Vermont Goes Hands-Free: Part 1
If you’re a Vermonter, you may have recently heard that legislation has been passed that will prohibit the handheld use of phones while driving. Many states have done this, and I personally agree that it will help to make the roads safer.
In plain language, the new legislation prohibits drivers from texting, scrolling through music and generally touching their phone (or device) while driving. This means the phone will have to integrate with the car in one way or another.
So, as with all change, it means making adjustments. As the Purchaser here, I felt it was important to show off the products we currently offer in our stores and online to help you create a hands-free solution for your car. I’m going to share my personal setup, as it’s always best to share something you have experience with!
The list of available options to help create a hands-free setup is a big one, considering that there’s a range of audio features in cars on the road. The first relevant one is the cassette adaptor (though I realize that some of you reading this may have never seen a tape deck in a car, or know what a cassette is, but nonetheless…). We still carry a cassette adaptor for use with your iOS devices — find it here.
In audio technology history, after the cassette came the CD — and unfortunately, there was no way to create a CD adaptor. So that’s where FM transmitters came in; these allow you to set your FM dial and transmitter to the same frequency to play audio through your stereo. Technology has grown since the introduction of MP3 players, so even though overall output reaches a quality threshold, newer features such as ClearScan (used by Belkin) help make the use of FM transmitters better. Check out our FM transmitter option here.
Most recently, cars have been manufactured with auxiliary inputs and/or Bluetooth (and USB in limited capacity, meaning this doesn’t always allow for all phone options to be used). The aux input looks like a headphone jack, so you’d need a cable to plug in. It’s a nice (static-free) option, but doesn’t always allow for hands-free talking. Bluetooth allows for all of the above and does it wirelessly. You can stream music, talk, and even tell Siri to send a text for you while your hands stay at 10 and 2.
I’ll cover each of these options a little more in-depth in coming weeks, but on to my setup. I am lucky to have a car with Bluetooth built-in, so I just needed a way to mount my phone. I use the Rokform case we carry which includes a great 3M mounting bracket (it won’t ruin car interior plastic — I tested it!) for placement where ever you’d like in your car. It also allows for me to mount it both horizontally or vertically. I then plug in my car charger, the phone syncs to my stereo and I’m off!
Scroll down to check out the Rokform case specials for Kibbles & Bytes readers!
In the meantime, feel free to share what your setup looks like. What products have you found to transition to hands-free driving? Email me at will@smalldog.com.