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 hands free 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... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to use, saves your license, looks good
Disadvantages: Cost, complex to implement, you look like you're talking to yourself!

...a bluetooth handsfree kit in my car meant that as long as I replace my T610 with another bluetooth handset, regardless of manufacturer, I will continue to enjoy penalty-free motoring while talking to my friends and colleagues. There are a vast range of bluetooth systems out there, but I chose the Sony Ericsson HCB-30 because of its functionality and appearance ahead of the competition. The HCB-30 is by no means the cheapest option available but having looked at offerings by Nokia and Motorola it was certainly the best. Nokia often have issues surrounding Bluetooth, and I was advised that at least one of their handsfree systems was not compatible with any other mobile phone manufacturer than themselves, and Motorola's offering was £50 more expensive than the Sony Ericsson device, not to mention larger and more untidy in appearance. I paid... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Cheap & cheerful
Disadvantages: Incoming sounds squawky. Outgoing sounds barn-like

...to allow me to take the odd incoming call – no way will I be dialling out whilst driving, and at my expense. I’ve seen some cheap hands-free kits and some REALLY cheap hands-free kits. ‘Cheap’ as in £1.99. Something tells me that they would last about two minutes before something broke. Then I spotted a £19.99 job in Tesco’s the other day. That sounds more like my kind of price, ten times higher than the two quid job and seven times less than letting a Toyota dealer loose on the car, which is already two years old. In appearance the Tesco kit (it’s actually Dextra Accessories supplied kit) looks quite neat. There are no extra connections to make, no microphones to ‘velcro’ by the sun visor, no speakers to clamp to an air vent. The whole shebang comes as one piece with a long cigar lighter connector protruding from the base... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Stylish, Long Battery Life, Cheap
Disadvantages: No Noise Reduction, Buttons sometimes fiddly

...I got given one of these little things from my mum as a gift. When purchasing her new mobile phone, she managed to talk her way into receiving a free Bluetooth headset…even though she already had one! As the slowest person in our family to catch on to technology, and her only sibling who did not already use bluetooth, she said I could have it!...sometimes there are advantages to being slow!... Since then, I find I cannot live without it when pootaling around in my clapped out car to work or on the long venture home. In the past I used a standard handsfree kit, supplied with my phone, however I found this fiddly and irritating with all the wires dangling around, and more often than not I ended up just switching the phone off. This stylish, compact wireless headset is quick and easy to setup, with a sensitive microphone and speaker... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Lets you do business, by phone, while driving in what would usually be dead time.
Disadvantages: More than your time will be dead if you let it distract you.

...nod my head a lot and jiggle in my seat. Putting the safety issues aside for a moment, nobody's shoulders can keep phone clamped to ear through all that. Having worked in the bus industry I have been fairly rigidly educated in the do's and don'ts of mobile phones. Any company car owned by my employers was fitted with a hands free kit and anybody with a company phone was compelled to use it. Now, in those days, you only had two options to sort out the problem but today there are three so you really have absolutely no excuse. Worse, I read recently that the most often cited excuse not to use a car kit, is apparently, because it looks "uncool". Well ok, let's define "uncool". In my experience, not using a hands free tends to mean a big Merc, Volvo or Beamer which has been going about 120 in the fast lane slowing down to about 50... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: good value, excellent GPS receiver, simple to use
Disadvantages: not as sophisticated as other (more expensive) navigation software

...My first satnav kit. This was perfect for me as I already have a PocketPC with Bluetooth (an iPAQ 4700). I bought the bundle from dabs for about £120. Note that the "display size" score is arbitrary as this kit doesn't include anything with a display - I've based this on the average 3.5" size of a PDA screen. In the box 1x Holux GR-230 Bluetooth GPS receiver 1x car charger (12V DC) for the GPS receiver 1x USB cable for the GPS receiver 1x SD Card containing software 1x CD* 1x PDA holder kit 1x printed manual (in good English) * I haven't needed to use the CD at all. I suspect it contains drivers if you connect the GPS to a PC, and electronic versions of the manuals. Setting up Very straightforward, insert the SD card and the software automatically installs. There are two options, a minimal... Read review

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Advantages: Bluetooth Connection, Easy Installation, Very Good Call Quality
Disadvantages: Old Model, Lots of wiring to hide, may not be compatible with your phone.

...to keep it in my pocket. Connection is automatic (bluetooth paired devices) as I get into the vehicle which is excellent if the phone rings you will hear it through the speaker. I believe that you can attach an external aerial but I have never had any issues with signal failure or calls cutting out. The kit can also mute you car stereo when you recieve or make a call which is really good and with a suitable adaptor you can join it upto hear the caller through the car audio speaker system, although this is stereo specific! There are many different mounting options for the speaker and the microphone and it was easy to hide the main box, where all the wires lead, under the dashboard. There were a few wires to hide but its relatively easy to fit yourself. The remote control, mounted on the dashboard, controls the volume of the speaker... Read review

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Advantages: Bluetooth Connection, Easy Installation, Excellent Call Quality
Disadvantages: Lots of wiring to hide and might not fit in with your car interior!

...This is the newer version of the Nokia CARK-112 wireless handsfree kit. The main improvements are the call quality and adaptability towards being utilised for more of the newer Nokia mobile phone range. Since getting this kit I have made many calls both recieving and dialing. Both seem very good and with my phone the Nokia 6230 I have found that the call quality is excellent, the speaker is loud and the microphone picks up very well with the caller never complaining of road noise both town driving at on the motorway. Voice activated dialing helps to call out as I do not mount my phone in a holder, prefering to keep it in my pocket. Connection is automatic (bluetooth paired devices) as I get into the vehicle which is excellent if the phone rings you will hear it through the speaker. I believe that you can attach an external... Read review

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Advantages: Inexpensive way to ensure your in-car safety
Disadvantages: Not a lot!

...around a populated area in about a ton of metal has to be a bad thing. Up until now I have contented myself with ignoring a call on my mobile phone until such time as I can safely pull into the side of the road to return it. But recently I decided to invest in a hands-free kit for my Nokia 6210, and began to shop around for the best price. Even using the good offices of the taxi driver’s trade union to negotiate a discount, the price of these fixed kits bordered on the prohibitive, at well over the €250 mark. Remember that you can’t take the kit with you when you change cars, unless you are willing to pay an installer to remove and re-install it in your new vehicle, at a cost that is as much (or more!) as having a totally new kit fitted. (what a rip-off!!) So when I spotted a Nokia ‘plug-and-play’ hands-free kit for sale at only €59... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to fit and use, charges the phone automatically
Disadvantages: Broke my cigarette lighter socket, Nuts shake loose; keep them tightened

...Starting a new job that involved commuting on a busy motorway, I wanted a cheap and legal solution for calling home or work if delayed on my travels. I bought the Pama Plug 'n' Go from Amazon, it looked to be exactly what I wanted although it was quite expensive. However, reality failed to live up to appearances. The kit came with a phone holder/base unit, an adjustable extension tube, a free clip on microphone and a cassette giving instructions on how to use it. First of all, the cassette went straight in the bin. If it's that easy to use, it shouldn't need a commentary, surely. The base unit has a plug coming out of the back to go straight into the cigarette lighter in the car. Ooops, not in a VW Polo....with the unit plugged in, I couldn't select 1st, 3rd or 5th gears. No problem, plug in the extension tube, and the whole unit... Read review

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