load all of my contacts for me.

Recently, I saw there has been some updated products. Perhaps, I will get myself the newest Dension iPod car kit very soon…lol.

iPod car accessories are useful for long journeys, car accessories for the iPod and iphone can range from protective cases, to protect against scratches and more serious damage, Through to fully integrated iPhone car kits which provide a digital connection combined with iPod and music control through the stereo / steering wheel adapters and charging facilities.

We are not in the 18^th century any more, are we? And you sure have heard about the Bluetooth car kits, haven’t you? Okay, just to refresh on the basics, Bluetooth car kits are normally devices that you use Bluetooth technology with your A2DP phone for hands-free facility while driving your car. Previously, these Bluetooth car kits were wired with the mobile phones, but nowadays with the advancement of the Bluetooth technology, you can access the hands-free device without wiring of any sort. It is wireless.

Yes, in a lot of cars in the 21^st century, you will find a Bluetooth car kit. And why shouldn’t it be so? After all, any change that brings about betterment in our lives is to be welcome with open arms. Here in this article, I would enlist what the plus points of getting you a Bluetooth car kit can be.

Usability – Yeah, there was a time when handsfree Bluetooth car kit was supposed to be a luxury. But in today’s times, it has become a necessity. The heavy fast traffic, the upward surge in road accidents and sometimes, just the irresistible attraction of the merits of the hands-free facility is enough for to make anyone go for one. In simple words, if you HAVE a car, you NEED a Bluetooth car kit.

Cost-effectiveness – Well, it would not have been possible for every other mobile phone owner with a car to go for a Bluetooth car kit if it was priced sky-high. But the advancement of the Bluetooth technology and competence of the Bluetooth car kit manufacturing brands made it absolutely possible for the general public to avail of this great facility. Great quality at low costs is the order of the day.

Legal – Did you know that in most countries, handling mobile phones while driving is ILLEGAL? And that’s why the Bluetooth car kit is so necessary. With a Bluetooth car kit, you can save your day if a traffic officer comes pouncing on you. Remind yourself of the story I told you at the beginning of this article. You want a handsfree not to get your car confiscated or be charged a hefty fine just for talking to your mum while driving to your office.

And not only these, the user’s experience including the high quality sound and crystal clear picture, along with the addition of new features to the Bluetooth car kits every day make it a must to be had in every car. From the plain old MP3 players or other car audio players, you may not be able to get the audio and video output quality and ease that you get from the regularly updated Bluetooth car kits.

To sum it up, if you are a passionate car addict as I am, and want to enjoy every bit of your driving, go get yourself the latest Bluetooth car kit in the market. It’s the driving experience that counts in the end. Remember, if you OWN a car, you NEED a Bluetooth car kit.

A Bluetooth Car Kit is a device that provides a safe and convenient way to communicate whilst driving. Your Phone can connect to the Car Bluetooth system and ensure you and other road users remain safe.

The iPhone is one of the most successful phones in recent history. The ability to integration numerous features makes the phone desirable, the image, design and styling make it more so. The fact its a must have accessory for a large majority of the population speaks volumes about the success Apple have had since the release.

One of the reasons the apple iPhone is so successful is because it brings all types of new digital media to the table. In fact some would say its responsible for a large part of the development of new media. For instance, Would sites like Facebook and Twitter be so popular if they weren’t accessible on your mobile phone?

Harnessing this new media is a challenge for all companies wanting involvement in the iPhone revolution, making an add-on that actually improves the features of an iPhone is somewhat difficult. Apps can be created relatively easily depending on the subject and performance targets, and of-course the skill of the development team behind it. However the devices that physically connect to the iPhone face entirely different obstacles. A good example was the power chance from 12v to 9v and 5v charging.

One of the problems when trying to integrate the iPhone with external hardware (None computers) is that the software on the phone is complex, computers can obviously install compatible software to integrate well, however when trying to integrate into something more simple in design i.e a car stereo more problems are encountered. Software is obviously not available to install on car stereos so certain features on the iPhone are not transferable.

The major problem when connecting an iPhone to a device without software is that the iPhone locks out and goes into flight mode. In the case of iPhone car kits, If you wanted to control the iPhone through the stereo or steering wheel controls the kit will lockout the iPhone, basically turning it into an iPod. Which isn’t a problem when navigating through your music collection, however you will not be able to make or receive calls or texts.

Dension have created a new iPhone car kit which allows the connection of the iPhone without it going into flight mode, you control the iPhone’s music from the phone its self so you still have full phone features combined with the music integration into your car. The iPhone is charged while connected and the stereo retains all of its usual controls, I.e volume controls.

The Gateway Lite is the next generation of iPhone car kits specifically designed for such purpose, have you mobile jukebox in full operation in your car and you phone if required. The Gateway lite is not a phone kit and does not offer any handsfree functions, but is the best solution for integrating your iPhone into your vehicle.

iPod car accessories are useful for long journeys, car accessories for the iPod and iphone can range from protective cases, to protect against scratches and more serious damage, Through to fully integrated iPhone car kits which provide a digital connection combined with iPod and music control through the stereo / steering wheel adapters and charging facilities.

There has been a lot of press recently about the use of mobile phones when we drive and the danger associated with them is obvious. However many of the general public still fail to heed warnings by the police, politicians and safety groups about the severity of offence caused and the possible outcomes that may occur. Its fair to say the media attention has highlighted the issue of phone driving and increased the public’s general awareness. However is this enough? And what else can be done to help prevent deaths on our roads by phone drivers?

The obvious answer is to not use the phone while driving, sounds easy when suggested on paper, but many campaigns from government and local authorities seem to fail. The message is probably heard loud and clear at the time, but when deciding whether or not to take the call it seems to be forgotten quickly. Does this show the awareness campaign if failing or is there a deeper rooted problem within society?

The saturation of mobile phones in the UK is increasing year upon year, this trend has lead us to believing we need our phones to feel in “contact” with our social group or families, and often we feel lost without it. I know I do. Its perhaps this feeling of urgency that encourages us to answer even when we know we shouldn’t!!! The problem stretches far and wide, Its likely that you’ll see up to or more than 30% of road users making a call, if you were to sit and count vehicles passing by on any major local road.

One way to negate the problem of phone driving isn’t to stop drivers using the phone, but to make the experience safer and more convenient for them. Its fairly obvious to me that if the campaigns aren’t working perhaps we should try a new strategy!

Bluetooth car kits may provide the answer? Bluetooth car kits pair with your mobile phone to provide a wireless connection which allows you to answer the phone if and when your driving. The bluetooth kit is safer than physically answering and holding the mobile device, allowing you to drive with both hands available.

There’s a counter argument that the act of engaging in conversation distracts the mind from that task at hand. However this is somewhat of a null point as any number of factors may cause distractions. Like talking to passengers, listening to a radio station, checking on the kids etc. Is talking on the phone via bluetooth more hazardous than talking to a friend in the passenger seat?

Ultimately the responsibility lies with the driver, its down to him/her to gauge whether they are capable of performing both acts, however its fair to say the use of bluetooth certainly increases the safety of all road users at least.

Most of us drive, and all of us from time to time have to travel long journeys. The problem with long journeys is boredom. Whether your travelling as a family, couple or on business the longer you travel the more boredom you’ll experience, and that’s almost a certainty. Travelling with kids in the car can be especially tedious, especially if they’re at the age when they argue and fight.

Combating boredom can make the journey much more enjoyable and go much faster, listed below are several methods of combating boredom when travelling, especially on long journeys.

1. Playing games. There are loads of games that can be played when travelling and the more creative the better. Simple games like the roadside alphabet game are simple, easy to play and keep kids (or adults) involved and entertained for hours. The key to playing games is to get organised, find the games you want to play in advance, swap and change the games regularly to keep them fresh. Print them off and keep in the glove box for future journeys. There are loads of travel games to browse through here

2. Mobile Computers. We live In a generation of mobile entertainment, computers systems are truly mobile whether it be via laptops or PC’s built into vehicles. Computing can be done easily and efficiently while on the move. The invention of systems like the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS are also designed exactly for this demand from modern lifestyles. A simple in car adapter for these systems will keep the battery topped up for as long as you like. Car power adapters can be found here

3. Video screens. Video screens can be installed into the vehicle entertainment systems that provide DVD playback. A particularly useful device if your passengers love films. Bring along you favourite DVD’s and you have hours of fun at the touch of a button. The only problem that will occur is the choice of DVD!

4. iPod Car Kits. It seems that everybody has an iPod these days. Why not connect it to your stereo and have full control of it while your driving. Playing all of your favourite music and albums will certainly make the time pass quicker than listening to the radio. Ipod car kits for your vehicle can he found here

5. POI – Points of interest. Many Sat Navs come with a long list of local POI’s. Take advantage of this feature and look for local POI’s as your driving by. Building this into your journey can add a little bit of time, but you may find something interesting that you never knew was there. There might be something around the corner you have wanted to do for ages but never got round to doing? If your going to be driving for 10 hours you might as well make it 11 and pack the journey full of excitement.

6. One for the adults. Practical jokes, truth or dare or something more kinky??? it doesn’t matter providing you don’t drive dangerously or put other drivers at risk. Simple jokes can provide hours of entertainment on the road and make a long journey feel like a quick one. What you do is up to you, but the more thought you put into it the funnier it will be!

7. Track you movement. Not that it will make your journey any quicker but maybe more interesting, you can purchase tracking devices that connect with google earth which map your movements. Build up your online map and see where you’ve been before, which route you take most, and plan trips to destinations you haven’t been before.

8. Take a Camera. Take pictures of the places you’ve travel past, tie in with POI’s and build up your photo album of interesting place you’ve been to or travelled past.

If you can think of any more add them at the bottom.

The Apple iPod has done its bit to shape society over the past ten years, Not only is it a desirable gift or accessory. Its changed the way we listen to and purchase music. The most noticeable improvement the iPod / iPhone deliverers over its predecessors, is the ease and simplicity of use and instant satisfaction it delivers.

Music and applications can be downloaded instantly, negating the need to travel to a store to purchase CD singles or albums. Which except for a few people, was seen as a hindrance. No longer do we need to carry stacks of disc’s and filter through them to find an album for what ever mood were in. Put simply the iPod has revolutionised the music industry and carried it into the future, making music more accessible in our daily routines.

Many other companies have joined the music revolution in a bid to further improve the way we control and listen to our favourite albums. It has become big business, with more and more companies offering improved quality and functions for home audio and visual systems as well as car and mobile audio. One of the market leaders in the car audio field, Dension, have been developing new systems which allow full control of the iPod through the stereo and entertainment system in the vehicle.

For many the iPod symbolises mobile music, and more recently mobile entertainment with the release of the iPod touch and iPhone, and the continuing developments Apple are making in the Video and TV area. Dension have adopted this ethos of entertainment on the move and produced iPod car kits that surpass any other kit on the market in terms of quality and integration.

iPod integration is key for quality and ease of use of the kits, if they don’t match Apples exacting standards for the iPod there is no point in developing them. With this in mind Dension set about improving previous versions of iPod kits they already produced. (Which they were already market leaders) and come up with a kit that ensures great quality audio and simple easy controls. The Gateway Lite was born.

The Gateway Lite is the next step up from the Gateway 100 / Gateway 300 ipod car adapters, The lite offers a much improved navigation system which was not available on the 100 / 300 unless text compatibility was available on your vehicle. By making the system easier the Gateway Lite is much more effective when making a track selection, reducing the browsing time and frustration this may have caused.

Combined with USB input the Gateway lite makes your favourite music truly mobile, allowing you to carry you entire music collection in your vehicle, you no longer need the poor quality and probably illegal FM transmitters. Simply choose the Gateway Lite.

Dension are market leaders in iPod car kit integration. Their iPod car adapters provide better quality audio and track navigation and selection over any other kit on the market. Drive, Control, Charge and Play your iPod with Dension.

Once you’ve decided to purchase an iPod car kit, inevitably you’ve chosen the Gateway Lite produced by Dension. You only have one further obstacle to hurdle, the installation. There are two options available to you for installing the kit. The first option, Pay a professional engineer to install the kit, either travelling to them or they can travel to you. The second option, is to install the iPod car kit yourself. Which is by far the more cost effective option and probably most convenient too. See below an installation guide to judge whether your capable of the installation, should you choose to go ahead.

The installation of the Gateway lite is fairly simple and pain free. Although this is a generic installation guide, it will suit 99% of vehicles.

Before you begin the installation, please remove the keys from the ignition and check that any radio codes are recorded for future reference.

Step one is to remove your car stereo, this will usually involve radio removal tools which will vary depending on what vehicle you have. Radio removal keys are readily available and the majority of online shops or traditional vehicle based retail outlets stock them. Radio removal tools are extremely convenient and can save you a lot of time and energy. This should take between 1-5 minutes

Step two is to remove the harnesses from the back of the stereo, Most vehicles have a Quadlock connection, this is a fairly large connection block that houses the wires to and from the stereo. If the Harness is a Quadlock connection the Dension harness will usually replicate the original harness exactly. The Dension Lite harness simply fits into the vehicle harness and then back to the stereo, basically a link between the vehicle and the stereo.

If the vehicle doesn’t have a Quadlock connection, the gateway lite harness fits into the CD changer port on the the back of the stereo. Usually located in the top right of the stereo as your looking at the back of it. Most of the time the harness simply connects straight into place, however occasionally the harness may have to be connected into the original harness then re-connected. This stage should take 2 minutes.

Step three is to connect the Gateway Lite PCB (the little black box) to the dension harness, its the most straight forward step of the installation. This will take 30 seconds.

Step Four is to connect the iPod dock and USB extension cable to the PCB, again very straight forward. Once this stage is done its usually a good idea to turn ignition on to check the system works. (Follow the user manual to perform the operations for iPod/USB track selection) Again this will take 1-2 minutes.

Step five, Route the cables through into position within the vehicle, this is usually the most time consuming part of the installation. Depending on the vehicle this can be a complex job and may require the removal of some of the fascia / Dashboard. This part of the installation may take up to 30 minutes depending on difficulty, especially if you want a professionally installed look.

Step Six, replace the stereo into its fittings. Read the operational instructions from Dension and enjoy the use of your iPod car kit and all of your music while your driving.

The Gateway Lite is the latest in a long line of Dension iPod car Adapters. With each predecessor showing an increase in usability and functionality. Dension Gateway Lites predecessor the Gateway 100 was the most successful iPod kit in history. Offering a more advance track browsing system than any other kit on the market. However the complex nature of the 100 was ultimately its own downfall.

The 100 iPod kit offered track selection from the steering wheel controls / Stereo or the iPod, in which either artist, album or playlist could be selected. However the complexity of the gateway 100 system was not well suited to the majority of vehicles stereos, which cannot provide text support. This meant users would have to remember which combination of functions would enable iPod or stereo mode, and allow selections of tracks depending on browsing type, something that frustrated a lot of users.

The problem isn’t necessarily with the Dension unit, as the system works perfectly with text compatible radios. The problems occur when no text is available, and unfortunately most factory radios are not capable of displaying text rendering the gateway 100 kits difficult to use.

Dension have realised this problem and have improved the browsing system used in the new Gateway Lite. Dension designed the Gateway Lite specifically for none text compatible radios, and by doing so improved the browsing functionality by simplifying the track selection process.

Rather than the complex deep structured system in the Gateway 100, the lite is controlled via the iPod click wheel to browse through the iPod folders. Once the source is selected, tracks can be flicked through using the steering wheel controls for ease of use.

However the improved browsing functionality isn’t the only addition to the gateway lite, Dension have added a USB input into the system as standard. Enabling an additional 8 to 16Gb of music to be browsed through. Browsing through the USB drive is as simple as the iPod, CD button 6 selects the USB and 1-5 select Playlist, albums or artists.

In short Dension have yet again improved upon previous kits. Increasing the usability, simplifying the operations and adding additional source selections, you might think all these benefits come at a cost. You’d be wrong. The gateway lite is actually cheaper that the Gateway 100 and Gateway 300. The only downfall is that it doesn’t provide any text compatibility, however the this will never be available for those vehicles without CAN Bus systems.

There are a lot of different mp3 players on the market today, but Apple are the leaders of the market with the numerous variations of the iPod. Initially the iPod was successful due to its styling and functions, however the current rise of popularity is also down to other factors including additional accessories and add-ons to the ipod to make it more functional and or usable.

The iPod’s primary use is for music play back, Although current iPod and iPhones are capable of so much more. Accessories that increase the functionality of the iPod are now seen as a business in there own right. A perfect example of an iPod accessory is the iPod car adaptor. Its primary function is to allow you to listen to your music while in your car. This has obvious advantages over other forms of entertainment systems in your vehicle, first and foremost you can listen to the music you love rather than what happens to be on the radio at the time, secondly the quality is far superior to the radio as they provide a digital connections into the cars entertainment systems. There are many other advantages depending on which kit you choose to purchase. However these advantages largely depend on your vehicle.

Other iPod car accessories can be found in a lot of local or online stores and include simple charging cables from the cigarette lighter, Ideal for when your iPod loses battery charge, FM transmitters, a more basic version of the Digital iPod car kit. The quality can be poor on Transmitters so its important to choose a good brand and if you live in a built up area its likely you wont receive a good reception. Ipod cases aren’t specific to car accessories however they can and will stop your iPod from being damaged while left in your vehicle.

Ipod car accessories can provide a useful extension to your iPods functions, Its likely that you love to listen to music. Driving is the perfect opportunity to cycle through track’s you haven’t heard for a while. The iPod car adaptor is the perfect means of doing so.