Here’s a quick roundup of some cool in-car accessories that I’ve enjoyed recently:
The scoop: Supertooth II Bluetooth Speakerphone, by BlueAnt Wireless, about $130.
What it is: A very portable speakerphone, the Supertooth II lets you talk hands-free wirelessly with any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. The Supertooth II includes a noise-canceling microphone that pivots for the best positioning and includes a digital sound processor, built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery (with up to 20 hours of talk time and up to 800 hours standby) and adjustable volume control.
Why it’s cool: What makes this product shine is the magnetic clip that can attach to a sun visor in the car. This lets you perfectly position the device in the car for optimal sound quality and makes it extremely portable – need to switch cars? Just detach the Supertooth from the magnetic clip, detach the clip from the visor and you’re off to your next location. It’s also nice to have a speakerphone feature for those times when you have multiple people in the car, and you want them to hear and participate in the phone call.
Some caveats: I couldn’t find any. Even the Bluetooth pairing process, normally a nightmare, went smoothly as long as I read the directions – once I knew what buttons to push, the Supertooth II paired with my Bluetooth phone quickly and easily.
Grade: five stars (out of five)
The scoop: RDS FM Transmitter/ Car Charger for iPod, by Kensington, about $90.
What it is: This iPod accessory lets you play music and podcasts stored on your iPod (any model with a 30-pin dock connector, except the 3G iPods) via FM transmission to your car FM radio. The gadget is powered by the cigarette adapter, which also simultaneously recharges the iPod. The device includes three presets that let you pick three FM frequencies in order to transmit over (the key is to pick a frequency where there’s no signal to avoid any interference). The frequency is then shown on the display of the iPod, letting you switch your car stereo to that frequency.
In addition, the device supports the Radio Data System, which transmits data over the FM signal into the car radio. This lets the gadget display song title and artist name on the car stereo.
Why it’s cool: The sound quality from the FM transmitter was great – I didn’t receive any static or volume issues that I’ve experienced with other iPod FM transmitters. I liked having the ability to charge the adapter while playing the music; I’m paranoid about my iPod battery life running out, so it’s cool to be able to charge the device and listen to music at the same time.
Some caveats: The device works only when connected to the cigarette adapter, unlike other FM transmitters. In addition, because the gadget is connected via cable to the iPod, there’s no good place to mount the iPod while it’s connected, which means it will end up in the cup holder.
Grade: Five stars
