Hands Free

IN many cities now, using a cell phone while driving has been made an offence. However, you can still use a cell phone while driving, if you don8217;t actually hold it. As long as you keep your hands free of the phone, the law, technically, will stay away.

Quite a few car speakerphones are now available in the market 8212; and it really depends on which phone you use, what your budget is and what your preferences are. There is one speakerphone model that is almost universal and works across all models. It8217;s another matter that it is also the most cumbersome of all. In this model, a tiny microphone is wrapped around the 8216;ear-piece8217; of your cell phone and wired into a speaker. The speaker can be stuck anywhere in your car using a double-sided tape. The cell phone is then mounted on the dashboard using a clamp and its 8216;mouthpiece8217; continues to function as your microphone. The volume of the speakers is adjustable. And as anyone who has dabbled in electronics will tell you, it does take quite some effort to eliminate the feedback that the speakers produce. The whole contraption, which is powered by the cigarette lighter adapter, is a little clumsy and resembles the work of Gyro Gearloose. Most other devices that enable hands free operation in a car are variations of this set up.

I, however, recollect seeing one that had a microphone clipped to the sun visor above the driver8217;s seat and smartly used the car stereo to amplify the conversation. It has been amongst the most elegant solutions for hands free driving that I8217;ve come across. Of course, the single-biggest problem with these solutions is that you cannot conduct a private conversation if you have a co-passenger.

But easily the best is a device recently introduced by the Sharper Image store in New York on the Hudson 8212; which, doubtless, will soon be available at your neighbourhood cell phone accessory store. The entire microphone and speaker system needs to be attached to your headrest. Just plug in your cell phone and position the microphone near your mouth. That8217;s it! You don8217;t even need to wire it to the cigarette lighter for power since it comes with its own batteries. Priced at roughly Rs 5,000, it is still very expensive. But soon some local entrepreneur should have a cheaper model going.

The author is Station Director, Radio City, 91 FM, Bangalore