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Kensington LiquidAUX Auxiliary Car Kit with Remote for iPod; iPhone 1G, 3G | 
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| Brand: Kensington
Category: CE
List Price: $79.99
Buy New: $59.01
You Save: $20.98 (26%)
New (22) from $50.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  91 reviews
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 2 x 7.1 x 6
Warranty: 2 years warranty
MPN: K33429US
Model: 33429EU
UPC: 085896334293
EAN: 0085896334293
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Compatibility: iPhone 1G, 3G; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod classic 1G, 2G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch | | • | Superior sound quality from the direct auxiliary port connection through your car stereo system | | • | Plugs directly into your vehicle's auxiliary port and is operated with a 2.4GHz wireless remote control | | • | Charges iPhone and iPod devices through the 3.5-mm auxiliary cable | | • | Designed for vehicles with auxiliary ports in the center console |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Description -- Posted August 13, 2008
Pure music, pure control. Compatible with the iPhone and most iPods, Kensington's LiquidAUX delivers pure sound from any direct auxiliary connection.  The steering wheel-mounted remote control means you have full control of your music--and your vehicle. The dock connector not only allows full access to your music library, but it simultaneously charges your device. |  The LiquidAUX is Apple-certified to Work with iPhone 1G and 3G and be Made for iPod. | Installs Instantly
Simply plug your iPhone or iPod into the car kit using a 3.5-mm audio cable, and then insert the kit into your auxiliary port. Within seconds, digital-quality sound will be pumping through your car's audio system. Fingertip Control
The steering wheel-mounted remote control is designed to be mounted with the controls on the interior of your steering wheel. The remote conveniently allows you to play, pause, and skip music files with just your thumb, allowing you to keep your hands on the wheel. Compatiblity
Kensington's LiquidAUX Auxiliary Car Kit is compatible with the iPhone (1G and 3G); iPod nano (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation); all iPod generations (1st through 6th); and iPod touch. Note: An auxiliary port in your car is required for the LiquidAUX.  The LiquidAUX is Apple-certified to Work with iPhone 3G. | Support
Backed by Kensington's two-year warranty, the LiquidAUX also comes with free technical support. Important Note: Sound Effects
When using an auxiliary device in the car, you might hear a slight buzzing sound, engine noise, or high-pitched whine. That is because your car model has a grounding issue between the audio system and the power socket, which causes a whining or buzzing sound when you drive. This sound is not caused by your Kensington product; however, Kensington has an easy solution. Simply purchase an automotive ground loop isolator for your car that is compatible with a 3.5-mm jack. This simple tool will enable you to use your music in a safe, hands-free environment. What's in the Box
LiquidAUX Auxiliary Car Kit, remote control, and 4-foot audio extension cable.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 86 more reviews...
 Easy to Use & Adds Safety Flexible and Customizable Design. Better Than I Expected! July 3, 2008
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I have fallen in love with the Kensington LiquidAUX. It is ingeniously designed and is an inexpensive option for safely using your iPod while in the car. If you want the aesthetically most pleasing solution to integrate your iPod and iPod controls into your car stereo, this is not it. This device is specifically designed for the individual, like myself, who had their iPod sitting on the seat next to them or on the dashboard, connected to their stereo via an auxiliary input or cassette adapter. So contrary to some reviews, an aux-in on your car stereo is not mandatory for use, making this device usable in older cars with a tape deck and newer cars with the aux-in port.
In my mind, the primary benefits of using the liquidAUX instead of simply manually controlling your iPod while in the car are two-fold: 1) Safety, 2) Ease of use.
Safety: I consider myself a pretty competent multi-tasking driver, but even still anything that keeps my hands on the steering wheel and my eyes on the road has to keep me safer. My wife has pointed out that I swerve a little less and keep a more consistent speed - signs of not being distracted - since using this device.
Ease of use: The liquidAUX wireless remote that is mounted on the steering wheel has four buttons: Play, back, forward, and shuffle. The first three are obvious and any remote would be lacking without it; but the fourth, shuffle, is my favorite. In the car, I love to use shuffle to listen to random songs from either my entire collection or one of my playlists. Often I find myself reminded of an album that I love or haven't heard in a while. I wish I could take shuffle off and finish the album. To do that on the iPod, I would have to go into the settings menu, then take shuffle off (at least five seconds with my eyes on the iPod and not on the road). That's what the shuffle button does with one click. If you get to an album you want to keep listening to, hit that button, and you will continue on that album or artist. Then when you're sick of it and want the shuffling to continue, hit the button again, and off you continue on random again. All of this without even touching your iPod. So the LiquidAUX provides safety and convenience. Of course, you are still able to control your iPod the "old-fashioned way" while connected to the LiquidAUX...just make sure you do it at a red light ;-).
The box comes with a charger device that connects from the cigarette lighter (DC Power) to your compatible iPod (basically everything but a shuffle) or iPhone. There is a small wireless remote control (battery included) that mounts to your steering wheel for easy ability to control your iPod without being distracted from driving. Finally, the charger device has a 3.5mm output to connect to your cars auxiliary in (an extension is included in case your aux-in is further than a few inches from your cigarette lighter.
My car does not have an aux-in so I was concerned that I would not be able to use this device. But the headphone jack on the iPod still outputs audio even while under the control of the LiquidAUX, so I am able to connect to my stereo using a cassette tape adapter. This does make for quite a few wires, however: 1) From charger to iPod, 2) charger to aux-in port, 3) iPod to cassette-adapter (only if you don't have aux-in on stereo). This would be my number one foreseeable complaint. But these are also features that make the LiquidAUX not confined to a single car. Take it with you in a rental car on vacation, use it in a friend's car on a road trip, or swap it between your vehicles. I could not be happier with the LiquidAUX; it is engineered excellently to do that for which it was designed.
 Free up your hands - for driving June 23, 2008
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
Pros:
1 cord to plug into your ipod (instead of Aux through headphone jack + charger)
Cords are nicely wrapped - seem durable
Smart charger - theoretically prevents overcharge
Remote can be placed on left or right
Includes shuffle feature, in addition to pause/play, forward, back
Includes Aux cord extension
Audio excellent
Cons:
Insanely long charger cord (is there no way to have an extension for this instead?)
No cradle
ipod must be powered off or disconnected before remote will work (e.g. remote stops working with it if I turn car off for 5 min, must disconnect charger and reconnect or turn ipod off to get it to recognize it)
Velcro on remote strap oozed glue 1st time it got hot
I have had two prior set-ups - a Kensington FM transmitter (miss the cradle, but not much else - STATIC!), and a simple cig charger + aux cable. I find the audio is much, much improved with this. Whereas there was some feedback/buzzing with the aux cable alone, there is none with this. Perhaps it has something to do with each car's audio or previous reviewers are not turning volume on ipod up to 100% but are instead solely relying on car's volume? (Just guessing) In any event, I am very, very sensitive to buzzing and static, and there is none in my car (late model Prius). However, I am really irritated with the long charger cord cluttering up my center console. I am also not completely impressed with remote set-up - the strap is bulky (remember, depending on where you place it, your hand may be over it). However, I am impressed with how well it holds in place, although I am concerned it may stretch over time.
EDIT: I have now also tried it with the iphone 3G, and it works fine. It initially it came up with the screen - "this accessory was not designed for iphone - do you want to turn airplane mode on to reduce interference?" I selected "no" so I can still use the phone function. It works fine - even better than the others (I don't have to turn my stereo on as high, go figure).
 Disappointing for iPod Sound June 20, 2008
10 out of 15 found this review helpful
I've been tracking this product ever since it was announced in January. What it offered in terms of convenience was very appealing both in the ability to control a hidden iPod with the steering wheel and that it could charge
the iPod while being used.
What I found when using the product was that the sound reproduction was below the quality of what I currently use with a cheap iPod to AUX stereo plug cable (not through the headphone jack). I tried all variations of iPod EQ settings but nothing matched the bass and clarity of what I had before. I phoned Kennsington support and after a wait was told to reset the iPod which had absolutely no affect on the sound. I had the feeling the woman I spoke to hadn't even heard of the unit. An email to tech support was never answered.
I also found that the cigarette lighter charger fit loosely into the plug and would sometimes cut the sound as it wasn't making a solid connection. This was in an 07 MINI Cooper so it wasn't like the plug was old and worn!
On the plus side the steering wheel function seemed to work OK.
My search continues for a device that will work like this but actually reproduces sound like it should.
EDIT: I have since discovered the Griffin AutoPilot to be a pretty good solution. I can change songs with the switch on top of the cig charging unit (close to the driver on a Cooper) and the sound is very good. It has a switch to choose between two settings depending on what you are playing through. The lighter setting was what the LiquidAux sounded like and the deeper setting is what I am use to hearing. I don't know what this switch does on the AutoPilot but the LiquidAux sure needs it.
Good Item - IN DASH AUX needed - Safety June 26, 2008
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
Most Important Note : this kit was specifically designed for IN-DASH AUX ports.
There are some very well written reviews here already so I'll just supply some additional information.
Firstly, I consider this to be a real safety device. Your iPod controls are basically moved to a small controller on your steering wheel. This is much safer than attempting to navigate around your iPod while driving.
The controller works wirelessly, so you're not taking a chance with lifting cords and getting tangled (though the supplied cord is longer than most will ever need, it can be gathered and tied up to be less obtrusive, and it stays near the device, not anywhere near the steering wheel).
The steering wheel controller gives you easy access to the following functions : play/pause, forward, back and shuffle.
The steering wheel controller is placeable anywhere on the wheel, it's completely customizable.
This spiffy iPod accessory is compatible with the following iPod devices : iPod nano (1st, 2nd and 3rd gen), iPod (4th and 5th gen), iPod Classic, iPod iPhone and the iPod touch.
Consider this item an investment in safe driving.
 Works as advertised -- but it whines in my car July 8, 2008
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
Kensington LiquidAux is a wireless control for your iPod that uses both the auxiliary jack and the electrical outlet in your car. You strap the remote to your steering wheel with a Velcro belt, attach your iPod to the cable through the synching port, plug the contraption into both the auxiliary jack and the electrical outlet, and you're set. A short extension cable is included in case your auxiliary jack is not adjacent to the power supply. The remote then allows you to set the iPod to shuffle, go back one track, skip forward one, or pause. The remote works pretty much as advertised, although sometimes the back control led me to the beginning of a song and other times to the previous song. Obviously, you cannot search your music library, control the volume, or access other features.
The sound quality using the LiquidAux in my 2008 Toyota is unacceptable. The constant high-pitched whine generated by the device is so annoying that I couldn't stand listening to music; it sounds like a distant dentist drill. The faster my engine revved, the more high-pitched - and the louder - the whine became. I decided to experiment a bit to see which component caused the problem since the AUX cable I usually use worked fine, with excellent sound quality. It quickly became apparent that the problem rests with (in my car, at least) with the charger. Because the unit cannot be operated without the iPod being plugged into the power outlet, I have no use for the LiquidAux. Note: I have an older iPod which may be part of the problem. You can test your own iPod by plugging it in using your already owned AUX cable and car charger; make sure you use both at the same time.
Other annoyances: if you don't strap the remote tightly enough, it shifts when you turn the wheel, forcing you to slide it back in place as you drive. Normal hand-over-hand steering does take some getting used to since your hand will hit the remote, but I adapted. Because the device takes up a power outlet, you may have to make some choices if you use a portable navigation system and, say, want to charge your cell phone.
The Kensington is most useful if you use the shuffle mode and often skip over some of the random choices. Even if you create a long playlist timed to fit your driving time, you'll have to start it up before you begin driving. You will have to take your eyes off the road if you want to select a new track or see what is playing, thus negating the safety factor.
Since I can pause my iPod, faster forward or go back, and adjust the volume, all without taking my eyes off the road, the Kensington has limited use for me, even if I were to forget about the whine. I had hoped for a better, less clumsy device. Some customers will find that this remote is exactly what they needed, but they should brace themselves for disappointment in case it turns out to be less-than-compatible with their car and/or iPod.
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