Wagon Fan

Christmas has come and gone, and one of the gifts I’ve received this year is a Timex Ironman iControl Watch with iPod Control – Black.

(Left image by Timex Corporation)

For those of us without iPod connectors built into our cars, this thing is a godsend! It has the regular watch functions like telling the time, stopwatch, alarms, countdown timer, and water resistance. However, this model also comes with a receiver that plugs into the iPod’s data port and allows you to control your music from the watch (play/pause, skip forward/backward, and volume up/down).

I’m fortunate enough to have a tape deck in my 2005 Audi (anachronism alert!), so this $125 watch and a $16 cassette adapter nicely takes the place of Audi‘s $430 factory iPod connection. Woot! And even better, if I’d like to take it out of my car, I can still use the watch’s controls.

I keep my iPod hidden in the car (not telling where!), so it’s a bit of a hassle trying to adjust the music while driving. I am a firm believer in focusing on the road (a rarity these days), so anything that can simplify my life in the car and allow me to just drive is great. This is one such product. While it won’t let me change playlists remotely, I’ve found that I don’t frequently change playlists while moving anyway, so it’s not an issue.

The setup was so easy it’s hardly worth mentioning. Just strap on the watch and plug in the receiver to your iPod. Done! No setup or software settings required. While it makes sense when you think about it, major kudos to Timex for not making it unnecessarily complicated.

Overall I’m very pleased with the initial quality of this product and rate it Highly Recommended for those in a situation similar to mine.

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