The Bury Bluetooth technology is one of the most complex in Bluetooth in-car kits on the market today. The three main kits – the CV9040, the CC9050, and the

Bury CC9060

– feature touch-screens that allow the user to easily utilize the device’s various functions at a touch. The large display makes these kits easy to use on-the-go, and allows users to access various functions of their mobile phone – contacts, text messages, etcetera – without having to locate their handset, or take their eyes off the road to locate small buttons. Touch screens not your thing? That’s okay, the steering wheel-mounted remote controls for these models vary from a simple, 3-button version, to a full keypad, allowing you access to all of the kit’s functions, all while keeping both hands on the wheel. Various other functions of these models, such as text-to-speech software which allows the device to read text messages aloud in up to four languages, and the ability to automatically mute your car’s stereo when a call comes in, make these devices even more desirable for the savvy Bluetooth user.

While some may worry about positioning their Bluetooth device’s display, that’s not really an issue with these kits. The CV9040, for example, has the LCD screen built into a convenient and small flip-style device; the kit automatically rotates the display, so it can be positioned anywhere inside the car. With the other kits, the versatile and easy-to-use mounting bracket makes positioning the kit a breeze. It can be mounted on the car visor, the dashboard, windshield, et cetera.

For anyone who is self-employed, or travels a lot for his or her job, a cell phone is a necessity. Missing calls while on the road is simply not an option for those who own their own business, or need to be contacted by employers or customers on a regular basis. With the creation of bylaws in many States / countys and towns prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving, a Bluetooth device is a necessity for those who use their cell phones on the road. Everyone has missed a call at some point while driving – whether because they can’t hear the phone ring, or because the phone falls under a seat or in another inaccessible location. Missing a call while driving can be a much bigger problem for self-employed people, or those who travel for work, than for the average person, who uses their mobile  phone only for personal purposes.

With a Bluetooth headset, the problems inherent with using a cell phone while driving are ameliorated, or eliminated. Missed calls are a thing of the past, because the Bluetooth device is always accessible, and audible. Users won’t have to worry about being pulled over and cited for using a phone while driving, because in most of the places where using a mobile phone is prohibited, Bluetooth devices are still allowed, because the driver can still keep his or her hands on the wheel while talking. Also, the chances of getting involved in a collision are lessened, because drivers’ reaction time is unimpeded with a hands-free device. And for those who spend a large portion of their time driving company vehicles, or their own commercial vehicles, anything that lessens the chances of a collision is certainly a benefit.

To miss a call could mean missing a sale or business opportunity. In the current climate every single opportunity could make the difference between staying afloat or sinking. If your business depends on you being on the road you cant afford not to answer the phone, and bluetooth is the only safe and legal way of doing so.

A Bluetooth Car Kit is a device that provides a safe and convenient way to communicate whilst driving. Your Phone can connect to the Car Bluetooth kit and ensure you and other road users remain safe.

More and more people are utilizing cell phones, both for business and personal reasons.  With this rise in ownership, comes a rise in the number of people using their cell phones as they drive.All of us have heard the studies regarding cell phone use and driver safety, and the general consensus appears to be that using a cell phone while driving creates a hazardous environment for the driver, his or her passengers, and the other drivers on the road.Many insurance companies now ask if you were on your cell phone at the time an accident occurred.

That being said, many states and towns are enacting bylaws which make using a cell phone while driving illegal. Some are even creating a rule that drivers must have both hands visibly on the wheel at all times, eliminating the possibility of performing any other activities behind the wheel, such as eating, drinking, applying makeup, et cetera.

Many people say that they haven’t gotten a Bluetooth car kit yet, because it’s too expensive; with the economy being what it is, no one wants to spend more than they have to.But, when one weighs the risks and the benefits, it seems pretty obvious that anyone who uses their cell phone on a regular basis would benefit from having a Bluetooth kit.Drivers are typically not cited for using a Bluetooth kit while driving, unlike if they are using a cell phone.The fines for using a cell phone while driving vary, but all are above the price of an average Bluetooth kit – not to mention the deductible, and increase in insurance premium, if one causes an accident because of cell phone usage.Considering the potential fines, and the financial and safety risks of potential collisions, can anyone really afford NOT to have a Bluetooth?

The Roads in the UK are very dangerous, more and more vehicles are released on to them every year, as well as the millions of older vehicles already motoring. More people are learning to drive and people are staying on the roads for longer durations, whether it is through profession, leisure or convenience.

The problem that we face now is a craze that started at the time of the mass production of mobile phones. People have become dependent on phones ever since they were made mobile, especially when an incoming call is made. Obviously when driving it’s much more dangerous to be involved in a manual phone call, not only endangering the life of the driver but the lives of other road users.

The Danger comes two fold, firstly the act of physically removing your hands from the steering wheel, reducing the ability to react to any situation that may occur in front. Although many people think they are capable driving with effectively one arm studies show that driving performance is reduced significantly

The Second and more important problem occurs with braking eye contact from the road while looking for the mobile phone. Obviously while you aren’t looking what’s happening in front when driving you can’t react to anything that may happen. Significantly reducing the time in which the driver has to react. This is in most cases the more dangerous factor.

Several organisations and charities studying the effects of phone driving also suggest that people becoming too “involved” in the conversation may cause an accident, however there will be many occasions that the driver may become involved in an aspect or activity other than driving that may cause an accident.

The solution to this problem is the use of a Bluetooth Car Kit, Parrot are the market leaders in the field however other products are available. Bluetooth car kits enable you to connect your mobile phone through the car audio system wirelessly so you can make and receive calls, text messages and now more modern kits allow music streaming, iPod connections and voice recognition.

Using a Bluetooth kit reduces the two most significant dangers while phone driving, the easy answer / hang up functions means you don’t have to remove your hands from the wheel, and your eyes can remain on the road while you use the phone.The invention of the Bluetooth kits definitely improves driver safety when using the phone, and parrot continues to lead the way!

A

Bluetooth Car Kit

is a device that provides a safe and convenient way to communicate whilst driving. Your Phone can connect to the

Car Bluetooth

and ensure you and other road users remain safe.

The technology that is Bluetooth has brought about a revolution about how we work using our Bluetooth enabled devices such as phones, computers & MP3 players. The home network using two computers, printer, scanner and mobile phone can be put into existence within minutes either by using the inbuilt facilities in the computers and peripherals or using Bluetooth dongles on the computers. It would just take a few minutes to set up the whole setup to start working. You broad band connection can be shared between two computers using a blue tooth LAN. Earlier every time a new computer or piece of equipment was purchased when had to purchases a connectivity cable with it. As the devices grew the number of cables grew which made cable management hell for the poor home user.  Bluetooth has simply eliminated the need of using cables by going wireless. The older peripherals had all different types of cables for each device but Bluetooth is standardized communication protocol followed by all and sundry devices.

Technology has moved even further to help the way we live our lives than possibly any other technological advance. In terms of safety; it really is up there! It is obviously the main driving force behind hands free calling and bluetooth car kits and continues to grow further. It has created a mass market for products which has certainly helped the economy and a large number of companies who specialize in making bluetooth products such as Bury THD and Parrot. If we believe what is coming from these brands development departments then the technology is also set to improve and new ideas are being thrown around which might just allow it to take even more of the gadget market!

Since 2003 it has become illegal do use a hand held phone while driving and now carries a £60 fine and 3 penalty points in the UK. Society in general has now realised how dangerous this act is, although it still doesn’t seem to concern the majority. Hopefully this will soon change with more and more variations of bluetooth kits becoming available. One of which is the Bluetooth Headset which is also known as Bluetooth Ear Piece.

Bluetooth Headsets have become more popular in recent years. This is for several reasons but mainly due to the awareness of phone driving and the consequences of doing so. There are more bluetooth headsets on the market now than ever before. This growing popularity has had many effects on the current crop of headsets. The design of the ear pieces is more stylish and trendy than ever before, mainly down to the importance of the style and fashion in an image conscious generation. For this reason manufacturers have increased the budget for development of newer products.

As these products are designed to be worn on the ear and on display constantly, small, sleek, smooth and simple kits are seen to be more desirable. The size of these types of kit have reduced over the past few years and a lot are now around the size of a 20p piece and due to this the functionality of them is fairly basic.

So what are Bluetooth Headsets?

Actually more like an ear piece than a headset. The device fits into your ear with most having an arm that loops over your ear to hold in place. The device connects pairs with your phone via bluetooth and allows you to answer and hang up conversations via your mobile phone, but without having to touch the phone. The majority of these devices utilise a one button function method for ease of use, in which one tap will answer the incoming call and the next tap will hang up the conversation. The microphone is usually built in to the ear piece to improve the design and functionality.

This has its obvious advantages, one of which is these devices allow you be contactable while you drive. Just a simple tap of the device button while you’re driving connects the conversation through the bluetooth headset. Meaning you can hear and talk to the contact perfectly while you concentrate on driving. Obviously this reduces the chances of an accident significantly assuming you would have previously been fumbling around for the phone, then driving one handed for the duration of the call.

Usually Bluetooth Headsets are easy to use and set up. Almost all units pair to your phone in the same way, you switch the device on, press the button and select the device in the phones bluetooth menu. Once Paired you are good to go, just insert the device in your ear & you can accept all calls coming through your mobile.

The quality of the audio produced by these most of these devices is excellent, because the device fits directly into your ear there’s minimal interference outside of the ear piece. Most kits come with a 2 watt speaker which produce a good audio range, so they’re neither to tinny or too much bass’ when people are speaking on the other end.

The majority of these kits are used by professional drivers, who are on the road more often than not. However Bluetooth headsets are very cost effective and are definitely useful for all drivers as your device may save your life without you being aware of it.

Over the past ten years Bluetooth car kits have become more and more popular and mainstream in society. This is mainly down to the fact that mobile phones are more common place and have a more prominent role within people’s lives, and the fact we are all travelling in our vehicles more as part of our daily routine. When you combine the two it easy to see why we feel the need to use our mobile phones while we are driving, especially if we are going to be driving for a period of time without stopping.

Our attitudes have changed in recent times and certainly in the past five to ten years, we now feel the need to be contactable 24/7, and often feel naked without our mobiles or some form of technology to hand. This is in-part due the internet boom in the late 90’s where information was made easily and readily available, and more recently trends such as facebook, twitter & myspace that allow us be “in contact” with all of our friends and family and have up to the minute news & info at the touch of a button. On the whole this new technology is a movement in the right direction however it has caused an “impatient” attitude with most people of the current generation, who tend to want everything instantly. This feel instant gratification can lead to misjudgements in decision making. Probably one of the major factors why more people are using their mobile phones while they drive, and certainly one of the major causes for road accidents on our roads today!

What are Bluetooth Car Kits and why are they Important?

 The Bluetooth kit trend started roughly 10 years ago and takes advantage of the built in function of the majority of, if not all new mobile phones. Bluetooth Car Kits such as Parrot and Bury connect to your phone via the Bluetooth function. Once connected the kits act as the Phone and allow a user interface with the phone through the Bluetooth Kit. New Bluetooth car kits such as the Parrot MKi9200 and the Bury CC9060 allow the user to navigate through the mobile phone using its functions like; phonebook, text message, dial etc without having to touch the phone at all, just leave it in your pocket or handbag. The Wireless technology means you can just get in your car and go.

Bluetooth Car Kits are becoming ever more important in the modern world as they allow you to be contactable when you’re driving, many people who don’t use a bluetooth kit while driving may feel they are capable of answering the phone or reading a text message without it. However this is proven to cause accidents as a result of dangerous driving, which is why the police and politicians have cracked down on phone drivers. Issuing a mandatory £60 fine and a 3 Point penalty to anybody caught in the act.

The Aid of a Bluetooth car kit allows you communicate with anybody safely and legally without having to break contact with the steering wheel or eye contact with the road leaving you to concentrate on driving. Even though Bluetooth car kits provide a safer means to communicate and drive ultimately you are responsible for driving in a safe manner. The police can still prosecute for dangerous driving if you are using the phone while driving through the Bluetooth kit if you are driving erratically or dangerously.

Leading manufacturers in Bluetooth 

Bluetooth Car Kits have become a very popular accessory within the vehicle world, and many leading brands predict a 3 billion pound market for bluetooth products across Europe in 2010. Parrot and Bury are the leaders in the aftermarket car kits, specifically to factory fitted car stereos and are already developing further kits on the back of the latest successful Parrot bluetooth MKI Range and Bury CC9060 units. The latest kits take advantage of the latest technology boom and utilise new and improved features such as advanced voice recognition software where virtually all menus are accessible via voice commands, and no training is required before hand. Just simply narrate the menu title and the function you would like to perform, e.g. dial… In Car Network, the phone dials the number associated with that contact. Other advanced functions include iPod integration, where tracks, videos & artwork are displayed across the screen, SD card & USB input allow additional sources of media and little features like text to voice so text messages can be read aloud, negating the need fumble around looking for and reading incoming texts.

The Bottom line is that these Kits are much safer to use than your mobile phone, if fact any Bluetooth car kit is. Even the basic ones which only provide simple functions allow you to concentrate on driving, reducing road accidents & deaths. Either Use a Bluetooth Car Kit or don’t use your phone at all.

Expected release date Aug 2009

The Release of the Newest Bluetooth headunit developed by parrot is imminent. The Parrot RKI8400 is set to dominate the car stereo market for the remainder of 2009 and beyond. Parrot have always released stereos (headunits) which are feature rich and functional, and the RKI8400 is no different. Based on Parrot’s new flagship bluetooth car kit (the MKI9200) the RKI8400 adopts a lot of the features and functions and has adapted them to work in an aftermarket headunit.

The Parrot RKI8400 has a number of functions that will appeal to a wider target audience, Its licensed "Made for iPod" and "Works With iPhone" so the RKi8400 has been specifically developed to work with full iPod and iPhone compatibility & meets Apple’s strict Performance standards, The dock connector of the RKi8400 provides communication and standard charge which allows you to control and interact with your iPod or iphone through the stereo.

Parrot have also incorporated many other features into the RKi8400, such as Automatic phonebook synchronisation, Voice Recognition (without training) Voice Commands Answer & Reject & a very large phone compatibility as you would expect from the worlds leading bluetooth specialists. You would expect the bluetooth features and functions in this headunit to be top quality and they don’t disappoint.

The "Headunit" its self holds it’s stylish design well, with a good mixture of functional buttons on display, a central control stick and a screen to the right of the unit the RKi8400 would look good in virtually every car you could put it in. This headunit also compares well with other headunits for audio input, the parrot will accept music and video from iPod/iPhone, USB, 3.5mm Jack (located on the front of the faceplate) SD Card & via bluetooth straight from your phone, Combined with the 4×50 MOSFET amplifier you know your getting a high quality stereo perfect for multitasking.
  
Parrot have developed first class bluetooth headunit with the RKi8400, the bluetooth functions surpass any other stereo on the current market, it’s digital and analogue music input means you don’t have to carry 1000’s of CD around with you and the style matches all but the very best stereos on the market.

Image Rating: 7/10 (Nice Looking, but not the best)
Bluetooth Rating: 10/10 (comfortably the best on the market)
Audio in Rating: 8/10 (has a lot of audio in options, but no CD)

What Parrot Say;

Exceptional sound quality in your car

Equipped with a 200 W MOFSET amplifier, the Parrot RKi8400 can offer you a new musical experience. Totally integrated into the vehicle’s audio system, conversations and music are transmitted via the speakers for maximum listening quality. To make the experience even more enjoyable, the RKi8400 has a built-in equaliser and includes sound effects that can be adapted to any style of music.

Hands-free phone book access and conversations

The very first time you connect the Parrot RKi8400 to your mobile-phone, it automatically copies the contacts in your mobile’s phonebook. To make a call, use the voice-recognition function (by pressing the green button) and say the name of the person you want to call. Alternatively, access the phonebook and
listen to the RKi8400 read out the names. Confirm the person you want and dialling begins. To pick up an incoming call, just press the green button.

Elegant design and wide colour screen

The RKi8400 has a removable front panel which combines matt black with chrome features. The main functions are all accessible via an elegant rotary button, making browsing through the menus more intuitive. The high-definition 2.4” colour screen displays in an instant all your information, phonebook, menus, music, playlist, album covers, etc.

Instant access to all your digital music

The Parrot RKi8400 also provides instant access to your music. Thanks to its special cables, it can support any musical source you want: iPod, iPhone, USB flash drive, and even SD cards, Bluetooth stereo (A2DP) peripherals or any other analogue player. You can easily browse through your music library and view the playlist and album covers on the colour screen.

A storage compartment for your devices

A highly practical storage compartment is located behind the RKi8400’s removable front panel, ideal for hiding your phone, MP3 player or USB flash
drive. A special cover provides your devices with excellent protection, whatever the circumstances. To access your devices more quickly, use the auto-
insert mechanism on the front panel. The insertion process is quick and you only need one hand to do it.

Product Review

The Contour Designs surface sounds compact bluetooth car kit

Contour Designs released the Surface sounds compact kit into the bluetooth market with the hope mastering the art of bluetooth integration, and to be fair they have done quite a good job.

Its slim body attaches to your vehicles sun visor using its large durable clip. It features a "wand" that flips down with an inbuilt mic, that also doubles as the devices power switch. Pulling down the wand turns the unit on. It then actively seeks out paired devices within its 10 metre range. Once a device is found, the kit automatically connects to it.

The kit comprises of 4 Buttons, Call, End Call, Volume Up, Volume Down. You will only ever need to touch one button to make, receive, end or refuse calls. Its simple, safe and effective, basically does what it says on the tin.

Contour built the kit with two things in mind, integrating ease of use with stylish looks and achieving a consistency that very few other kits have met. Combining these is a rare achievement that not many other manufacturers have achieved, but have contour managed to?

Bluetooth Car Kit Direct have thoroughly tested the surface sound bluetooth kit and can report the following;

Ease of use: 8/10

The buttons are in a convenient location and simple to use, pairing the kit was easy when we read the instructions (Being typical men we decided not to at first.) time taken to pair the mobile for the first time and start using around 2 minutes

Quality: 7/10

The speaker volume can turned up and down, we nearly always had very good audio sound quality. No audio feedback or echo’s was experienced during any calls made or received.

Visuals/ appearance: 7/10 (our opinion)

The Kit connects to the sun visor easily and is not instantly noticeable, the kits appearance blends well into all the vehicles we tried and we had good feedback from the public when questioned.

(avg score out of ten from 10 customers questioned = 6.5)

Conclusion

The slim design and stylish looks go hand in hand with the slightly above average price tag, you are paying for a good bluetooth kit with decent functions and very good looks and audio quality

There are a lot of different types of bluetooth handsfree kits available on the market, many different brands, styles and designs offering different functions. However each kit performs what is essentially the same task, offering Handsfree call functionality while driving. Although there are many types of kit they all fall into two categories, Universal Sun Visor Kits or Fully Integrated Kits.

Universal Sun Visor Kits also referred to as Plug and Play kits are a portable speaker and microphone combination packaged into one working unit. They hold a small but strong storage battery that allow for long standby life so you can attach the kit to your sun visor and leave it dormant until you need it. Many are provided with a car charger and more often than not a USB charger for connection to your computer for re-charging, firmware updates and bluetooth connectivity while at work (or play). Most recent universal bluetooth kits provide excellent sound reproduction due to a break through in DSP (digital sound processing) & Echo reduction software & Hardware. The microphone on universal bluetooth kits are more often than not built into the units, and pick up far less background noise than older models. Due to this your contact on the other end gets a loud and strong connection via your phone. There are many different styles, designs, shapes and sizes of sun visor kits ranging from large function rich kits like the Bury CV9040 to the Small and pretty kits like the Pama Alpha or the Parrot Minikit Slim.

As you would expect with all universal kits the features and functions vary tremendously. State of the art kits usually come from Bury and Parrot and the rest tend to follow behind. A lot of universal kits now have features like TTS (Text to speech) and voice to text technology that allows the dictation of text messages and more advanced kits can be controlled voice commands. The Bury CV9060 is a particular market leader in this field with menu system that can be fully navigated by speech, apart from several functions, such as to hang up while in conversation (obviously you don’t want the conversation to end abruptly depending on whats said either end!)

The Majority of Universal kits purchased are to be used socially either for a group of people (family or friends) to share when out and about, or for individuals  or couples who have more than one vehicle and want to change frequently. These device can be removed in seconds and charged while driving making them a great hansdfree solution that are cheap, reliable and totally portable.

Integrated Bluetooth Car Kits are fully hardwired into the vehicles speaker system, just about all Integrated kits are provided as standard with ISO connections, if your vehicle has an ISO wiring loom the bluetooth kits will fit straight into it making installation very easy. If not there are various wiring adaptors available that will convert your vehicle wiring to ISO, these are know as SOT leads and are available for just about every vehicle. As the Kit is hardwired into the vehicle, several problems are instantly eliminated. The kits retain charge via the power cable in the ISO harness so you never have to charge the bluetooth kit, there is also a Auto-Mute cable with the ISO that will kill any audio coming from the radio, cd, iPod etc automatically. So all you hear is the conversation.

Most integrated kits are provided with separate control units to answer, hang up or dial contacts. These can usually be connected anywhere in the vehicle that is both comfortable and convenient for the driver. New bluetooth kits such as the Parrot MKI range and the Bury CC9060 are provided the additional functions that improve compatibility & usability. For instance the MKI range are compatible with iPods so you have music integration via parrot kit. The iPods are fully controllable via the parrot control unit so functions like track browsing, song forwarding, Volume increase etc can all be performed at the touch of a button. The Bury CC9060 is provided with an excellent touch screen monitor and equipped with the very latest voice recognition software. This allows you to use your phone via the bury unit via voice commands. You don’t even have to train the kit, just install and start.

The Integrated kits provide a much better all round performance. The quality of audio reproduction is far greater then the Universal kits. Integrated Kits also have many additional features over the universal kits. Making & answering calls is usually easier too so if your looking for a good all round performance Integrated is the way forward. However the universal kits are portable and can be easily transferred from vehicle to vehicle. The sound reproduction is still good however you may have to fight with the radio for volume control.

In summary, if you want an all singing & dancing bluetooth car kit you should go down the integrated route, however if you want some thing more simple and portable the universal kit is the one for you. However both are excellent options and are much better than manually talking on your mobile phone while driving.