Hands-Free Phoning & Navigation
With a range of up to 30 feet, Bluetooth technology provides a wireless link between devices, making them ideal for hands-free in-car use. Some points to consider include compatibility, functionality and price.
By Bill Machrone
Posted Nov 20, 2007, at 01:00 PM
Bluetooth technology provides a short-distance wireless link between devices such as a cell phone and headset, or a computer and mouse. Invented by Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson, Bluetooth was adopted by a consortium of communications, computing and consumer electronics companies, which began introducing products in 2000.
The up-to-30-foot range of Bluetooth makes it ideal for “personal area networks”—
two or more communicating devices that you carry or keep nearby — and in-car use. The range is intentionally limited in order to conserve power and to keep devices small and light. Some competitors to Bluetooth have been announced over the last several years, but none has gained any significant market penetration.
Each Bluetooth device has a transmitter and receiver, as well as encryption and linking capabilities. When you “associate,” or “pair,” one Bluetooth device with another, they become part of a private network, and unpaired devices cannot listen in.
Bluetooth headsets have become ubiquitous. The wireless link from pocket or purse to earpiece is a great convenience for cell phone users, and it allows drivers to talk hands-free. Although some safety experts recommend against all cell phone use in cars because of the potential for distraction, there is a general feeling that hands-free operation is safer than holding a phone to your ear or, worse, taking your eyes off the road to dial.
Surprisingly, there is no statistical evidence to back up this assertion. Information collected in the past did not differentiate between handheld and hands-free operation, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently studying the effects of hands-free operation 
.
Search for Compatibility
Statistics aside, it probably is safer to have both hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Headsets, however, may create their own distractions, since some tend to slip during use.
Increasingly, cars are available with Bluetooth. When you pair your phone with your car, it in effect becomes a giant headset. When you receive a call, the radio mutes, and you hear the caller through your car’s audio system. A speakerphone-style microphone picks up your voice and transmits it through your phone.
If your car is not equipped with Bluetooth or doesn’t offer it as an option, aftermarket Bluetooth car kits will adapt many car audio systems to hands-free operation. The kits can range from as little as $40 to more than $400. At the low end, you get a noise-canceling microphone and a small speaker. The high-end models have digital displays, additional functions beyond those provided by your phone and better sound quality. Your car is more than a headset, however, and probably uses the more comprehensive Hands-Free Profile (HFP) instead of the simpler HeadSet Profile (HSP).
Remember that not all phones are compatible with all cars or car kits. Since you probably replace your phone more often than your car, you’ll want to select a phone that’s compatible with your car’s system — or select a car kit that is compatible with both your car and your phone.
All wireless providers, auto companies and car kit manufacturers publish compatibility lists online. With continuous new products and updates in all three categories, you may have to do a bit of research to ensure compatibility. You can check your existing phone for Bluetooth compatibility by accessing the Settings or Tools menu. If there’s a Bluetooth submenu, you may find an entry for supported profiles. If not, look up the phone at your carrier’s Web site.
Some portable global positioning system (GPS) devices, such as the $499 TomTom 720, have Bluetooth hands-free phone support and voice control built in. Portables can be moved easily to different vehicles, but a car kit typically integrates more completely into your car and won’t be as easy a target for theft.
Wireless car kits tend to come in two major flavors: the basic hands-free phone version and a premium version that incorporates voice control of GPS navigation. Some of the basic Bluetooth car kits offer features that your phone may not have, such as voice recognition dialing.
The Motorola IHF1000, for instance, stores and recognizes up to 20 names, regardless of who speaks them and lets you dial by speaking the number affiliated with the person you want to call. The $199 unit also announces caller ID on incoming calls and uses your voice command to determine whether or not to answer. It can pair with any Bluetooth phone — up to four different ones so various drivers can use the system — and transfers seamlessly from phone to car as you enter and start the vehicle.
The $109 Parrot Evolution 3000 has similar functions, but pairs with only three phones, and it uses a knob to scroll through menu options instead of Motorola’s voice commands. The Parrot CK3100 adds an LCD screen that displays the number and adds caller ID, carrier signal strength, call history and other features for $219.
GPS in a Kit
Some GPS car kits are essentially cradles for smart phones or PDAs such as the Treo or iPaq. They add a GPS antenna and navigation software to the smart phone. Cradle-based systems can be bulky and difficult to mount, but they keep the smart phone charged and can integrate it into the car’s audio system. When in the cradle, the system does not use the phone’s Bluetooth capabilities.
The term “kit” can be misleading, however. While you simply plug some of these systems into a convenience outlet and tune your FM radio to an unused frequency, others connect into in-dash power sources and your audio system for muting. The latter are best left to professional installers, as it can be difficult to reach the necessary locations, make the right connections and conceal the wires.
The Palm GPS Navigator 2+ is a typical windshield-mounted cradle, priced at $259. The Parrot CK3400, at $232, does use Bluetooth to provide a full range of GPS and hands-free connectivity with smart phones and PDAs.
For conventional Bluetooth cell phones, a portable GPS with Bluetooth capabilities is the way to go. At $350, the Mio C520 is one of the least expensive systems, but prices in the category top out at roughly $1,000. For that price, as with the Garmin Nuvi 670, you get touch-screen operation, wireless FM into your audio system, an MP3 player, complete maps of North America and 34 European countries, a database of nearly 6 million points of interest and real-time traffic reports via a subscription service. All of the high-end systems are software-upgradeable, of course, so the maps stay current, and the systems continue to work with new phones.
Bio: Bill Machrone, a writer for Ziff Davis Media, is the former Editor in Chief of PC Magazine. He has written numerous articles about automotive technology topics, including onboard performance monitoring devices, automotive upgrades, remote camera/backup systems and sonar parking systems.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Progressive Casualty Insurance Company or its affiliates.
