Most people are aware of the advantages of having a Bluetooth headset – no more searching for the phone when it rings, you never miss a call, and using a Bluetooth while driving is far safer than using a handset. However, what are the differences between using a Bluetooth earpiece, and having an installed car kit? How would you decide which one to purchase?

The Bluetooth earpiece is inexpensive, and its functions are simple; for most earpieces, one button will dial the last number and answer calls, and then there are volume buttons. That’s it. Also, if you get out of the car for some reason – to pump gas, go into a store, et cetera – the earpiece goes with you, making it slightly more versatile than a car kit.

Bluetooth kits, on the other hand, have far more functionality. Many have voice-recognition software that allows you to dial a number or contact verbally; some will automatically mute your car radio when you have an incoming call; there are even models with touch-screens, or steering-wheel mounted remotes, which allow you to perform multiple functions without touching your mobile phone. Some models have text-to-speech functions that allow the driver to hear a received text message. You also don’t have to wear an earpiece.

Essentially, Bluetooth earpieces are a good choice, if you want simplicity, if money is an important factor, or if you want to be able to leave your car and continue using a hands-free device. However, Bluetooth kits are usually the better option, if what you’re looking for is functionality and style, along with convenience.

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 system and ensure you and other road users remain safe. If your going to phone drive, please make sure youdo it safely

There are obvious complications involved with manually answering or dialling out numbers while driving, all of which may cause the loss of control of the vehicle at any point. The logical solution to this problem is a Bluetooth car kit.

The Sales of Bluetooth and Handsfree Car Kits have certainly risen. This can be attributed to a variety of different reasons including a change in the law, the increase of mobile phone sales, the improvement in mobile phones & the improvement of Bluetooth kits. The increased Sales of the devices has lead to a growth in the market which in turn has allowed manufacturers to improve the next generation of kits making them more user friendly and safer to use.

The Devices on the market today are fully functional with minimum contact. The use of various voice commands operate the devices and allow you to navigate your way through menu systems to find contact’s, incoming text messages and voice mail. This allows the users to concentrate on driving instead of trying to find your phone if it’s ringing, or if you want to dial out.

Although bluetooth kits offer massive improvements driving with them rather than without them, Bluetooth car kits may not be a good solution for you. There is a counter argument that the devices can also cause accidents indirectly as some people lose concentration and become too involved in the conversation.

Its the drivers responsibility to remain in control of the vehicle at all times and if the use of Bluetooth kits restrict you from doing this they should not be used.

A lot of aftermarket products are produced and designed to connect via a ISO harness, certainly the majority of Bluetooth car kits are provided with ISO connections as standard. These kits are designed by their manufacturers specifically because ISO is a standard connection used in a lot of older (and some more recent) vehicles. This system is used for several reasons, but mainly for reducing costs & to keep the products standard without too many SKU’s (Stock Keeping Units) e.g. to remove the need for one kit for each type of vehicle or radio per manufacturer. You can see these will soon add up to a lot of different versions of the same products (SKU’s).

ISO is a universal system that was used by a lot of vehicle manufacturers up to several years ago. The ISO connection is made up of a group of wires, which all have a standard and specific position within the harness. Each wire within the harness represents a specific connection to a device within the vehicle. For example the front right, back right, front left and back left speakers always hold the same position within the ISO harness no matter which vehicle it is located in. This allows the manufacturers of the products to produce a kit that operates in exactly the same way no matter what the device is connected too. By using ISO harness’s you negate the need to piggy back and/or solder connections when fitting the product. 

However more and more manufacturers are starting to use their own wiring systems within their vehicles, this creates a small problem when installing the kits as connections will have to be made manually if the harness is different. So connecting specific speaker wires to the correct equivalent within the harness (each case will be different for the majority of vehicles) there is an easy alternative to this problem, the ISO2CAR adapter.

ISO2CAR wiring harnesses are made specifically to avoid this problem. There are around 20 to 30 different types of harness’ available covering the vast majority of vehicles. The ISO2CAR harness is a connection device that will connect into the products ISO harness, then into the vehicle harness making the installation much more simple and pain free. The vast majority of vehicles now use their own wiring systems so ISO2CAR adapters are more important when installing aftermarket devices into your vehicle.

ISO2CAR harnesses can be used when the vehicle doesn’t have an amplified or upgraded audio system, if this is the case a Drive and Mute cable will be needed where available.

Technorati Profile

We all know that driving and using a mobile phone is a big no no, nearly all of us (if not all of us) know that doing so is illegal. Yet a lot of the public continue to do so. Legislation was introduced in the UK in December 2003 that allows police officers to punish drivers if they are caught using a hand held device whilst driving. Originally this figure was £30, but has since been raised to £60 with a maximum of £2000 if the offence goes to court and 3 points on your licence, as the offence is seen to be dangerous.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) know that between 1998 and early 2003 there have been 20 deaths on Britain’s roads involving mobile phones. This doesn’t sound particularly high however a spokeswoman for RoSPA states this could be the "tip of the iceberg" as road accidents are not recorded systematically & on most occasions its extremely difficult to detect if a mobile was being used at the time of or before the accident. Further in-depth searching into phone records can be carried out by the police if they believe this to be the case.

David Jamieson, Road Safety Minister at the time stated: "You are four times more likely to be involved in an accident when using a mobile phone and driving – and this new offence will help make our roads safer"  Its thought that the physical act of using the mobile phone and breaking contact with the road induce a lack of concentration while the offenders drive, which is ultimately the cause of the accident.

However David Jamieson goes on to say "Today’s new offence applies to hand-held mobiles – but using any type of phone while driving increases the risk of having an accident. Remember the police can use other powers to prosecute a driver if they are distracted by a call on a hands-free phone."

Bluetooth Car Kits are seen as a better and safer option than manually using the mobile, however it important to remember that distractions can come in many forms especially when we become engrossed in a conversation, it’s the drivers responsibility to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Modern bluetooth car kits allow the drivers to control devices in a much more user-friendly way, many of which can now be operated via voice command & without having to remove your hands from the steering wheel. However it is the drivers responsibility to drive safely and judge road conditions, if the conditions are dangerous its wise not to use your mobile phone at all. 

The aftermarket bluetooth car kit has been around for some time, but its over recent years that we have seen the largest improvements and developments in technology. The first kits invented were very much a one trick pony, in that the functionality and design of them was limited and some what basic. Obviously as technology has improved so have bluetooth kits, and now many bluetooth kits offer more than just bluetooth connectivity, for instance the parrot mki range offer iPod connectivity, bluetooth streaming and excellent voice recognition software surpassing previous voice to speech and recognition technology.

There’s a lot hype around at the minute regarding bluetooth kits, especially after recent government laws prohibiting the use of hand held mobile phones  while driving, but not too many people are sure what they do or how bluetooth car kits operate?

Parrot are given a lot of credit for introducing bluetooth car kits to the main stream, Parrot kits are seen as the leaders in the field and for good reason. However all bluetooth car kits offer one function that is common through out, That is the transfer of the incoming or outgoing calls made on mobile phone via Bluetooth streaming to an independent speaker system. This allows the user to communicate handsfree away from the mobile handset and still have the ability to drive and talk simultaneously. Vitrually all mobile phones have Bluetooth built into the handset, bluetooth car kits use this protocol to transfer the incoming / outgoing call to either the speaker unit (in universal bluetooth handsfree kits) or to the processing unit in the fully integrated kits. The audio stream is then conveyed through the speaker and microphone rather than the phone its self. 

So Why they are useful? Well this system simplifies the whole system, meaning it’s much easier and safer to answer, talk and hang up the conversation while driving. Previously the driver had to route around to find the phone, pick it up, physically answer the phone and keep one hand off the steering wheel while in conversation, obviously this is made even more difficult when driving a manual gear shift vehicle. Bluetooth car kits allow you to do all of the above without taking your hands from the wheel.

The Bluetooth Kits allow you to concentrate on driving while you talk, you also have full use of your arms and hands while you drive so you can react as and when you need to. New research shows that you are 4 times more likely your be involved in an accident in an accident while using your mobile phone and  have 50% slower reaction times. This is a major reason why more and more people are involved road accidents when using there mobile.

There are two main types of bluetooth kit, Fully integrated kits and Universal kits. Integrated kits are connected into the vehicle stereo system and speakers, this provides excellent incoming sound quality and echo reduction on all modern microphones ensures you receive no feedback. Universal bluetooth kits are usually a speaker and microphone built into one unit. This is usually connected to the sun visor or around the driver area. Although these don’t have the same features they do provide a purpose and can be changed from vehicle to vehicle as and when you need.

All Bluetooth kits improve driver safety rather than using a hand held phone, its important to avoid accidents while driving you must concentrate on the road whether in conversation or not, but you must use a bluetooth car kit if you choose to talk and drive.

The use of hand-held mobile phones while driving was banned (in the UK) back in 2003, and for good reason. The latest statistics show that phone-driving is far more dangerous than first anticipated. Several studies have been undertaken by government departments and driving charities to learn more about the effects of this increasing trend whilst driving.

Studies show that the reasons for phone-driving being dangerous are the two fold, firstly physically breaking contact with the vehicle steering wheel & taking your eyes from the road for prolonged periods (Obviously far more dangerous when texting). Secondly lapsing in concentration when being involved in the conversation. The second although as serious as the first, is some what of a null point as many other distractions can cause the driver to lose concentration, e.g chatting to passengers, changing the radio (or CD’s) or even applying make-up while driving. 

These lapses in concentration are now considered more dangerous than drink driving and you are as likely if not more likely to cause an accident. The lack of concentration on driving the vehicle severly reduces our reaction speeds when on the phone, therefore when we need to react to an incident on the road we have far less time than we would when driving normally. 

There are obvious advantages to having a mobile phone present in the vehicle, 9/10 people carry them as a social habit anyway . However being able to contact people in the case of a break down or other emergences can be vital in any situation. Its the work of road safety charities and government departments to try ensure this is the only time mobiles are used in the vehicle (by the driver) with out the aid of handsfree buletooth car kits.

Police are now able to hand out on the spot fines of £30 and points on your licence for careless and dangerous driving. The police force however do recommend the use of handsfree car kits when driving as they cut out the first set of problems when using the mobile. Calls can be received & answered via steering wheel controls or voice commands, on a lot of new bluetooth car kit products allow the user to browse the phone book, messages and settings with out having to pick up the phone.

Driver safety is paramount, if you do anything dangerous whilst in control of a vehicle you are likely to penalised at the very least. If you think their is no problem using a mobile phone while driving remember this; you are more likely to cause or be involved in an accident while using a mobile as you are drink driving, and i know must of you look down upon that.

Government & charity campaigns are starting to sink in with the majority of people and handsfree bluetooth kits are becoming very popular, however not enough of us are using them.

The solution to this problem is simple. In the form of handsfree bluetooth car kits. These kits are readily available and come in two forms, an integrated kit that connects into the vehicle’s stereo & speaker system, and unviersal bluetooth kits that can be swapped into different vehicles. The integrated system has far better sound quality and more functions than the universal kits however both reduce the chances of having a accident significantly

Just about everybody has a mobile phone (Cellphone) i think a statistic shows that over 250 million people own a mobile in America alone. In England that figure is close to 100 million phones sold. Our dependence on them is now more obvious than ever! we live in an environment where we need to be contactable 24/7, and feel exposed if we are not.

However this reliance on mobile phones is leading to a willingness to use mobiles in dangerous situations, even when we know we shouldn’t. For example using the mobile whilst driving is becoming more and more common leading to an increased number of serious accidents. There are two main reasons why using the phone whilst driving is a serious hazard, firstly operating the mobile whilst driving involves looking away from the road and physically removing your hand from the steering wheel whether to answer or dial a number. Secondly people can become absorbed in the conversation or texting and not pay attention to the road.

Although we are aware its socially unacceptable to phone and text while we drive we are often overcome with desire to do so, often believing that any negative effects of doing so can be compensated for by driving skill and experience, as a growing number of people are finding out this is not the case. Evidence in several recent studies in the UK shows that the effects of using the mobile whilst driving are very similar to those of a drink driver. Concentration levels are severely reduced when reaching for the phone or dialling a number and reduced further when texting.

Its safe to say that using you mobile phone whilst driving is now considered dangerous at the least. Not only for you and your passengers but other vehicles on the road too. Police forces often enforce this with fixed penalty’s and points in an aid to reduce this growing trend. There are many new initiatives set up to allow the use of mobile phones whilst driving with the aid of handsfree bluetooth car kits.

Advanced bluetooth car kits are now available for the majority of vehicles that allow you to fully navigate through your phone via voice commands, you can access your phonebook, text messages and other features on your phone with out moving your hands from the steering wheel totally eliminating the first problem associated with phone-driving.

Unfortunately the second problem associated with using the phone whilst driving can’t be resolved with any device, When operating a vehicle you should always concentrate to the best of your ability. It only takes a split second to cause an accident and that alone is down to the drivers involved. However the use of a bluetooth car kit can significantly reduce the changes of being involved in an accident, that can only be good for drivers everywhere.

The Bury CC 9060 – The Most Complete Bluetooth Car Kit Available

The idea behind Bluetoth car kits is to improve the safety of the drivers and other road users. Its proven that the chances of causing or being invloved in an accident while using your mobile phone are much higher than when driving normally, this is why using your mobile whilst driving is illegal and carries a fine and adds points onto your licience.

We all know how annoying it is when we receive a incoming call or text when driving, its very tempting to just pick it up. However this temptation leads to accidents and often serious injurys and deaths. There is only one way of answering your phone safely whilst driving and thats using a bluetooth car kit. There are many available all varying in performance, however recent technology advances have seen the dramatic improvement of integration, function & feature rich systems and ease of use. This is evident in the newest bluetooth kit available the Bury cc 9060

The Bury CC 9060 combines the all of the latest snippets of technology to create the best Bluetooth car kit available on todays market. The Fully integrated kit connects into the factory harness at the back of the OE (original equipment) headunit providing a digital connection. Bury have spent alot of time developing the new voice recognition software system, and it shows. The advanced contols allow you to navigate through the entire cc9060 menu and your phone for that matter. Simply activate voice control and tell the Bury CC9060 what you want. e.g Phone book, Search, K, (brings up the list of K’s) Down (page), dial Kevin, would dial Kevin.

Alot of effort has been put into the additional features that the bury cc9060 provides, you can for example get the bury to read out loud your incoming text messages, a feature thats extremely popular for obvious reasons. Other features include Mulitple call handling, auto muting MP3 playback through car stereo system & change the colours of the screen to better integrate into your vehicle.

The CC 9060 is a master piece of technology and has raised the level for all other bluetooth kits to follow. This is no more evident than by the recognition given to it by the Manchester Metropolatian police, who recommend this kit above any other.

One thing is clear, Make sure you do have a bluetooth kit installed in your vehicle whether its the Bury CC9060, Parrot or a universal kit, it seriously reduces the chance of an accident while on the phone and could end up saving your life.