Bluetooth Car Stereos

We all know that it is both illegal and dangerous in the UK to make a phone call holding a mobile phone whilst driving. So what are your options if you want to make a phone call while driving and stay legal?

The answer is to use a hands-free method of using your mobile phone; you could use an earpiece, wear a Bluetooth headset, or buy a Bluetooth Car Stereo.

Bluetooth Car Stereos allow you to wirelessly connect your mobile phone to your car stereo. Then when you get a call, it cuts out the radio, CD or MP3 that you were listening to and allows you to have your conversation safely and legally. When your call finishes it will automatically return to whatever you were listening to without you ever having to let go of the steering wheel.

Since December 2003 it has been illegal to drive a vehicle or ride a motorbike and use a hand held mobile phone or similar device. If the police stop you and you accept a roadside fixed penalty notice, you will be liable for 3 points on your licence and a fine of £60. If decide to go to court you could receive a discretionary disqualification on top a maximum fine of £1,000.

Besides, holding a mobile phone while driving is dangerous, let’s face it you could kill or injure yourself or someone else.

Many Bluetooth Car Stereos have the capability to allow you to listen to your iPod or MP3 player through it; however, a connection lead is usually required for this. The player will still switch automatically to your phone call whenever you receive one.

Bluetooth enabled car stereos have many advantages over a headset or earpiece car kit.

You can receive calls on your mobile phone hands free, and the stereo will automatically mute your radio, CD or MP3 so that you can take the call. You do not need to take your hands off the steering wheel at all. As well as keeping you legal it also keeps you safe.

Better still, many models of Bluetooth Car Stereo allow you to synchronise your mobile phone's address book. They then also include a microphone and this means that you can use voice recognition for hands free dialling while you are driving.

Many people find that an earpiece or headset can be uncomfortable for them. Also, you do not have to remember to put your headset or earpiece in the car and you won't accidentally leave it in the car, with the associated risk of it being stolen.

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless radio communication technology for mobile devices such as a mobile phones or handheld PCs. Bluetooth devices can be connected without cables yet still communicate with each other. Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, personal computers, printers, digital cameras, and video game consoles over a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency. The Bluetooth specifications are developed and licensed by the ‘Bluetooth Special Interest Group’.

Bluetooth communication allowing mobile phones to be used safely whilst driving is the most popular use for this technology.

Bluetooth Car Stereos are designed to be fitted as easily as possible. The first time you use such a device, you will need to 'pair' it by entering a pin number from your Bluetooth device. Pairing allows Bluetooth devices to communicate each other. Many stereos allow you to pair a number of phones to the stereo, so if your car is used by all the family, you can all use the Bluetooth capability, however only one device can be connected at a time for each source.

To make pairing, you may need to enter the PIN (Personal Identification Number) code of your Bluetooth device you want to connect. Then to use the Bluetooth function, you need to turn on the Bluetooth function of the device.

Many of the best known manufacturers of car audio equipment are now producing Bluetooth Car Stereos, including Blaupunkt, JVC, Sony, Alpine, LG, Becker, Pioneer, Parrot and Kenwood.

The first manufacturer to introduce a Bluetooth Car Stereo to the UK market was Parrot. The Parrot Rythmn’N’Blue is one of the most popular versions of this technology available. As well as being affordable, only costing around £130 it has a high specification for a model at this price point. It includes an AM/FM radio, a CD/CD-RW/MP3 player, a remote control, phone book synchronization and voice recognition of up to 150 names. The unit allows pairing with up to five mobile devices, plus you can choose from seven backlight colours.

At the other end of the price scale, at around £500 is the JVC KD-AVX33, an all-in-one DVD/MP3/CD player, a microphone for voice recognition dialling, is DAB ready and can be connected to your iPod, so that you can listen to your iPod through the car stereo. The DVD player has a 3.5" wide monitor and it can also receive text messages too!

A good mid-range model is the Sony MEX-BT5000 at £260, which offers Bluetooth Audio Streaming, which enables wireless audio streaming from an MP3 player or a PDA as well as your mobile phone. It also has a rear auxiliary input for and iPod or MP3 player, so that you can play your favourite music directly from your player through your in-car stereo.

The Bluetooth Car Stereo is a great idea, allowing you to both drive safely and make and receive calls on your mobile phone.

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