For years, Parrot bluetooth kits have dominated the market, building up a brand so strong that anyone looking for a bluetooth kit will automatically think Parrot. Although Parrot do have an excellent product range, their kits use telemute leads that bypass and mute the vehicles radio, which means they have several disadvantages. The main disadvantage being the kit cannot be controlled by the factory fitted stereo so a separate display and controller is required.

For a lot of people, having after market units present in the vehicle is an eye sore, and many seek a solution that works with what is already fitted, especially when steering wheel controls are present.

Dice have always offered the very best in vehicle integration for BMW, their simple connection utilises the BMW pre wired CD changer lead that was fitted as standard to most vehicles (3 and 6 Pin connectors). The interface effectively emulates a CD changer, showing the iPod text as CD MP3 information. Their last kit, the Silverline Pro, allows you to search your iPod from the stereo by album, artist, track and play-list, as well as also giving you the ability to control the iPod from the mp3 player itself.

Dice step up to rival manufacturers by incorporating iPod integration systems with hands free calling with their new Media Bridge MB1500.

The MB1500 is essentially the Dice Silverline kit with and integrated bluetooth chip. The kit can support music playback from iPod, Auxiliary and USB, giving the user a wide range of options to listen to their MP3’s, the kits text display ensures all iPod and USB information is clearly shown on the vehicles display.

In terms of bluetooth, the kit will connect to 99% of phones on the market today, displaying who’s calling, along with all of your phone book contacts. When a call is received, the music playback is muted, and the sound from the call is played through the vehicles speakers. The MB1500 microphone provides the audio input for the call, which is also cable of handling voice dialling, all at the touch of a button.

Dice did have an issue a few years back when Apple changed the way their iPods received charge. Millions of consumers were effected when iPods moved from 12V to 5V charge, and Dice shared some of the issues with their kits. Thankfully this issue has been addressed and all of their kits, including the MB1500, now fully support 5V charging. On the same note, both the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4G are fully supported by the Media Bridge.

Currently the MB1500 is only available for BMWs built up to 2006. From 2007 onwards, BMW use the fibreoptic MOST system and you need a Dension Gateway MOST product to connect your devices.

In summary, if you are looking to integrate your iPod and phone into your BMW, the Dice Media Bridge will offer you the most effective solution, with the least amount of fuss and clutter. It takes no more than an hour to fit, and with its competitive price, it easily runs circles around its competitors.

 There are a lot more than 10 reasons why not to use a mobile phone when driving, however i’ll keep it short and snappy. After all i’m sure you will all agree with most of what i’m about to say, and if you only take just one point away with you. Think about it, think about why your thinking about it. Then do something about it.

Reason number One: Points on your licence.

Quite a shallow reason to start with but a valid one non the less. Nobody wants points because it ultimately results in a ban. You get points because its considered dangerous driving. Think About it.

Reason number Two: Penalty Fine.

Again a fairly shallow reason, however who enjoys getting a fine? I don’t know anybody. The fine can be especially difficult to swallow as many handsfree kits that cost half the amount of the fine given. It doesn’t take a genius to realise what people should be doing.

Reason number Three: Suspended Licence.

You don’t have to do it all the time, Its only takes one second for it to happen. If a police officer spots you it and you already have points could mean the end of your driving licence for 12 months. What does that mean for you? No transport, social life or job? Think, is it worth it?

Reason number Four: Reduced awareness.

If you text when driving its the equivalent of being three times over the alcohol limit. We don’t tolerate drink drivers so why texters?

Reason number Five: Reduced ability.

If you don’t have a bluetooth car kit you have to physically hold the phone to talk. If you do this you break contact with the vehicles controls reducing the ability to drive it. Even an idiot can see the potential consequences of these actions. If you are an idiot and can’t work it out, Its DEATH.

Reason number Six: Concentration.

Its easy to loose concentration when talking or texting, especially if its something your passionate about. Combine it with point 4 & 5 and you have a recipe for disaster.

Reason number Seven: Prison sentence.

If your convicted of dangerous driving you could get jail time, especially if you cause a major accident. Just think 12 months in jail for one text or call that could be sent in 10 minutes time?

Reason number Eight: Your Family.

Its strange that most of us don’t think about what were doing when we drive & how dangerous it actually is. I mean, we drive a 3 tonne lump of metal around at 70mph and higher relatively close to somebody in front and behind, and people coming in the opposite direction. Do you really need an excuse to not drive responsibly? Just think of your family before the inevitable happens.

Reason number Nine: Somebody else’s family.

If your serial texter who doesn’t use a bluetooth car kit when doing so. Think the next time you do it, it might be your last. Or the family driving towards you. Could you live with that on your conscience? I doubt it.

Reason number Ten: Time.

I seriously doubt that a text or call is so important that you have to answer it immediately. I mean, what is that important? With the possible exception of your wife going into labour i’m fresh out of ideas. You have all the time in the world to call or text back later.

There you go, ten reasons not to use your phone when driving. The other exception to all the above points is to use a bluetooth car kit. Fair enough it wont guarantee all the above will not happen, but if at least you do choose to phone and drive you will be much safer doing so with bluetooth car kits.

 When you think of bluetooth car kits you automatically think of parrot bluetooth. Parrot have a dominance over the market in terms of brand recognition and selling power, however does this mean they produce the better products?

There is a lot of competition in the bluetooth market, with the majority of manufacturers producing very similar kits, in both style and design. Its an important element when designing products. After all it does have to sit & integrate into your vehicle. However the one thing you cant replicate is the functionality and usability. Each brand operates slightly differently from others and has different compatibility with phone sets and how you can interact with them when paired.

Parrot are no different from other manufacturers when it come to this. They have some good points and some bad ones too. However on the whole parrot offer a good package, as you would expect from a market leader. This doesn’t they lead the field in each area of bluetooth and phone integration. Infact you could probably choose a hand full of products and pick a feature which performs better that the parrot counterpart. For example when it comes to music the parrot offers iPod integration. Although its only through the front two speakers of the vehicle in most cases. The Bury Music kits offer the same iPod integration however you can control & navigate choices by voice commands (which stops when you get to the music) however this is especially useful when your driving. So you can concentrate fully on the road and not the iPod / iPhone.

Other brands like the Novero range of products also offer full music streaming via A2DP bluetooth protocol. Something that parrot does not support fully. However its the handsfree element that is ultimately the most important feature, and something in which neither of the three manufacturers mentioned previously fail. Each has different quirks and slightly different way of navigation and phone book browsing which ultimately results in the same thing. If you choose Bury, Parrot Or Novero you should be happy with your choice. After bluetooth car kits make the roads a safer place.      

There are two ways bluetooth car kits can be installed, one is the difficult way, the other is easier (however can still be fairly difficult dependant on vehicle). The problem is, Bluetooth kits are made with ISO connections as standard. ISO is an older industry standard which determins the locations of various wires (which perform different functions) For example, the front left and right speakers, back left and right, power, mute and ignition. If your vehicle is ISO, then the kits will install fairly easily.

The problem is, the ISO standard is now fairly old. More modern vehicles utilise systems such as CAN bus & fibre Optic MOST systems which do not use conventional wires. If this is the case you will either need to splice into the wires (where possible) or use a mute cable, ISO2CAR, Drive&Mute or Audio2Car. They all perform the same task, however each has a slightly different compatibility. For example Audio2Car work particularly well with amplified systems.

The only other difficult task when installing the bluetooth kit is to route the microphone into position. This routes from the back of the bluetooth unit. Usually installed behind the car stereo. From here its usually best to route the opposite direction from the driver. Remove the glovebox where ever possible (Different for each vehicle, but usually fairly pain free when the screws are found).

Remove the fascia from the A pillar in the vehicle, they usually un-clip, however sometimes they are screwed in, if so you should be able to pull out the airbag clip plate (a little plastic clip showing where the air bag is) a screw is usually found beneath this. There may be a couple more hidden screws to remove before the fascia can be removed. A little pull on the rear-view mirror fascia should allow you to install and route wire through the lining of the roof. (Dont pull too hard as you may pull the mirror off, and they can be a pain to reinstall) a metal coat hanger will do nicely when pushing it through. From here wire down the A pillar, avoid the air bags at all costs and do not tangle the wire around them. And route behind the glove box to the bluetooth unit.

After this do done double check you have the Power, Ground (when required) & Ignition wires are active. The Ignition is a must to check, the kits will not work with out it. In fact thid is the number one cause for people thinking they have a faulty unit. If your harness doesn’t have an ignition (not all do) the best point is either the fusebox, or the Cigarette lighter wire. A simple way of testing is by turning the ignition on when the wires are connected. The unit should power up.

Assuming the kit is working tidy up behind the stereo and re connect the dashboard & fascias and position the microphone to exactly where you want it near the mirror (make sure is doesn’t obstruct it). Pair your phone using the manufacturers instructions and you will have a fully working Bluetooth car kit at your disposal. (If you choose well, you’ll wonder how you ever lived with out one).

All in all the job shouldn’t take longer than an hour of your time, unless you have a particulatly difficult vehicle such as a BMW X5 (Due to the location of the unit) or most Porsche’s (Because of the firewall).

Bluetooth Car Kits are known to improve driver safety when using the mobile phone, if you dont have one installed in your vehicle. Don’t use your phone. If you think this is too difficult contact In Car Installer for advice.

If you are unsure of what Bluetooth car kits are you probably will be soon. Penalties are getting much stronger for using a mobile phone when driving, in fact the punishment has doubled in the previous few years. The point of which is to impose a greater awareness and the consequences of doing so. If you are caught using your phone or another hand held device you run the risk of incurring a 6 point penalty and £60 fine, which is more than a slap on the wrists for most people.

However this is very lenient compared to the burden weighing on thousands of people’s shoulders who have to live with the knowledge they caused an accident and harmed another person or family carelessly & needlessly.

What type of person knowingly puts another persons life at risk? Well the answer is most of us. Most of the road users in the UK knowingly and openly use their mobile phone illegally when driving. In fact after reading this article, make a mental note of how many you see doing so the next time you drive. I’d be very surprised if its less than 10 every half an hour driving.

If were all honest with ourselves we’ll probably admit doing it too, the fact is its too easy & tempting to to just pick it up and chat for a few seconds. What harm can that do? We all have driving experience and can multi-task right? Wrong. Its a combination of factors that make it dangerous including reducing the physical contact with the car operating controls.

The point is that the majority of accidents where a mobile phone is the cause are avoidable, simply by not answering or making the call, however if it is a necessity the use of bluetooth car kits offer a much greater and safer and more convenient option regardless of what kit you are using. The worst bluetooth kit on the market is still safer than not using one.

This is why a lot of vehicle manufacturers are adding bluetooth as an option when purchasing the vehicle, I know Ford are offering it as a free upgrade at this point in time (in the UK). Possibly more as a selling tool rather than a moral decision, however the option is still there.

So do us all a favour, either use bluetooth car kits when you drive or don’t use your phone. Can you live with somebodies death on your conscience? I know I couldn’t.