Product Brief: Belkin TuneCast Auto with ClearScan

Many cars lack an auxiliary input to connect mp3 players to the stereo. Yet one of the realities is that many people don't drive recent model cars. This leaves two options for connecting an iPod or iPhone - cassette adaptors or FM radio transmitters.
Belkin has been in the FM transmitter business for ages, and its latest offering, the TuneCast Auto, mixes hardware and software.

It's essentially a car charging cable for the iPhone/iPod with a small inline controller that has a display, preset buttons, manual tuning controls and a large ‘ClearScan' button. Hit that button and it will find the best channel to use. Then just tune your car radio into the channel shown on the display and your music will come through loud and clear.

To get a bit fancier you can download Belkin's ClearScan App for iTunes. This accesses the geolocation functions of your phone, polls a database and tells you the best possible channel to use based upon your location. This App only works with iPod Touch and iPhones running iOS 4.

There will always be downsides to using FM transmitters to connect to your car stereo, be it unintentional eavesdropping on the staff at a takeaway drive-through or clashing with the signals from nearby cars.

But if you want to make sure you get the best possible experience from such a device, the combination of the easy tune functions on the cable and the location-aware app means that the Belkin Tunecast Auto will make it as easy as possible for those who lack an audio input on their car stereo.