We've seen all manner of iPod adapters that send music to a car's FM radio. The NextGen Venturi Mini does the same for Bluetooth music devices--meaning for now, mostly cell phones. It carries the tunes, or your cellular call, via Bluetooth to the adapter and via FM modulation to an unused FM frequency. The Venturi Mini also jams song or caller ID info onto the radio faceplate via the RDS signal, which would be neater if most radios displayed more than eight characters at a time; RDS itself can handle 64 characters.

The device has three other jacks: line-in, line-out, and USB for, respectively, input from a traditional music player or portable navigation device, output to the radio's line-in jack for clearer sounds than FM radio provides (though you lose the RDS info), and charging your device (but not accepting USB audio signals).

The Venturi Mini ships in December through a soon-to-be named cell carrier for about $130, then through other outlets early in 2008. It makes sense if you've got a Bluetooth cell phone with music, not just audio. One change I'd make would be to give priority to the line-in jack when your GPS is attached and there's audio coming through: You'd hear music until it was time for your next route instruction, at which point the nav system would chime in. This is the first U.S. product for NextGen Venturi Ltd., a British company that does Bluetooth-compatibility testing for automakers.