| According to the US Census, the average American | | | | the transmitter. The transmitter decodes the music files |
| worker spends approximately 25 minutes per day | | | | on the drive and allows you to play, skip, and pause |
| commuting to work. While the number sounds | | | | your music, all while transmitting to your car radio. This |
| reasonable in that context, multiply it out and in the | | | | is usually an inexpensive solution, although audio quality |
| course of a year, you see that you'll have spent over | | | | sometimes suffers due to interference. One of the big |
| 100 hours inside of your vehicle. That's a whole lot of | | | | benefits to the USB flash drive models is that you can |
| time. When this much time is spent crammed inside a | | | | be constantly keeping your musical selection fresh |
| relatively small space, people are naturally antsy for | | | | without always having to burn new media CDs. If you |
| some entertainment. Thus we have seen the evolution | | | | listen to a lot of podcasts, this is especially nice. |
| of car stereos, cell phones, and personal entertainment | | | | Yet another option is to install a Bluetooth car kit, which |
| systems that allow us pass the time spent in traffic a | | | | allows you to connect your iPod to your car stereo |
| little more quickly. | | | | wirelessly. While some installation is required for this |
| The car stereo system is by far the most widespread | | | | solution, the sound quality is fantastic and the hassle of |
| and universal of these creature comforts designed to | | | | plugging your iPod into the stereo every time you get |
| make the trip bearable. Here's how the history breaks | | | | into your car is gone, to say nothing of the coolness |
| down: In 1929, the first car radios appeared on the | | | | factor. Scosche makes one of these kits at a |
| American market, although they didn't become popular | | | | relatively affordable price. |
| until the 60's. By 1970, people wanted to be able to | | | | Finally, you can spring for a new head unit, which is the |
| dictate what music they listened to without having to | | | | part of the car stereo that you generally see in the |
| rely on a DJ to hold their hand through the musical | | | | dash of the car. Many newer car stereo head units |
| landscape. Thus, the 8-track was born. 1980 saw the | | | | can read burned CDs. What's more, they can also |
| advent of the cassette tape deck, which provided | | | | read MP3 and WMA files, which, though you're still |
| superior sound quality to the 8-track, and the cassette | | | | required to burn a data CD with your desired music |
| soon bowed to the CD in the 90's. | | | | files, allows you to put a much higher quantity of music |
| In today's digital world, however, the CD, while still in | | | | on the CD. In deference to the burgeoning popularity of |
| use, is taking a back seat to digitized audio content. | | | | the personal media player, some car stereo head units |
| With the popularity of downloadable and easily moved | | | | also have an auxiliary jack so you can connect your |
| and formatted MP3 and WMA files, listeners now | | | | iPod or other similar device to your car stereo via a |
| have nearly unlimited control over what they listen to. In | | | | cable. And a select few car stereos, like the VR3 Car |
| addition, personal music devices such as the iPod play | | | | Stereo CD Player, come even more options. The VR3, |
| only digital content, meaning that music collections are | | | | for which I have found no alternative, can still read |
| increasingly stored on hard drives, rather than tapes or | | | | MP3 and WMA files and still allows you to connect |
| discs. | | | | your personal media player through an auxiliary line-in |
| This creates a problem for the commuter with an | | | | jack, but it also has a USB port built into the face which |
| older stereo system: how does one access this digital | | | | leta it access audio files from a USB flash drive |
| content on the road? Here are several options. | | | | without sacrificing audio quality. Again, if you listen to |
| The first and probably easiest is to simply burn a CD | | | | podcasts or are constantly updating your music |
| with digital tracks formatted to play in a standard CD | | | | collection, this is the solution for you. |
| player. While this solution is fairly simple, many older CD | | | | In the end, however, it's nice to look back and realize |
| players can't read burned CDs. | | | | that car stereo entertainment is really the everyman's |
| Another option is to buy an FM transmitter. This is a | | | | entertainment medium. You can spend as much or as |
| great solution if you have a personal MP3 player, like | | | | little as you want to get the kind of entertainment you |
| an iPod or Rio. All you have to do is plug your player | | | | want. You can get free radio, inexpensive FM |
| into the transmitter (which plugs into your vehicle's | | | | transmitters to let you listen to your digital content |
| cigarette lighter), and select an FM channel to transmit | | | | without costly technology, pricer head units, which give |
| on (generally restricted to lower channels between 88.1 | | | | the discerning audio enthusiast some respite in their |
| and 88.9). The transmitter puts out a low powered FM | | | | travels, or, for the audiophile who accepts nothing less |
| signal which is picked up by your car stereo's radio. | | | | than the best, a world class entertainment system |
| Some FM transmitters also allow you to attach a USB | | | | that's worthy of any classy whip. Happy travels! |
| flash drive (also called a thumbdrive or pen drive) to | | | | |