Q: I have an iPod and I wanted to listen to it in my car while traveling. I purchased an FM transmitter that slips over the docking connection and adds very little size or weight to the iPod.

I like it very much except for one aspect. In order to keep it thin and light, it uses the iPod for battery power. With a full charge, I am lucky to get two hours of play time before draining the iPod battery. The transmitter has a small connection in the bottom that looks like a miniUSB connection. I also own a Motorola RAZR cell phone. It connects to my computer and car charger via a miniUSB connector.

		Don Lindich is the author of the "Digital Made Easy" book series and his passion is helping people get the most out of audio, video and digital photography. Send your questions to donlindichyahoo.com.

My question is: Can I use my Motorola car charger to power my iPod through the connection on the transmitter? I certainly do not want to burn up any of my favorite toys!

LES MOCK, , Wichita, Kan.

A: I do not have a RAZR, so I can't check out the connections; but USB is an open standard so it probably would work. There is a better way, though, and you have touched upon the solution already. You can buy an adapter that goes into a car cigarette lighter socket and provides a USB port for charging. You can use it to charge a PDA, an iPod -- anything that uses USB charging. These power adapters can be purchased for less than $10. You can see and buy them at www.extremepda.com.

You can get a dual splitter to turn one lighter socket into two -- one for your RAZR and one for your iPod. Dual splitters run between $10 and $25.

With your new splitter and a USB adapter you can charge your phone while charging and listening to your iPod.

Just be sure to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road, too!

PETER GILLETTE, , Minneapolis

A: Records are analog and iPods are digital, so you will be doing some conversion somewhere. You need to connect your pre-amp output to your computer, record the audio and convert it to MP3, AAC or another format the iPod recognizes. A good one is the iMic from Griffin Technology, www.griffintechnology.com. It comes with Final Vinyl, a free recording application for Mac users.

For the best sound quality from your LPs, use the Apple Lossless Compression setting in iTunes.