Leading HiFi Company Harmon Kardon has announced the availability of its in-car iPod kit. Drive and Play comprises a backlit display that attaches to your dashboard or windscreen coupled with a five-button controller that  is compatible with any iPod with a universal dock connector. The product is on sale at www.digitalhome.com.au for the special price of $294.00.

The iPod attaches to the set-up’s ‘brain’ which can be hidden away if required and is powered either by the car’s 12V supply or by wiring it into the audio system. ‘Thin, easily-concealed wires’ connect the brain to the display and the controller. A 3.5mm line out completes the connection to the car stereo.

Drive + Play puts the familiar iPod menu on a backlit display right on your car’s dashboard or windshield, where you can read it at a glance. The system is controlled by the most intuitive interface available and is as easy to read as your iPod. Drive + Play, with its included accessories for connecting to your audio system, is compatible with all docking iPods, including mini and photo.

Thin, easily concealed wires connect Drive + Play’s brain to the display, the controller and the iPod itself. The brain can be powered using the nearest cigarette lighter plug or can be wired to your car’s audio system. Drive + Play comes with all the cables you need for most installations.

A backlit LCD screen, large enough to present five lines of iPod menu text, yet small enough to be mounted anywhere it can be easily viewed by the driver. For maximum convenience various display languages are selectable.

A five-button navigation control unit with universal mounting options mimics the iPod’s user interface and can be mounted on the center console or other location for easy access while driving.

Features

• Simple controls: The control knob is virtually identical to iPod’s Click Wheel so it is immediately familiar to iPod users. With three mounting bases for the most comfortable placement, the drive + play will be your right-hand man.

• Nerve center: The brain is the hidden central hub of the unit. You can connect your iPod to your car stereo using this kit and place both your IPod and the Harman Kardon Drive Play Car stereo connector kit out of sight under a seat, in the glovebox or in the center console, with no messy wires and no chance for damage to your iPod or car steero. It even charges your iPod when it’s plugged in.

• Multiple mounting options: You can connect the Ipod connector kit in one of two ways to your car stereo. 1. To the auxiliary input: 3.5mm audio line output. 2.To the antenna input: Wired FM transmitter ( 5 pre-set frequencies, 1 user defined).

• Auxiliary in: Harman Kardon has a second auxiliary input to provide access to other audio devices like satellite radio receivers or a cell phone without unplugging your iPod.

• Powering the Device: There are two ways of powering the device. One is through a standard 12 volt power harness which connects the Harman kardon Ipod connector kit to your car stereo. The other way is through a 12v accessory power cable, also known as a cigarette lighter adapter.