Hey everyone, I didn't see any reviews on this device so I thought I'd take some time to post up my opinion on this nifty alternative to a new head unit for playing music from your own device. Comments and questions are welcome!

Device name: GoGroove SMARTmini BT ADVANCED Bluetooth FM Transmitter
Price: $40-50 via eBay or Amazon
Overall score: 9/10
Primary features: Hands-free calling & streaming music via Bluetooth, USB connectivity, AUX input, auto-tune, play/pause/skip/rewind buttons, volume control
Period of usage (thus far): 2 months
Device used with: Samsung Galaxy S4


Overview

The SmartMini is a great device to use for playing music from your smartphone or iPod. Almost all devices nowadays come with Bluetooth and it's a great medium for wirelessly streaming music or making phone calls. If you don't want to spend the extra money and effort to put in a JDM double din kit and a brand new head unit (like me!), this FM transmitter is a great budget option. It costs only $40 and is a breeze to set up and use.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept of an FM transmitter, here's a brief run-down. When you tune your radio to a frequency (eg. 103.5), it uses the nearest radio waves that are broadcasting on that frequency. The FM transmitter transmits a very small radio signal that can be detected only when very close to the source, overwriting the current broadcast with the broadcast coming from your FM transmitter. When your radio and transmitter are tuned to the same frequency, you will hear what your transmitter is broadcasting, not your local radio station.


Pros

Cons

Bottom Line

In short, the SmartMini is a very good alternative to putting in the JDM dash kit with a new head unit. You will save yourself hours of headaches and dents in your wallet with this device. And if you plug it into the DC outlet in your armrest console, you won't even remember it's there. This is as close to factory as you can get with an aftermarket device. Putting together its ease of use/setup, feature set, and integration with factory settings, this FM transmitter is a great bang for the buck.

If you're in the market for something that will let you play your own music but don't want to deal with wires, installations, or high prices, this is the device for you!

Usability: 10/10
Ease of integration: 10/10
Bluetooth connectivity: 10/10
Music quality: 8/10
Call quality: N/A
Feature set: 10/10
Price: 10/10
Overall score: 9/10
Installation time: 2 minutes!
Recommended: highly recommended!

Thanks for reading, I hope this helps you!

- Kevin