Looking for a hands free kit for the wife's car.

 

The only real criteria I have is that it's not a battery powered jobby that you clip to the sun visor. I'd prefer something that could be wired in permanently. It doesn't need to be able to play/stream audio or anything like that.

 

I'm looking to spend as little as possible. Ease of fitting would be a good plus point to consider.

 

What recommendations do you have?

Parrot MKi9200 hands-free kit

Headsets and visor-mounted Bluetooth hands-free kits are a good value way of staying legal when using your phone at the wheel. But they’re not as convenient as a wired-in set-up. There’s no battery to worry about and you don’t have to make sure it’s switched on; the system simply relays your calls when you’re on the go.

As these fitted kits offer more power than portable units, and are larger, they are able to deliver a wider range of features. These include displaying texts or showing who’s calling, or even playing digital tunes from your phone or iPod to your car’s stereo via Bluetooth A2DP wireless music streaming technology. Compatibility can be erratic, so ensure the set you choose works with your phone and does what you need it to. Also, the complex electronics in modern cars mean a professional fit is a good idea – this costs around £80.

The test

We used a Blackberry 8800, Nokia 6230i and T-Mobile MDA to assess how each set-up handled phone use. Points were awarded for universal ISO fixings – for easy fitting – and displays. Calls were made to and from the kits, and we looked for fast, accurate operation, plus good sound, muffling background noise. We tried voice control features, and rated wired-in music playing, plus used an Apple iPod 5G with a Bluetooth dongle to test A2DP streaming.

Verdict

Parrot’s MKi9200 covers all the bases, with a great screen and easy streaming. But for half the price, you can get the iO Talk 1. It’s a good performer, easy to fit and has simultaneous phone/music capability – so it has to take the win. That leaves the Parrot in second spot, with the firm's MKi9000 completing the podium.

Contacts

Amazon (Nokia) www.amazon.co.uk

Bury 0121 458 3100, www.thb-bury.co.uk

Expansys (Motorola) 0161 868 0868, www.expansys.com

Halfords (Bury) 08457 626625, www.Halfords.com

iO 01420 476767, www.my-io.com

Motorola 0870 901 0555, www.motorola.com

Nokia 0845 045 5555, www.nokia.co.uk

Parrot 0870 112 5872, www.parrot.biz

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/181147792895?hlpht=true&ops=true&viphx=1&lpid=95&device=t&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=95

Personally I went for this option - linky

 

No wiring involved and works 99% of the time without any need to charge it due to the solar panels. In the rare event of it needing charged due to poor weather, it gets done via a mobile phone charger and is done in about 30 mins.

 

There's always one.....