Autoblog

Many motorists find an iPod as essential a driving companion (for better or worse) as a cup of coffee or loose change. Unfortunately, many drivers in the UK found themselves without a viable solution for marrying auto with iPod thanks to a decades-old law that prevented the use of FM transmitters in cars. The only other options, using a cassette-tape adapter or hard-wiring a connection to the stereo's line-in, were either moot or too expensive.

TUAW, our sister-site, is reporting that Britain has decided to alter the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1949 that originally banned these FM transmitters because their use constituted operating radio equipment without a license. A new amendment has been passed that will go into effect on December 8th and allow the use of FM transimitters like the Griffin iTrip, arguably the most popular one of its kind. The new approach was hastened by a British consumer market demanding use of their iPods while driving. While not all FM transmitters will be approved for use in the UK, those that pass the muster will carry a CE mark indicating they're A-OK for sale. We hear Britain, however, is a pretty densely populated place, which means that spare stations on which these transmitters can operate might be hard to come by anyway. Bollocks.

[Source: TUAW]

Having just reviewed an Audi A3 with Sirius satellite radio and an active subscription, I can honestly say that I seriously enjoyed listening to Howard Stern again after months of being cut off cold turkey. It turns out millions of people followed the shock jock to his new residence on Sirius satellite radio, and the company saw a 64-percent growth in new subscribers versus the first quarter of last year. That amounts to 600,640 new subscribers, versus rival XM's addition of 398,000 new subscribers during the same period

Some would say that's a huge gain for Sirius, but XM's total subscriber base still dwarfs that of Sirius at nearly 7 millino versus 4.7 million. Either way, this was the first time I ever considered setting down my iPod and iTrip and picking up the phone to order satellite radio. But then I had to give the Audi A3 back and forgot to call.

For those interested in purchasing a vehicle with the audio entertainment of their choice preinstalled, the following links will take to you a list of automakers offering each technology as a factory installed option.
Sirius Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
iPod integration

[Source: Reuters