The SuperTooth Buddy is a visor mounted hands free Bluetooth car kit that has a host of features yet is designed to work seamlessly with your mobile phone.

Simple installation means all you need to do is clip the SuperTooth Buddy onto the visor using the strong magnetic connector supplied, connect your phone and off you go! The magnetic clip means the device can be easily swapped between vehicles and removes simply for recharging the battery. The battery will last for up to 20 hours talk time and 1,000 hours in standby, so you may find you are not removing it very often! There is an in car micro USB charger included which can also be used to charge the SuperTooth Buddy through a computer USB point.

Features include full automatic pairing between the SuperTooth Buddy and your mobile coupled with automatic connection. This means your phone will connect automatically with the Buddy as soon as you come back into range, meaning there is no need to re-pair the devices each time you get back to your car.

Incorporating enhanced digital signal processing (DSP) as well as double noise cancelling technology and Audio Enhancing microphone membrane you should be ensured clear call quality, and the person you are speaking to should as well.

Another benefit is multipoint connectivity, which means you can connect two mobiles at the same time, full duplex sound so both parties on the call can speak at the same time without annoying cut off. A last number redial and digital volume control are easily operated through the front panel buttons.

Whilst you want your bluetooth headset to work well, there is no need for it to be boring looking.

These great headsets come in a variety of colours – yellow, purple and green and are available as part of the Argos online only range – to see more click for:

Yellow
Purple
Green
each for a tasty £89.99.

And as if those wern’t lovely enough, from the same company is this little beauty, available for the same price. Features include a stand-by time of up to 192 hours and talktime of up to 4.5 hours and weighing only 8g. It has a USB charge option and is 80% charged within 35 minutes and 100% charged in one hour. There are various fit and comfort options with 3 earloops and 3 earbuds.
Click to see more information.

All of these are compatible with Bluetooth enabled mobile phones, have a range of 10m and a LED power indicator.

The Parrot MKi9200 is the ultimate top of the range in in-car communications system.

Providing both hands-free calling as well as a fully featured music player the MKi9200 is compatible with a wide range of music players and mobile phones through the use of a cable or Bluetooth connectivity where available. The parrot MKi9200 is also compatible with Apple iPhone and iPods and has a range of features to enhance the use of these devices.

With its 2.4 inch high-resolution TFT colour screen and full control through a wireless remote control that can be positioned on either the dashboard or the steering wheel the MKi9200 is easy to use. Add to this training free voice recognition and speech synthesis of the callers name as well as voice guided menus you get a hands free solution that allows you to take and make calls without taking your eyes off the road.

You can pair up to 10 mobile phones via Bluetooth and each one can have up to 2000 contacts linked to the MKi2900 with up to a maximum of 8000 contracts stored in total. When you take a call, the colour screen will show the phone book and display the caller information as was a photograph of the caller if one is stored. When used as a music player the Mki9200 can connect to a wide range of devices or by using the built-in SD card reader. The screen will show the current playlist as well as the name of the artist, the song title and also album art where it is available.

The Parrot MKi9200 has the latest Parrot software to eliminates background and surrounding noise including the noise from inside your car. Dual microphones mean your call should be made in crystal quality and the calls and music are played through the car speakers to give you the best quality sound reproduction

As you would expect the Parrot MKi9200 is a fully fitted car kit and does need professional installation, however the features and quality you get because of this are far superior than a simple headpiece or visor hands free system.

New laws to come into effect across Australia will see drivers having to put down their mobile phones whilst in the car. Although different states will have different implementation of the law, some states, including Victoria will see a marked change whereby phones need to be in a holder fixed in the car with calls being answered without touching the phone.

Coming into effect on 9 November, fines will be $220 for repeat offenders.

Of course this is nothing new to drivers in the UK and many States in America where drivers have been used to reducing the calls they make whilst in the car, and making those calls with the aid of a Bluetooth car kit or hands free kit such as the Parrot MKi 9000

What do you look for in a Bluetooth handsfree car kit or headset?

Our top 5 requirements would be:

• Call Quality
• Ability to recognise speech commands for automatic dialing
• Ease of use
• Reliability, including battery life
• Cost – always a factor!

Why these 5? There is no point in making or reciving a call if you can’t be heard at the other end, and you need handsfree for a reason, hence the voice dialing. Ease of use should be second nature, but unfortunately is not always the case. Finally you need to know your device will go the distance, without constant recharging, and the cost needs to accord with the features provided.

For a headset device we like the look of the new Bluenext B2, whilst the Parrot MKi9000 seems to tick the boxes for a fully fitted device.

Whilst we like to feature Bluetooth car kits that are compatible with many phones and cars, we realise that specific situations may need a dedicated solution. The ViseeO MBU1000 and MBU2000 Mercedes Bluetooth adapter is the solution to just such a problem.

Quite simply, this device will convert a factory fitted Mercedes carphone to make it compatable with any bluetooth phone, including the iPhone. So for Mercedes drivers who have upgraded (or who need to upgrade) thier mobile phone, they can use the built in handsfree system installed in their car.

As this system is a bridge between the factory fitted car kit – the speakers and the microphone built into your Mercedes – the call quality you get will not change, but it will mean compatability with modern phones, without needing to replace the installed car kit, or your car!. There are two versions available, one for the older Nokia phones and one for Mercedes UHI/MHI cradles. If you drive an older Mercedes one of these Mercedes Bluetooth adapters may just be what you need.

There is a wide range of visor mounted Bluetooth car kits to choose from, but the Blueant Supertooth 3 has a number of differences that mean it is worth considering.

The text to speech and voice answering are the top features, meaning you can get in your car and drive, knowing that you can safely (and legally) take calls.

It is iPhone compatible (although has no mp3 streaming capabilities as it is not wired into the car stereo). Blueant recommend that your iPhone software is fully up to date to make the features work seamlessly.

There is noise cancelling and digital sound enhancement, and lastly we like the magnetic clip – perhaps a little feature but it means that you can fix the device quickly, and remove it for safety at the end of your journey.

Read our more in depth review of the Blueant Supertooth 3 in our car kit details section, or watch this video from Blueant, of the Supertooth 3 in action.

Buy from Amazon.co.uk today..

Here at Bluetooth car kits, we like to focus on products that improve your in car calling experience, however in the past we have looked at satellite navigation devices that also have Bluetooth enabled hands free calling. There are obvious advantages in that you only need to purchase one device that will carry out several functions. Also in this security conscious world, it means you only have to remove, and carry, one piece of technology from your car.

The Tom Tom GO 940 Live is currently the top of the range Tom Tom model and has the much touted ‘Live’ over the air update service and Google search, that allows you to find and navigate to the cheapest source of fuel in your area. Beware though, this service is free only for the first 3 months and then will cost an additional £7.99 per month, so adds an additional cost of ownership to the Tom Tom Go 940.

But do not discount this device just yet. It is the top of the range, with a 4.3” screen to help with navigation, packed with the friendly and easy to use Tom Tom software.  If you are driving a lot, then there are significant benefits over a more basic model, such as traffic status updated every 3 minutes, safety alerts via Road Angel, and the ability to search for a business via Google, navigate to it, and call them hands free all from the single device.

Turning to the hands free calling, as with other devices we have looked at the quality tends to deteriorate on noisy roads, particularly compared with a fully fitted hands free kit which will usually include a dedicated microphone. If you are looking at a visor mount hands free, or earpiece device as a comparison, the quality on the Tom Tom Go 940 is acceptable and does have built in echo cancellation and noise reduction technology, and the features you would expect, such as automatic pick up for total hands free operation are included. You can also copy the directory from your phone to the Tom Tom Go.

There is an MP3 player included and FM transmitter to play your songs through the car radio. There is 4GB of memory for storage.

In summary, you get a lot of features, great navigation and Bluetooth hands free as well. If the price is right for you, the Tom Tom G0 940 Live may be as well.

By professional quality, we mean a kit that needs to be installed into the car electrics, so that it uses your audio speakers and overrides the car stereo when you receive a call.

Although these kits are more expensive that visor mounted car kits, or ear piece kits, and you need to add the cost of the fitting and installation, when you compare this to the cost of your car, and that you have an integrated solution that is not reliant on battery power, the costs are relatively small.

So which kit should you choose? The first consideration is compatibility with your car (most kits will fit most cars) and also with your mobile, or mobiles if you have more than one phone in the family. Again most Bluetooth enabled kits are compatible with most Bluetooth enabled phones.

Feature sets are often very similar and will often mirror the capabilities of your mobile.

The quality of the call and the noise reduction can vary between car kits and manufacturers, but apart from this you should select the style of the control module and how it will fit in your car.

Two recent additions to the market are the Motorola IHF1000 and the Parrot MKi9000, both offering a range of features for under £100 plus installation.

This screen less device works from a wireless remote control that you can place either on the steering wheel or on the dashboard. This will control all the functions of the MKi9000, and in turn your iPhone or iPod.

The Parrot MKi9000 has the usual telephone functions and allows you to pick up a call, hang up, and handle dual calls. In addition there are the features that Parrot have pioneered on their other Bluetooth hands free kits, such as automatic phonebook synchronisation with speech synthesis of contacts, training free voice recognition and a voice menu to access the functions on the MKi9000. In addition there is a dual microphone for enhanced speech clarity.

The music player features allows your iPhone or iPod to stream music. You need to use the iPod connector cable, but you can then listen to your music through the car speakers.

The Parrot MKi9000 kit does need installing into the car wiring system, and although full details are given in the documentation, if you are not technically minded, you may want to look to get it professionally installed. In addition some of the features are not available for older iPod devices but Parrot claim full compatibility between the iPhone and the MKi9000.