Posted by Vince Wadhwani on Apr 02, 2006

I bought a PSP the day it came out. It was my first media device purchase since a first generation iPod back in 2001. The PSP had room for a few MP3s with the Memory stick duo and so I thought it would serve me well during my daily 45 minute train commute to the burbs. And for a while it did.

Unfortunately, the PSP games were a little lacking. I also found it cumbersome to load music on to my Memory stick (Ahem, this software should be free to PSP owners), and eventually I grew to miss the morning chatter of NPR. I wanted desperately for the PSP to have an FM Radio! And now, over a year after launch, it is possible.

Griffin recently released a PSP accessory called 'iFM' which connects to the PSP and acts as both PSP remote and FM radio. Like the PSP, I bought one the day I heard about it.

It features a single toggle switch to select between the remote features of the PSP and the FM radio tuner. The remote functions just like the default remote on the PSP except I happen to like the button layout better on the iFM. Just a matter of taste, but the PSP remote frequently would not skip tracks when I asked it to. I haven't had that problem with the iFM. The FM radio has a nice user interface that digitally displays the frequency of the radio station and also responds to the volume adjustments by showing a one through 10. This number appears unrelated to the volume of the PSP though so if the PSP volume is down and your radio is on 10 you may still not get loud audio! It's a bit unfortunate that it works this way because the opposite is also true. If you switch from a low setting on the radio to your PSP, if the PSP is cranked you will be in for a rude surprise.

There are a few other things that I did not like about the iFM. First, it is always on. Even if you switch it to remote, a tiny green light draws battery power from the PSP. Hence standby time goes does dramatically. Also, there does not seem to be a lock feature like there is on the original PSP remote. That means you could accidentally start playing music or skipping tracks if you are not careful. Perhaps most disappointing is the quality of the FM radio itself. I found the audio scratchy as it struggling to pick up my local NPR station. I never had that problem with the FM radio in my old Siemens SX1.

Would I buy the iFM again? No. At $50 it is too pricey given that it does not perform its core functions well.

Quick Pros:
1. FM Radio!
2. Doubles as remote for PSP
3. Button layout superior to orginal PSP remote.

Quick Cons:
1. Constant power drain on PSP
2. No way to 'lock' functions
3. Volume can differ greatly between PSP MP3s and FM radio.
4. Tough to get good FM signal

Overall Score: 5/10

On a side note I want to mention that Griffin has some of the best customer service I have experienced. Nobody should be afraid to buy from these guys because of perceived lack of support. Their service department simply rocks.