[Review] iPhone/iPod Scosche passPORT Charging Adapter
I posted the other day about wanting to order the Scosche passPORT Charging Adapter to enable charging of my new iPhone 3GS with my 2008 Scion xD Pioneer audio system. This is a common issue with newer iPods and iPhones with accessories (such as car stereos) from 2008 or before due to changes in Apple’s hardware.
I received the adapter yesterday and have used the device twice since. There’s not much to it really. Just plug it in and it either works, or it doesn’t. In my case it works great! My iPhone now charges while plugged into my car’s audio system and still interfaces with the stereo as it should.
A few notes to be aware of:
The iPhone still displays a message (that can be ignored) saying the “accessory is not compatible” because it still detects the “older accessory” (aka the Pioneer sound system) through the adapter.
I also found that if I disconnected my iPhone (leaving the adapter plugged-in) while still playing music, my car’s stereo would still think the iPhone was plugged-in and would become locked into the “iPod” screen. The easy fix for this was to either turn-off the stereo before disconnecting the iPhone, or disconnect the adapter also.
Conclusion:
At $24.99 (or up to $30) it’s a bit steep for such a simple device, but it’s far better than the alternative of not being able to play music while charging with some other car iPod/iPhone charging device. The Scosche passPORT should easily pay for itself with the amount of use it will get.
Product Link: Scosche passPORT Charging Adapter for iPod touch 2G, iPod nano 4G, iPhone 3G (and iPhone 3GS)
