Griffin's iFM PSP is a two-trick pony, acting as a FM radio and media remote for your PSP. For $49.99 MSRP, the iFM is a great addition to any PSP road-warrior's bag of tricks.
The lightweight remote has been designed to accent the PSP's color, with a glossy black finish and silver sides. This gadget also has a belt clip, which is a feature accessories like this usually lack.
Using the iFM could not be simpler; Plug the iFM into the PSP headphone jack, then plug your headphones into the iFM. The unit draws power from your PSP, so there are no batteries required.
The iFM has a LCD that displays the current station, a circular navigation pad similar to the iPod, and a toggle switch to change from radio to remote. Holding down the play/pause button for several seconds allows you to switch between three frequency bands: U.S., Japan, and International.
There are 10 levels of volume, with enough bass output for any radio station you want to listen to. Pushing left and right on the navigation pad changes the current station. This unit supports everything from 88.1 to 107.9MHz, and a frequency response 50Hz to 15KHz.
The biggest complaint, a major design flaw, is the need to use headphones at all. I should be able to plug the iFM into my PSP and pump the radio station through the PSP's speakers. The iFM is drawing power from the PSP as it is; why not send the audio to the PSP if headphones are not present? This would have been a nice feature to have, but I can live without it.
As a media remote, the iFM shines. You can control your movies, music, and photos with the navigational pad. It was a logical choice to add this functionality and have two devices in one.
Also included is a small drawstring bag to carry the iFM PSP in. Not needed of course, but a nice touch.
Despite the shortcomings of not being able to play FM radio through the PSP's speakers, the iFM PSP is an easy recommendation for mobile PSP owners who would like to listen to the radio, and not deal with the bulk of a radio. Another great accessory from the makes of the iTrip.
Article comments
1 - andy
can i play my psp songs on the radio?
2 - Ken Edwards
Andy, for that you would need the iTrip for PSP, which I will have a review online shortly for. That is an entirely different feature. Broadcasting to radio is different then grabbing radio from the air. But it would be nice to have a two in one.
Griffin is well known for their iTrip line. The one I have for my iPod works great.
3 - Ah
Hi there, i was interesting in purchasing this device and would like to know A) if it does require battaries and B) if i can use it as a stand alone device withouth having an ipod....and C) what is the average price at your local typical store and what stores carry this product.....i couldn't find it at walmart and best buy.....is there specific stores yuou would recommend?...thank you!
4 - Dierdre Ewing
ah,
You can get these things for $6 now (ebay, amazon, etc). They flopped big time because they are slightly shoddy in construction and only work with the older original PSP model, and not the current model PSPs.
As the review notes, they don't need batteries.