GPS chip manufacturers are “starting to integrate Bluetooth and GPS onto the same package, and even onto the same silicon,” mainly because of the cost savings, said McKuen of ABI Research. Some of the newest portable GPS units also have Bluetooth in them to allow hands-free calls. With the continuing popularity of GPS devices, GPS chipmakers such as Texas Instruments, Broadcom and Britain’s CSR, have started adding Bluetooth, as well as FM radio transistors in some cases, to the GPS chips they make. A microphone juts from the unit, which can be mounted on other surfaces as well. Other devices, like Motorola’s MotoROKR T505 ($139.99 retail), can be clipped to the driver-side visor.Īnother product, Funkwerk Americas’ EGO cup ($100 retail), sits in a cup holder and is powered by the cigarette lighter adapter. As with similar products, if you’re using Bluetooth to play music, and a call comes in, the unit automatically mutes the music so you can take the call. The controls can be positioned on the steering wheel, and the unit has voice-activated dialing. “With the Music Series of Parrot car kits, you not only hear the caller’s voice through your car stereo, but you can also stream music wirelessly through your car stereo,” said Mike Hedge of Parrot.Īn example of that is the company’s MK6100 Bluetooth Hands-Free Kit, which retails for $300. As an add-on, it costs $395.īut companies like Parrot, Peiker and Motorola all have Bluetooth car devices that can handle both hands-free calls and stereo-streaming functions and be added to most cars. ( is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.) Sync is included as standard equipment on Lincolns and “high-series models from Ford and Mercury,” Ford says, including the Focus SES. The Focus uses Sync, a hands-free and music streaming technology developed by Ford in collaboration with Microsoft. With the Sentra, for example, factory-installed Bluetooth is offered as part of a $650 add-on package that includes a remote trunk release, leather-wrapped steering wheel and an integrated overhead CD-holder. Adding a Bluetooth speaker to the car can cost as little as $50, with higher-end devices between $100 and $300. “More people are keeping their cars for five, even 10 years, so there’s a huge, installed base of cars that the aftermarket is looking at,” said Foley of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.įor consumers who choose the aftermarket route, the cost savings can be substantial. In 2007, it was around 25 million units, a 54 percent increase from 2006, said Fiona Thomson, senior market analyst for IMS. It may take time for Bluetooth to be commonplace, but the Bluetooth aftermarket - independent makers of add-on vehicle products - is thriving. In many vehicles, Bluetooth controls are mounted on the steering wheel, or placed on the driver-side visor. Bluetooth, hands-free calling controls are built into the steering wheel on certain models of Honda's 2009 Civic coupe and sedan.īluetooth - named after a 10th-century Danish king - allows devices within a 33-foot range to connect without wires, making the car a good candidate for such devices. Japan, Britain and France are among other countries that have similar laws. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. In the United States, several states now require hands-free calling devices for drivers who want to talk on the phone.Ĭalifornia and Washington hands-free laws took effect July 1. Honda recently announced it added Bluetooth to its 2009 Civic EX models equipped with GPS navigation.īehind the trend is the growing number of laws requiring drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and not on a dial pad. Now, many carmakers provide it as a factory-installed option, not only for upper-end cars, but in more affordable models such the Nissan Sentra and Ford Focus. “Next to Bluetooth headsets in the car, the second most popular use of the technology now is being able to use your mobile phone or an MP3 player to stream music through your car stereo using Bluetooth,” said Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which developed the technology.įour years ago, only some auto manufacturers, such as BMW, Lexus and Chrysler offered Bluetooth in certain models.
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