Talking ‘til blue in the face!

The recent ban on the use of handheld mobile phones while driving means that talking while on the road could cost you a lot more than the roaming call charges. The ban is an eminently sensible move; I can’t help but wonder why all those men, and it is invariably men, who can afford hundreds of thousands of euro to buy the latest Porsche or Merc, can’t spend a little bit extra and get a hands-free kit fitted.

Anyway, whatever the reason behind the ban, we must now all begin to look at how we make those all-important calls while on the move. Many of the more expensive marques can fit a hands-free kit from the dealer. The only problem here is that the kit normally works only with a model of your phone that is no longer produced.

The solution then, my friends, lies in wireless Bluetooth kits. To many the idea of a Bluetooth kit is the Star Trek-like earpiece that sticks out like an abnormal growth from one ear. While this solution is undoubtedly within the law, it is not, in my humble opinion, the best. There are a number of plug-in kits that work in any car that has a cigarette lighter socket.

These kits vary in both price and quality, and as with most things, you get what you pay for. The common features of these kits are that they require a power source (cigarette lighter socket), have a large speaker and can be taken from car to car. Ranging in price from under €50 to several hundred, all of these kits give drivers a more comfortable phone experience. It is difficult to recommend a best of breed for these devices; one rule of thumb, however, is that if you buy the kit from the same manufacturer as your mobile phone, you won’t have too many complaints.

The disadvantages about all of these kits is the lack of clarity from the speaker. It stands to reason that a speaker not much bigger than your fist is not going to provide audio nirvana. Indeed, with road noise, wind noise and even passenger noise, some of these speakers are far from good. The hands-free kits are by and large basic in function too, with an answer button and end call button.

Despite these criticisms, it is recommended that if you talk and drive you should have one of these kits. The AA advise that even using these hands-free kits, drivers should still pull over when making or receiving calls, and who am I to argue with such an august body as the AA?