You wouldn't think that there would be a niche for another FM transmitter for the iPod, but Sonnet Technology has found one with its new $90 "PodFreq."

[To go to the main page for Digital Music Revolution coverage, please click here.]

The company, which specializes in system upgrades for Macs has produced a sleek clear, white, and chrome unit that also serves as a hard-shell type case for the iPod. You open a snap, flip up the cover, insert the player, and then snap it back together again. A LCD showing the FM frequency choice is centered on the casing below the iPod, and is flanked by tuning and power buttons. The device will tune in the entire FM band, so you have the maximum chance to find an empty station.

On the back is an old fashioned telescoping antenna to solve whatever signal transmission issues you might have. This is not particularly necessary in a car, but it is a help if you are in a home or office trying to transmit to a somewhat distant FM receiver. The bottom of the case swivels to serve as a desktop stand.

All of this is convenient, but Sonnet's key objective was to improve sound quality through improved music-oriented circuitry. This is the kind of claim that makes one skeptical, but testing backed them up.

As noted before, I rip at a high variable bitrate setting to improve sound quality, and have classical and jazz in my playlists as well as rock. All of which give playback devices a run for their money. Compared with other FM units, PodFreq delivered discernibly better fidelity, especially in the highs -- sound frequencies that typically get eaten alive inside a car. FM transmitters are inherently limited because FM is lacking in frequency response. So if you want to get the most of the technology you do need a transmitter that puts out the best possible signal.

The PodFreq is hampered by one design flaw -- instead of having a dock connector pass-through port (so you can charge and sync the iPod while it is still in the unit), Sonnet opted for FireWire and mini USB ports. A spokesperson noted that at the time this looked to be a good approach for giving users multiple options for computer hookups. However, now that the dock connector has gained wide acceptance, she concedes, the company probably would have designed the unit differently. The biggest practical consequence of the design is that if you want to use PodFreq with a car charger, you are going to have to find yourself one of the FireWire connector models made for older iPods.

Mind you, a PodFreq costs substantially more than many other FM transmitters -- nearly three times the price of an iTrip, for example -- so it had better deliver on its promise of better sound. But it does. For music fans who want to maximize the quality of iPod wireless playback to speakers, PodFreq is the one you want to tune in.

A Greater Power

So if one of the flaws of newer iPods is poor battery life, what's the solution? A bigger battery, of course -- Battery Technology Inc.'s iPod Battery.

BTI is a leading maker of replacement batteries for laptops and their approach here is pretty straightforward: take what's essentially a notebook battery, put it in the requisite white case, and provide a hookup to the iPod dock connector.

Shop around for these. In looking at various vendors online, I saw prices ranging from under $80 to over $90.

The iPod Battery has protective strips on the front and clips to hold the three interchangeable cradles it ships with -- one for the iPod Mini, one for the 3G 15 and 20 GB, and one for the 3G 30-40 GB.

There isn't a cradle yet for the new "4G" (fourth generation) models. BTI is working on a new model for the fall that is smaller, at the expense of having a little less battery life. This didn't make sense when company officials told me about it prior to the 4G announcement, but now the reasoning is obvious -- the new iPods have improved battery life and will not need as big an external add-on.

You slip your iPod into the cradle, plug in the dock connector, and turn on the unit's power switch. The iPod will then draw power from the BTI rather than it's internal cells. The BTI does not, however, recharge the iPod. Apple doesn't want anyone fiddling with its batteries -- or its warranty issues.

Other than the on/off switch the only control is a set of LEDs with a push button to test power levels in the device. BTI estimates 40 hours of battery life -- with is to say an entire traditional work week -- for the iPod Battery, In testing that, I got bored long before the battery ran out. The batteries are rechargeable lithium ion, good for at least 400 cycles. (I did the math; that's 666 days worth of total playing time.) The one inelegant aspect of the design is that the inevitable power brick is a large, clunky black thing that's almost half the size of the battery itself.

There is a stout clip attached to the back of the unit. This is not intended to be some kind of belt clip for giants. It's specifically designed to let you clip the battery, cradle, and iPod to the pocket of an airline seat or storage bin in your car for listening on a long trip. The iPod just doesn't have enough battery life to get you through lengthy travels. The BTI lets you literally use your iPod for the long haul.

When You Need a PAL

There is a nice little symmetry in the fact that one of the late Henry Kloss's last audio designs now has been paired with the iPod. Tivoli Audio is marketing the iPAL ($130), a version of its PAL portable AM/FM that has been styled to match Apple's music player.

Kloss is one of the legendary figures in the audio world, both for the products he created and the companies he founded, then sold and left -- Acoustic Research (AR), KLH, Advent, Cambridge SoundWorks, and finally Tivoli. He did as much as anyone in the consumer electronics industry to make high caliber sound systems affordable for college students, recent graduates, and others in the demographic groups who today buy iPods. Back in the '60s and '70s, if you were young (or were influenced by the youth culture), chances are that your home stereo had something in it that Kloss had designed.

The PAL ("Portable Audio Laboratory' -- and you just know they thought up the initials, then worked back to the acronym) was introduced  a couple of years ago. Kloss had a long-standing fascination with radios, dating back to his KLH Model 8 from the '60s. His first product for Tivoli was the Model One compact tabletop radio, which reflected his minimalist style: mono speakers and a big tuning knob; no stereo, no digital tuners. The tuner knob allows users to truly fine tune stations while the mono speaker is based the concept that in a small unit, one big, better quality speaker yields better sound than two chintzy ones.

PAL repackaged the Model One design into portable form with a hard, rubberized plastic case and a rechargeable battery. It retained the Model One's three-knob design: AM/FM/off; volume, and the tuner, and has one speaker. On the back, there are minijacks for an auxiliary input (to connect an iPod or anything else) and output to headphones -- on this, the unit departs from pure-Kloss-ism by providing stereo sound through the phones. There is an input for the a/c adapter, which like the audio jacks has a protective, snap-on cover, and there is a telescoping antenna. That's it. No other controls or gadgets.

Tivoli sells the PAL in eight colors and it has been a worthy companion to the iPod all along, providing high quality sound that will fill a room, keep the guests entertained in the backyard or poolside, and provide the sound for a beach party. Profiting from the iPod buzz (and getting the unit into Apple stores), however, required adding a new white-and-silver iPod-style color scheme as well as the inevitable "i" prefix to the name. Thus, the iPAL.

Apple's marketing gimmickry of pushing other manufacturers to build iAccessories in the iColorscheme is starting to get a little tiresome. But I have to confess that the iPAL looks cool with this look. Oh, and they throw in a patch cord to hook up your iPod to the iPAL, which is the one real substantive difference between it and the rest of the PAL line.

Still, do note that otherwise the iPAL is identical to theother PALs. So if you would rather have one in "electric blue," "sunset red," "neon yellow," or whatever, by all means do so. A PAL will be a good pal for music lovers on the go.

(c) 2004 Al Gordon.

In addition to his computer interests, Al Gordon is a principal in the Boston-area strategic consulting firm, Mary Fifield Associates, www.maryfifieldassociates.com

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You can reach Al Gordon at:

al@tnpcnewsletter.com