We’ve been hearing about it for months, and today it’s available for purchase.  The newest generation TuneCast FM transmitter, dubbed the TuneCast Auto LIVE, works together with a partner iPhone app [iTunes Link] and the iPhone’s GPS unit (3G & 3GS) to find the best FM frequency for your area.  You can also control the transmitter via the iPhone app, a feature added in iPhone OS 3.0.

Other features include a high-contrast LCD display, a 12-volt cigarette lighter adapter (which powers the TuneCast and charges your iPhone), programmable presets and more.

If you’re wondering, this latest TuneCast is model F8Z498. There are several TuneCast products, so be sure to check the model number if you want the latest generation.

Find out more about the Belkin TuneCast @ Amazon.com.

Source: Belkin Press Release

One of the new features of the upcoming iPhone 3.0 OS is the ability of accessory makers to write apps that control, tweak and configure their hardware add-ons.  The first application of this new functionality comes from Belkin, which just announced the TuneCast Auto Live and its partner app, ClearScan Live. 

The Belkin TuneCast Auto Live is an FM transmitter that broadcasts the audio output from the iPhone to an FM frequency so that you can listen with a standard FM radio.  The ClearScan Live app not only controls the TuneCast hardware, but uses the iPhone’s GPS to detect your location and help you find FM stations free of local broadcasts.  This paring could make the TuneCast Auto Live the most user-friendly FM transmitter we’ve seen so far.

Expect to see this new accessory sometime in the fall of 2009.