Belkin intros TuneCast with iPhone 3.0 app
updated 11:05 am EDT, Thu June 4, 2009
Belkin TuneCast Auto Live
Belkin on Thursday became one of the first hardware accessory makers to take advantage of iPhone OS 3.0's support for third-party peripherals. When it ships, the new TuneCast Auto Live will have an iPhone app to let owners pick a clear FM channel for broadcasting the audio from an iPhone or iPod touch to a car's sound system; previous add-ons have had to include their own hardware controls. It will also exploit the iPhone's GPS to find the likeliest clear frequencies based on location.
Listeners should also have access to their own presets and the ability to rate the clarity of frequencies themselves, contributing to the overall accuracy of the recommendations for others.
The TuneCast Auto Live still works with the iPod classic and nano and has its own physical controls as a fallback for these devices. In hardware, it can automatically find a clear station itself and charge power through the car. Belkin ships the FM transmitter in the fall for $80 and will make the companion ClearScan Live iPhone app available for free in the App Store.
