This is the Fusion Electronics CA-IP500. It’s an aftermarket car stereo that has a slot for your iPod. That is, you open the radio, slide in your iPod, and then listen to your iPod’s contents to your heart’s content. Why bother with such a device when you can accomplish the same thing with a $10 tape adapter? Because tape adapters leave unseemly wires hanging about. You don’t wake up in the morning and go to your job for that, now do you?
Judging by the MacWorld video, embedded here for your viewing pleasure, the device works about as well as you’d hope. You navigate your iPod’s directories using the front knobs; that works okay for shorter lists, but good luck scrolling through your library of 500+ artists. It just takes to long to be considered efficient. Your best bet: have a few playlists handy that you can pick and choose from.
The CA-IP500 retails for $399, but I see that Best Buy has it for a more reasonable $250. It works with most newer iPods, including the iPod touch, but if you’re hanging onto an old scroll wheel-having iPod 20GB 3G you’re out of luck.
It’s a neat feature, but the price is pretty ridiculous.
I just installed a Pioneer deck in my wife’s car, that included an ipod cable that allows the iPod to be controlled through the deck. It was only $120, and it works like a charm.
The only difference between them, aside from about a hundred thirty bucks, is that instead of being inside the deck, I wired her iPod into the glove box. Frankly, I don’t know why anyone would care where the iPod is, if you don’t have to touch it to use it.
Another plus of the Pioneer is that it can play CDs too.
I got it at best buy for $160 installed into a 2002 Jeep Wrangler that I already did custom dash work on. it has to be the best thing available for ipod security in my TJ. Plus the “WOW” factor you get from people when they see this leads to them leaving the iPod inside of your radio and TADA! You have a new iPod. (literally, this accepts only newer iPods-but does have a nice auxilary cord and woofer harness that comes in the box for those of you who dont have ipods.)
Great for people who cant keep CD’s n thier Jeeps without flying out on the road ridin’ doorless or topless. (or both)
^
-guilty of that