iTrip is an accessory for iPod, which acts as an FM transmitter, allowing you to listen to your iPod music through your car radio.
This kind of technology, featured by iTrip and other similar gadgets is still “illegal” in some European countries, including the UK. Since FM bands are only available to legal radio stations and other registered users, iTrip could in theory interfere with legitimate signals. The worse I’ve personally witnessed regarding this, is people toying with such gadgets to play music on other people’s car radios while stuck in traffic jam. And I can buy one at my local electronics’ market.
However I cannot understand British law, which has this falling under the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1949. Something which could in theory again, land users of this technology in prison. Perhaps in 1949, messing with radio signals which were still widely used for governmental communications should have been prohibited. Using a gadget today, to listen to your playlist via your car radio however falls a great distance off of what the lawmaker had in mind.
The good news are things are about to change, and your iTrip should be completely legal to use in the UK by the year 2007.
