Special Offer: Monster iCruze Complete Package for Just $99

[Jeremy Charette]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://store.monstercable.com/iCruze/' target='_blank'>http://store.monstercable.com/iCruze/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"For a limited time Monster is offering an amazing deal on iCruze. When you order a complete iCruze System from the iCruze Store for just $99, we will add at no additional charge all of the necessary cables needed to get your car wired for iCruze. You will also receive one Monster Music®: 3 Doors Down LIVE, Away From The Sun (Video SuperDisc) ($24.98 value) and an iCruze™ LCD Display Module ($99.95 value), absolutely FREE!"</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/0507cae_ipod_03_z.jpg" /><br /><br />I was interested in the iCruze when it came out 8 months ago, but the high price ($200-450) turned me off. Now they're selling it direct for just $99 for the whole setup, including any cables and adapters you'll need for your particular car. This is a great system, particularly if you're looking for something that will work with your factory stereo. I also like it because it's invisible once installed, and therefore won't up the chances of having my car broken into and my radio or iPod stolen. The price was right, and I bit. I'll have a review up in a few weeks, but I'd recommend taking advantage of this deal while it lasts!

[ptyork]

My biggest issue with this and many other ipod car interfaces is that they don't maintain their state when switching to and from the car. I listen to lots of books (audible), and since this completely takes over the ipod and has its own internal memory of what you were last listening to (and its bookmark), I can't, say, listen to a book in the car, take the ipod with me for a run in the park (still listening to the book from the same position), and plug it back into the car and resume where I left off during the run.

Other options, such as the Blitzsafe, are simply passthroughs, which is more desirable to me. These are little more than line-in devices with a plug for the ipod's dock connector that provides line out and power. Others like the Dension and USASpec allow you to choose between playlist-based operation and direct pass-through operation (Dension allowing this on the fly, which is pretty nice). Both of these latter two options also allow simple control of the ipod (pause, next, previous, etc.) from steering whell controls, which is also pretty nice. The USASpec also allows you to connect other line-in devices at the same time, which is also a great feature.

For me, I'm still pondering the right solution for me. I'll probably get the Blitzsafe just because it is the cheapest and I'll likely never use the extra features provided by the other options. Still for those not worried about books, the $99 deal on the Monster looks REALLY good, especially with the added external display to show song information.

Paul