Belkin's TuneBase FM is a sturdy FM transmitter made for iPods, can be angled to suit left or right-hand drive cars and differently placed cigarette lighter sockets. While the device has the standard dock connector, you have to use one of the several plastic cradles. Included are cradles for different full-size iPods, iPod Nano (up to 3rd gen) and iPod Touch. While there is no specific cradle for the iPhone, we used it with an iPhone 3G without any problems (therefore assuming that the new iPod Touch will also fit).

Plug it into a socket and an LED status light indicates power. While on, it continuously charges the iPod or iPhone. With the iPhone 3G, you will have to switch to airplane mode though, to prevent the GSM radio from causing interference. Operation is simple; press the 'Clear Scan' button, and it scans the FM band to find a frequency that will not cause interference with other active channels. You can also manually set a frequency or store 2 presets on which to broadcast on.



The main issue is the issue with many FM transmitters; that it can never match the fidelity of playing the iPod through a cable connection. Plus you do get a fair amount of static, especially in between songs. It's also fairly expensive considering you can get a good transmitter for 2k. But that won't cradle or charge your iPod.