I was sitting in my Pinto out in the front yard one day, minding my own business when a thought suddenly hit me: How can I play MP3 files off my USB thumb drive and have it go through my car’s stereo system without the use of troublesome cords or expensive equipment? Sure, I was hammered and I had a hard time thinking straight, what with this pink bunny sitting in the back who kept hounding me to give him that sack of leprechauns he said I owed him, but I wasn’t about to let that question escape my mind without an answer.

Okay, I’m lying. I owed the rabbit a sack of feminine hygiene products. But that’s beside the point.

As suddenly as the question came into my head, the answer popped up just as unexpectedly: Why not give the VR3 MP3 FM Modulator a try? I wasn’t really sure about this revelation at first, considering the last FM transmitter I plunked down money for was more trouble than it was worth. But FM transmitters are, I reckon, like assless chaps: You just gotta keep trying them on until you find one that works.

The interesting thing about the $30 VR3 MP3 FM Modulator (aside from its name, which just rolls off the tongue) is its ability to play MP3 files directly from a USB thumb drive via a built-in USB slot. All you have to do is plug the VR3 MP3 FM Modulator into an available car lighter outlet, insert a USB drive, and then listen as your digital quality audio files play in wondrous FM quality music over your car stereo. The front of the device has the standard play/pause, rewind, and forward buttons along with a channel button, which cycles through a preset list of unused FM frequencies you can transmit the audio signal to. An included audio cable also lets you use an external music player.

Reviews for the gadget have been a mixed bag, admittedly. Music plays off the USB thumb drive in sequence, but once the device is shut down the track resets to the first song on the list, which means that a lot of you will be listening to ABBA more often than you’d like. I’ll be honest and say that static has been a common occurrence for some, but there are those who have been fairly pleased with their units. And they think the VR3 MP3 FM Modulator’s great too.

[Thanks Steve A]