GriffinRoadTrip SmartScan
I just bought the GriffinRoadTrip SmartScan on Amazon for around $60 to use with my iPhone 3G, since this is one of the few that works with it (although not officially). I was replacing my older Griffin RoadTrip (without flexible neck).
When the unit arrived, I took it out to the car to give it a try. My car is a Cadillac CTS and has an ashtray that you must flip down to access the cigarette lighter. This was a big reason I wanted the flexible neck, as the older RoadTrip never was ideally aligned and always slipped down under the weight of the 1st iPhone I used it with. When I bought the 3G, it wouldn’t charge it, so another reason I bought the RoadTrip with SmartScan.
As soon as I plugged it in, it seemed really snug. It lit up and starting scanning for stations immediately. I then adjusted the neck to get a good position to hold the iPhone. It seemed a little more akward and cumbersome than I hoped. I pushed it a little closer to the dash since it was sticking farther out than I thought it would and the unit immediately shut off. Thinking that I must have knocked the plug loose I went to pull the plug out and quickly realized I could smell burning electronics. I grabbed the plug (luckly the iPhone was not connected) and started examining it. It appears the end metal connector came loose and was pushed inside the end of the adapter.
Long story short, I have a replacement on its way from Amazon, but I am a little bummed about the whole situation now. I will be extra careful with the new one, but I do have concerns about taking it in and out of the car on a regular basis as to this happening again. Hopefully it was just a fluke, but I will report back in when I get the new one if I have any problems.
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