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Product: TuneCast Auto with ClearScan for iPhone and iPod
Developer: Belkin
Price: $79.99
Availability: Out now
Rating: 7/10

Remember the iPod Classic? Hey, me too! Awesome! We should hang sometime!

With all the warranted ferver surrounding the iPhone 3G and its little sidekick, the iPod Touch, the iPod that actually, you know, has enough disk space for a respectable music collection, has been nearly forgotten by the press and many Apple users…and sometimes, I think, even Apple itself. Thankfully, third party developers are well aware of the iPod Classic and its user base, and continue to release some pretty cool products.

Such a product is Belkin’s TuneCast Auto with ClearScan for iPhone and iPod ($79.99). This is one of those FM transmitters that allows you to broadcast the music from your iPod to a clear FM channel on your car radio. I’ve reviewed many of these transmitters over at Applelinks, and none of them won me over to the process. FM transmission is faulty technology that rarely produces solid results. This is because it requires you to find an FM frequency on your car radio to which no broadcast is being sent, allowing the transmitter to take it over. If you live in a rural area, you’ll likely have luck with this. I live near Cleveland, Ohio, however, where it seems that just about every frequency is either taken or is floating around one that is. The end result is that I can hear my iPod, but I can also hear plenty of hiss and pops, and sometimes other songs.

The other problem is that if you travel a good distance, you’re eventually going to have to find another station, as a frequency that’s open in one area may not be 50 miles down the highway. Most FM transmitters these days include presets, but that doesn’t help if you’re travelling someplace new, and you really shouldn’t be messing around with an FM transmitter while driving, anyway. This is where Belkin’s TuneCast Auto with ClearScan for iPhone and iPod stands out. With the push of a button, the ClearScan technology will automatically scan your radio for what it feels is your best FM option, then let you know with its large backlit display. Tune your radio to that frequency, and you’re set.

The ClearScan is a bit shizophrenic, as it never seemed to settle on the same frequency twice in a row, but it eventually did pull in two stations on my commute that work fairly well, neither of which I would’ve tried on my own. Both were already getting a weak broadcast, but apparently weaker than the static I get on other channels. Someone will have to explain that to me later. And while you’re at it, explain to me why the signal is affected by the weather, and why cars and trucks driving by seemed to momentarily take over my transmission.

For now, I’m just happy the ClearScan did its job. I tune to 88.5 when I leave my home near Akron, Ohio, then flip over to 88.5 when the interference on 88.3 starts as I approach Cleveland. Reverse that on the way home, and I’ve finally got acceptible iPod audio on my commute. It helps that the device comes with two programmable preset buttons.

The Tunecast Auto allows you to broadcast in mono, which reportedly improves reception in congested areas. Perhaps my favorite addition, however, are the “Pro” settings that allow you to boost the audio level from the iPod. This is great, as previous FM transmitters were so weak that I had to crank my radio to hear the iPod. When turning off the car, that brief second where control would revert to the radio would blow out my eardrums and (worse) my speakers with music or static. TuneCast Auto allows me to play the iPod at the level of the radio, so I usually don’t need to mess with the volume.

One thing to consider when looking at the TuneCast Auto is that it doesn’t come with any kind of holder. It’s just a device on a cable which plugs into your cigarette lighter/power source, so your iPod will sit loosely in the car. I actually prefer this, as I don’t want some stick rising in front to my dashboad panel, letting any would-be thieves know there’s expensive technology here for the taking. The TuneCast Auto cable can be easily tucked away and allows for easy access by both the driver and a passenger. Although the backlit display is legible in most circumstances, I found it hard to read when the sunlight was hitting it directly.

Oh, and, Of course, your iPod will recharge as long as it’s plugged in.

FM tranmission is still not the way to go if you can avoid it. But, if you don’t want to spend the money on an installed iPod interface, TuneCast Auto with ClearScan for iPhone and iPod is certainly one of the better options available. And having access to nearly 4,000 songs is worth any interference that should surface.

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