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Product: FM radio transmission for iPod

Developer: See individual sections

Minimum Requirements: See individual sections

Retail Price: See individual sections

Availability: Out now

• Xtrememac Airplay
• DLO Transpod FM
• Belkin TuneCast II

As social scientists keep pointing out to us, the iPod is all about shutting yourself off from society. After all, who needs human interaction when you've got an iPod? Bite me, world!

Still, there are situations where you might want to play music for other people, and one of the more convenient ways to do that is by using an FM transmitter. In the car or at home, broadcasting your iPod songs via radio is useful way of playing music.

I had the opportunity to evaluate three different FM transmitters for iPod, each of which had its own strengths and weaknesses.

Note: None of the items tested here required the installation of additional software on the iPod. The frequency management was handled entirely by the accessory.

Xtrememac Airplay for iPod and iPod mini - $39.95
Compatible with iPod Photo, 3G and 4G iPods, U2 Special Edition iPod, iPod mini

The tag line for the Airplay is "Small. Simple. Powerful." and I'd be hard pressed to argue with it. Absolutely tiny (the dimensions are 1.3" L x 0.54" W x 1.02" H)—so small that it doesn't even block the hold switch. The Airplay features only a small, illuminated LCD screen showing the frequency over plus and minus buttons to control the station. I might almost say it was too small: my wife thought she'd lost it, only to find that it had fallen to the bottom of her purse.

The Airplay requires no extra batteries, drawing its power from the iPod itself, which could be considered a drawback, however, the Airplay detects when the iPod is not playing music and powers itself off. When powered back on, the Airplay reverts to the last signal used.

The Airplay also gave the strongest broadcast of the three items tested. Even in a busy metropolitan area where completely empty channels are nonexistent, the Airplay had no problem overpowering an "almost" empty channel (some radio station broadcasts leaking into another channel) and delivering a strong, clear music broadcast.

Strengths: Tiny. Strong Signal. Good value.
Drawbacks: Draws power from iPod (mitigated by power management features, though)

DLO Transpod FM in white (on sale for ($79.99) and black and for iPod Photo - $99.99
Compatible with iPods with dock connectors

In contrast to the Airplay's simplicity and small size, the Transpod FM has to be one of the most elaborate FM broadcasters I've ever seen, giving the user a great deal of flexibility in their installation choices.

First off, note that the Transpod FM is only for use in an automobile. You dock your iPod in the transmitter unit, which draws its power from an adapter that fits into the cigarette lighter. But users are given the option of attaching the dock to the dashboard of the car itself or using a multi-jointed PVC armature. The arm allows you to position the iPod so that you can read the display easily, and also so you can place it out of the way of other devices in the car; namely, the gear shift.

The Transpod also uses an illuminated FM display to show which frequency you're broadcasting on, with the up and down buttons located on the right hand side of the dock. Strong twist-locks prevent the whole thing from moving much while the car is in motion, and whether in the arm or mounted on the dash, it keeps your iPod away from the drink cup holder where it might get splashed by your morning cup of coffee or Big Gulp.

In addition to drawing power for the transmitter from your car's power supply, the Transpod also powers the iPod itself, meaning you'll never run out of power on the longest car trip (unless your car dies, of course, but at least you'll have a fully-charged iPod while you wait for AAA).

However, the Transpod's one problem is also its biggest. Its broadcasting power is the weakest of all the items tested here, meaning you'll have to crank the volume on both the iPod and the radio, which in itself leads to distortion. This isn't just a problem for metro commuters, either. On a road trip to rural Nebraska, the Transpod FM had difficulty generating decent volume on a station of complete static.

Strengths: Powers iPod, good visibility, keeps the iPod away from potential spills, flexible design.
Weaknesses: Weak broadcast strength. Only usable in cars. Expensive.

Belkin TuneCast II Mobile FM Transmitter - $39.99
Compatible with any device with a headphone audio out

This little device won me over the second I realized that—I hope you're sitting down—it's compatible with every kind of iPod, including my 2G. That's because it doesn't connect to the remote port on the top of the modern iPods, it connects to the headphone jack! This means it can broadcast audio signals from any device that has a headphone out: Walkmans, boom boxes, portable CD players, even my Powerbook.

Backwards compatibility. It's a beautiful thing.

The TuneCast II isn't quite as elegant-looking as the Airplay or other FM transmitters than sit right on top of the newer iPods, but in this case, looks ain't everything. The TuneCast has a good broadcast strength. The device initially had to be placed right next to the radio for transmission to start, but once it started working, it could be moved a short distance away (to, say, rest on the table next to the radio), and still had a good volume.

Driving around town, the TuneCast II's signal started to break up during freeway driving, but no more so than a normal radio signal might.

Like the other two products reviewed here, the TuneCast II uses an illuminated LCD display with up/down buttons to find a station. The device also features a "memorize" button which allows it to recall up to four FM frequencies.

Unlike the other products tested here, the TuneCast II uses two AAA batteries to power itself. However, it has a couple of power-management features: for one, it only works when connected to a device that is actively broadcasting audio, so you don't have to worry about it running down, say, if you put it in your pocket and something keeps pressing the buttons. When the source stops broadcasting for 60 seconds, it powers off. The TuneCast II also features a low-power indicator on the LED screen.

If you don't like the idea of trusting batteries, the TuneCast II also comes with a power cord that connects to the Mobile Power Cord for iPod with Dock Connector (sold separately), which will power your TunePod II (and your iPod) from a car lighter.

A wonderful implementation of a simple solution, the TuneCast II is a wonderful product for all iPod users.

Strengths: Works with any iPod and lots of other devices. Good signal strength. Multi-station memory. Good value.
Weaknesses: Requires batteries or optional cable. Lacks integrated design.

Bill's been using Macs since the late 80s. When he's not making smartass remarks to amuse Kirk Hiner, he enjoys fighting for the user.