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Scott Steele's Tech Tips: mp3 Transmitters

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Scott Steele's Tech Tips: mp3 Transmitters

By Katie DeLong

Some folks get irritated when they can't listen to their mp3 player on the road. TODAY’S TMJ4’s Scott Steele found an inexpensive solution. iPods, Zunes, Sansas and all sorts of other mp3 players have become so commonplace it almost seems odd if you don't know someone who has one. "I think everyone has adapted to digital technology." They can hold thousands of songs or books on tape and they're great devices to take with when you work out or go for a walk, but getting in your car often meant driving away from your entire audio collection. "Yeah, the weakness is you can't use it when you're driving." Now though, there's a simple inexpensive way to hear anything on your mp3 player using your vehicle's stereo system. Battery powered adapters are incredibly easy to use. Surprisingly, unlike a lot of proprietary electronic equipment, they work with virtually every brand of mp3 player. Here's why: it cleverly utilizes the standard earphone jack to tap into your content. One unit is actually just a small FM transmitter, so once it's plugged in and everything’s powered up, you just turn your car radio on and tune it to one of the unused frequencies indicated in the instruction manual. Essentially, you've just created your own very tiny radio station, but in this case, you control what you want to hear and when you want to hear it by using your mp3 player the same way you would if you had your headphones on. Scott Steele found one for about 20 bucks, a small price to pay for the ability to take your tunes on the road. You can find the mp3 transmitter at most big box electronic stores or online.