It’s holiday time and if you’re one of the lucky ones to own an iPod, then Belkin has the way for you to take your tunes on the road with you.

Here’s where an iPod really shines – not that it doesn’t shine otherwise. If you’ve ever wondered whether it was worth it to buy a device with 20, 30, 40, 60 Gb or storage capacity Belkin’s TuneCast II, TuneDock and Auto Kit will provide the answer.

On a long drive or an extended camping trip you can fully utilize the storage capacity of your iPod and listen to your tunes or an audio book through your FM radio. You’ll never have to worry about recharging the iPod because Belkin’s Auto Kit takes care of that – just plug it into the cigarette lighter or power dock in your vehicle.

The TuneDock is a device used to mount your precious iPod securely in the cup holder of your vehicle. Several different sizes of cups are available and you can screw the holder into whichever one fits your vehicle’s cup holder. The sucker built in to the TuneDock holds your iPod solidly in place so you won’t have to worry about the device rattling around the car. There’s a little tab on the top of the sucker that you tug to release the iPod – you’ll have fun getting the iPod off the TuneDock without releasing the pressure by pulling the tab – the iPod is VERY well secured in place. The TuneDock costs under $40CAD and is widely available.

The Belkin Auto Kit keeps your iPod fully charged so you won’t have to worry about running the batteries down – crucial if you want to listen to the DaVinci Code on audio book. I wouldn’t go anywhere without this charger – for under $60CAD you too can get one of these chargers.

The key to the whole system (other than your iPod of course) is the TuneCast II from Belkin. The TuneCast II is the most expensive piece of the Belkin travel hardware I tested at about $70CAD, but you won’t hear a thing without it. The TuneCast II uses two AAA batteries for power and it is the device that lets you play whatever is on your iPod through your FM radio. The sound you’ll get through your radio isn’t as good as the sound you’ll get though earphones or headphones, but who cares? You’re able to play your music or listen to a book through your car stereo with more than just acceptable quality. You set the FM frequency on your FM radio and then set the same frequency on the TuneCast II and you’re in business – it’s pretty well that simple to use.

PROS: Being able to get even more use out of an iPod. On long drives you can listen to your music or books when radio reception is poor .

CONS: You need an iPod. There is a fair amount of equipment involved when you buy all three parts , so you might need a bit of extra room in the front of your car .

canada.com