DLO mini fm adds radio, headphone amp to iPod mini

Since Apple steadfastly refuses to add an FM tuner to the iPod, it's fallen to third-party vendors to add them as aftermarket accessories. And fortunately for iPod-toting radio lovers, vendors continue to make them better and more versatile. As reported by iLounge, DLO's mini fm, due out later this year for under $50, snaps onto the top of an iPod mini (including, we assume, the new flash minis due to be announced next week), and draws its power from the mini's battery (no comment). It also includes a headphone amplifier, which could be handy if you've ignored all the warnings and continue to listen to your iPod on the subway.

[ShinyGuy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Well i im going to use it to the fullest, I'll let my readers know

[Jared @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

It looks a lot more elegant than those homemade Altoids headphone amps that some folks have to use. I wonder if it is as effective?

[boss sauce @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I'd love it if they'd make one for the G4 iPod.

[3rdsun @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

ha ha yall ipod lovers never cease to amaze me. u would accesorise your precious ipod with things that are standard on almost all other DAPs. someone will soon make a screen for the shuffle and i would watch u flock like lambs to the slaughter. LMOA

[REY2K7 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I want it in metal blue.

[warrenpeace� @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I don't understand why people want radio anyway (unless there's another horrible blackout on the east coast). Last time I listened to FM on a portable, the sound/reception changed every time I turned my head. Still, the amp part would be helpful. I seem to have to have my volume at 90% all the time.

Does it come in blue? jk.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

3rdsun, there's a reason people love to accessorize their iPods. It's because the only real FEATURE it has that other DAPs don't is the click wheel. I'll admit it's a damn nice feature but I would never buy one just for that.

Anyways, this is the first fm TUNER that i have seen for the iPod. I've seen fm transmitter after transmitter for the iPod but always wondered why i could never find a transmitter. And one reason people might want to listen to radio is to expose themselves to new music (I don't but I know people who do). Or, if you're still in high school like me, it's nice to be able to tune in to the local station and see if school's closed.

Nick

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

whoops. I meant I never knew why I could never find a tuner.

[JonesH @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I agree that Apple should include a FM receiver in the next iPod, but until then I could settle with this.

[Aircraft Charter Network @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I would like to have an ipod with two more featueres .

1. FM RADIO

2. Useable as a HDD via USB or Firewire.

[ko123 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#7
I bought mine just for the click wheel. After spending a few hours toying with a zen, I found the idiotic strip to be inaccurate and poorly designed. With the click wheel I can navigate my entire music collection going at whichever speed I chose, and can change direction all without having to take my thumb off which is key since I use this thing for the convenience.

[stingraze @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

wow this is pretty cool, although $50 might be a little expensive for a radio. I wouldn't mind paying if it did have that super sensitivity to tune at .05 increments.

[Quentin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Why do people want FM radio with their iPods? I thought the ideal of the iPod is to have several days of music in the palm of your hand, not some commericalized, heavy rotation garbage that most radio stations have.

If Apple somehow incorporates Satilite radio in a future iPod, I'm all over it.

[George @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

There's a reason Apple doesn't have to add this capability to the IPod: there's enough 3rd parties to do it for them, and charge separately for it. Apple can continue to sell their IPod at the same price without this extra functionality; if they added features, they'd be pressured to raise the price of their player to keep their healthy margins on their sales.

[Denzil @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

This is useful for those of us who own a Bose speaker, into which the iPod sits. We don't want to have a bulky FM radio AND MP3 player so it fits the bill nicely.

I see it's for the iPod mini. Do they make one for the iPod?

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I'm guessing it won't fit the (as yet only rumoured) flash-based minis very well, since those will supposedly be 20% smaller than the current minis. The jack will fit, but the sides would hang awkwardly over the new mini's shell...

[Alex @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

they need to make one for the nano! Might actually be easier, since they can just make it plug into the dock.. ;) The question is whether they canmake it smaller..