Monster Ships iCarPlay 250 for iPod, iPhone

Monster has shipped its iCarPlay 250 FM transmitter for iPods and iPhones, enabling users to play and charge their Apple devices from a car outlet...or USB.

Audio gear maker Monster has announced it is now shipping its iCarPlay 250, a combined wireless FM transmitter and car charger for Apple’s iPod and iPhone lines. The iCarPlay 250 not only enables users to simultaneously charge their Apple device while pumping tunes to any nearby FM-capable audio system, but also enables users to charge their devices in the home or office: just pop the USB cable out of the cigarette lighter adapter, and pop it into a powered USB port.

“Monster was the first to design a model that far outperformed the competition in terms of sturdiness and reliability,” said “head monster” Noel Lee, in a statement. “We were also the first to design an FM transmitter with a built-in iPod charger, and the first with AutoScan capability. And we’ve raised the bar yet again with iCarPlay Wireless 250.”

The iCarPlay 250 features three programmable FM station presets for simplified tuning, a blue LCD display, frequency-adaptive audio output, and a low-profile power adapter designed to minimize front-seat clutter. The device also features Monster’s AutoScan 3D technology that triple-scans the FM spectrum to find the clearest band of available FM frequencies for the transmitter. The iCarPlay 250 carries a suggested retail price of $99.95; it should be available at retailers shortly.