Advantages: Very good sound reproduction, always set up ready for use. Disadvantages: Needs an external anrenna, plus fitting. Dated nowadays.
, (as are the phones is it made for) but the principle is brilliant, you have a phone holder that gives genuine handsfree operation, with sound that is virtually as good as a radio. Your own voice is picked up and transmitted with the same clarity. The holder itself is very good, if a little large by modern standards, it holds the phone safely and securely, whilst recharging the phone battery. There is no vibration, and the phone will not fly out of the holder at level crossings.
I do realise that a lot of bluetooth headsets are replacing this type of kit nowadays, and they are very clear, but these kits do have their merits. The speaker is mounted wherever you want it, and so the sound comes equally to both ears, unlike the bluetooth that goes in one ear only.
The microphone is equally good, being able to pick up sound of very good ...
Advantages: Easy to Use,Durable Disadvantages: Cheap looking,Quite pricey
This seemed like a great idea at the time for my phone as it allowed me to simply plug it into the cigarette lighter in my car and then it would allow me to speak handsfree easily without being too distracted whilst i was driving. It cost me £50 from my local mobile phone store and the sound and volume can of course be ajusted. The overall quality was quite good but not spectacular. The durability and robustness is pretty good as it is made from solid hard plastic and it is not bendable much.The phone fits quite nicely on the holder and it doesn't shake around too much when you are driving which is of course very important.
Overall i would recommend one of these but i do reckon there are better and cheaper ones out on the market now though ...
Advantages: Quality, function Disadvantages: Price
Having used the "in-ear" handsfree kits in the past, with reasonable satisfaction, work offered me the option of having a proper car kit fitted. I've a Nokia 6210 so had to go for the CARK-91, which is wired into the car and comes with a separate microphone and speaker with a handset cradle drilled or stuck to the centre console. Some vehicles support drilless mounts which avoid the need of damaging the vehicle trim.
The sound quality is excellent and there are no trailing wires or a loose phone to worry about and the phone is charged whilst in the cradle. I'd say the kit offers the best solution for hands-free talking but is pricey at £200. I find it indispensible and sorely missed not having one until it was fitted in my new car. The one time I did use my phone while driving it became apparent how dangerous it is. ...
Product Information for "Nokia CARK 109 Hands-free kit" »
Headphones
Headphones Type
Speaker
Headphones Technology
Dynamic
Connectivity Technology
Wired
Sound Output Mode
Mono
Connections
Connector Type
1 x cellular phone input
Manufacturer's product description
Nokia is the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer. The company provides great-looking phones and accessories for its customers that open a new standard of mobile communication. Its mission is to make it easy for people to connect with each other - and to a range of information, entertainment and other wireless services - at any time, wherever they are. The CARK109 kit provides convenient handsfree operation and easy charging in car environment. It includes a compact car holder designed especially for Nokia 9210 Communicator. The external speaker and a handsfree microphone provide high quality audio. (You can also install an optional Handset HSU-1 for privacy and Antenna Set AMD-2 for improved reception). The kit includes: an Advanced Active Car Holder CRM-1, an Advanced HF Unit HFU-2, a microphone HFM-8, and an External HF Speaker HFS-12.
