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Product: FM Transmitter for iPod

Developer: Kensington

Minimum Requirements: Any iPod model with a 30-pin dock connector (except 3G iPods). Special RDS feature works with iPod nano or iPod with video and requires an RDS enabled stereo. RDS is available in various vehicle models offered by leading automakers.

Retail Price: $79.99

Availability: Out now

I don't know. Maybe I set myself up for disappointment. I'm always eager to try out FM Transmitters so I can conveniently listen to my iPod in the car, and despite the claims from the manufacturers, I'm always a bit disappointed. This is because...well, although I'm not an audio purist to the extent that I can't listen to compressed MP3 versions of my music, I at least don't want the hisses and pops of signal interruption that you often get with FM Transmitters.

The Kensington RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger for iPod suffers from the same problem hurting every other FM transmitter I've tried; it's an imperfect solution. When you're broadcasting your iPod's music to your car stereo using a weak FM signal, you need to worry about stronger FM signals overpowering it. This isn't a problem if you live in a sparse radio market where you can find open frequencies to tune into (preferable sandwiched between other open frequencies), but living near Cleveland, it's a very difficult task.

Between home and work, I found one station I can use; just one between 88.1 and 107.9. And even that one doesn't work on all days. When my wife and I make the 70 mile trip from our house to our hometown, we've found two frequencies that are pretty good, although neither will give us a completely clear signal...there is always a bit of hiss in the background. We recently made a trip to western Ohio well removed from any metropolitan area, however, and we found a couple really good options that gave us a perfectly suitable signal.

And yet, I'm holding none of this against the RDS FM Transmitter, because this is the same all FM transmitters. Despite Kensington's claim that "ClearFM technology reduces noise and enhances stereo separation providing superior wireless audio quality and FM reception," I didn't find the audio quality to be any better than the iTrip, TransPod or RoadTrip FM transmitters. However, Kensington's RDS FM Transmitter does separate itself from the competition in a couple other unique ways.

First, the RDS FM Transmitter doesn't sit on a fixed arm, but connects to your iPod with a lose cable. Although some may see this as a drawback, I preferred it. The 12-volt power source in my Honda Civic is under the dash behind the cup holder, so getting an iPod holder out from under there is a pain no matter how adjustable the arm is. Having the iPod on a loose cord means I can easily put the iPod wherever I want, even making it accessible to other passengers. In fact, with the new iPod games on the 5G iPod, I was able to listen to my iPod's music over the car stereo while my wife played Miniature Golf from the passenger seat. Very cool.

Second, the interaction between the iPod and the transmitter is fairly intuitive, even if it doesn't always seem to work properly. You use the "+" and "-" buttons on the attachment to tune your iPod to the station you want (the station information is displayed on the iPod), then, to remember your station, use one of the three preset buttons on the part that plugs into the power source. Of course, you'll want to preprogram the same stations into your car stereo, too, to make recalling them easy.

Perhaps the most interesting feature, though, is the built in RDS (Radio Data Systems) technology. This means that if you have an RDS compatible stereo, the iPod will send song information (title and artist) to your car stereo that you'll be able to read on its display. Although I rarely used this when traveling by myself (I have to hit a button to call up the information), it was fun to show off when others were in the car.

There is an on/off switch to help spare your car battery some power when you're not playing the iPod, but this led to some odd communications behavior. If the RDS FM Transmitter is left on when the car is off, starting the car and the stereo will automatically start up the iPod. However, turning off the car and the stereo doesn't turn off the iPod, so you'll have to remember to do that in order to stay on the same song and spare the iPod battery (while the car is on, the iPod will recharge). Also, we found we sometimes had to unplug the RDS FM Transmitter from the 12-volt power source and plug it back in in order for the various components to speak with one another. And finally, as with other FM transmitters, the signal from the RDS FM Transmitter is quite soft, so you really have to crank up the volume to hear it, which can be quite jarring if you forget and switch to radio without first turning the stereo back down.

And so, as a solution for listening to your iPod in your car, Kensington's RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger for iPod brings along all the drawbacks of other FM transmitters. Its unique features—such as the RDS technology and the ability to place the iPod just about anywhere—do make it worthy of consideration, however. It's not necessarily better than the competition, and it's certainly no worse, but it's definitely different, and sometimes, different is enough to make it worthy of purchase.