The “TuneCast Auto Live” FM transmitter from Belkin costs $80. That’s a lot of coin for an FM transmitter. It works with most iPhone and iPod devices, but you get extra features if you use it with your iPhone – most notably, there’s a free app that uses GPS and a ratings system populated by other TuneCast/iPhone users to find the clearest FM channels in your area.
That’s a relatively novel approach, although whether it’s worth spending $80 on an FM transmitter remains to be seen. If you live in a big city with a lot of FM stations, you may find that there aren’t that many super clear open channels.
If you don’t have an iPhone, “TuneCast Auto Live also works with iPod Touch, Nano and Classic. ClearScan Technology lets iPod users scan the best FM frequency without an app,” according to the product description. Therein lies the rub. If the device itself is capable of finding the best frequency on its own, what’s the use of the GPS and user ratings features?
TuneCast Auto Live [Belkin]