VR3 FM Modulator turns flash drives into car audio players

We have to admit that most FM transmitters for digital audio players offer pretty mediocre sound quality — especially in urban areas where the spectrum is crowded. That said, we could go for the VR3 FM Modulator, a $30 unit that plugs directly into your car's lighter port and gets its storage from any USB flash drive (a similar model came out in Japan a year ago — for $115). It also includes an audio-in cable so you can use it as a transmitter with other audio players. Given the number of flash drives we've got lying around, $30 seems like a reasonable price to give them a new lease on life, and for that price we can live with FM's limitations as well.

[Frank Tate @ Jan 4th 2006 7:08PM]

I just bought one of these from Wal-Mart, and I've got to give it two thumbs up for the price. Sure, it's not audiophile-quality sound, but I'm on the road ALL the time, and this is definitely the most portable option I've seen for playing my music in rental cars. Plus, it makes the all of the 512 and 128MB flash drives I've got hanging around useful again.