Give
your hands something better to do than hold a cell
phone while driving - like driving. If you live
in New York State you already know it's a no-no
to grasp your cell and clamp it to your ear while
navigating the roadways. There are a number of
legal ways to comply with the new laws that are
popping-up everywhere. That's what this technology
column is all about. To tell you about the ways
you can comply with the burgeoning cell regulations.
This
column is not about the rampant discourtesy cell users
are showing to their fellow diners in restaurants or
to fellow shoppers in stores. It's not about the way
parents seem oblivious to cell abuse by their kids.
It's not about the hazards millions of people subject
others to while babbling incessantly in their vehicles
while driving.
It's not even about cell phone companies
using incompatible technologies making
it a Chinese puzzle to select a provider
that will work in the areas you need.
No, this is a technology column, so I'll
stick to the technical issue of making
your cell hands free rather than comment
on the down right stupidity of us cell
users. Yeah, I'm guilty, too.
If the cell phone installation in your
car has a microphone near the visor,
a speaker and an external antenna, you
have it made. You're legal most anywhere.
You also spent a lot of money to get
your car taken apart during its installation
or you paid for it when you purchased
the vehicle. Either way it's a few hundred
dollars.
If
you have a hand held cell that you
take
everywhere, you have several choices
to get hands-free operation. Most of
them use an earpiece, microphone and
a cable to plug into the cell. Some earpieces
are stuck right in the ear and known
as "buds". Others have a plastic
band wrapping around the ear and holding
the earpiece over the ear. Another type
uses a headband to sidle the earpiece
up to the ear. They all serve the same
purpose, to hold the affair on your head.
Select the type most comfortable in your
ear, as the sound quality can be good
in all types.
Attached to the earpiece in some manner,
is a microphone. Earbuds have the mike
built in so your voice must carry up
to your ear. Surprisingly the sound is
quite good but very susceptible to background
and wind noise. Headband and over-the-ear
units have microphones on short booms
that you can adjust to be close to your
mouth. Another option is to have the
microphone dangle from the cord connecting
to the cell phone.
With the various combinations available,
choosing the one right for you may be
a pain. Some units have volume controls
and some may not plug into your cell
without an adapter. Some may sound good
to you but deliver muffled unintelligible
voice to the person you are talking to.
All
the various types are sold in the $20
to
$40 dollar range. Unfortunately
the way they are packaged in tamper proof
boxes makes trying them on and checking
sound quality a difficult chore. When
you buy one see if you can get return
privileges. There are quite a few web
sites selling the various types, just
try a search for "hands free sets",
and then check out the offerings for "earbud",
:over-the-ear" and "headband" types.
The units with volume controls are well
worth the extra expense.
There are other hands free units that
plug into the cigarette lighter and have
a speaker but use the cell phones own
microphone. I have not found that type
to have acceptable sound quality when
speaking. A new variant of that type
sends the speaker sound to an FM frequency
allowing you to use the car radio to
hear the conversation. The jury is still
out on this one and the prices are in
the $40 to $80 range.
If
you are shopping for a brand-new cell
phone
consider the voice-activated
models. These units recognize your voice
and after pressing a button you just
say, "call home" for example
and it will do the dialing. This is among
my favorite toys and minimizes the time
spent trying to find the right buttons
especially in the dark.
With
the advent of new laws in New York
and probably California shortly, the
cell phone makers may start to build
in some of the "hands free" utility.
That would be nice since even with the
alternative devices described above,
the chances are you're not going to entirely
happy complying with the law.
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