I occasionally see this commercial for a new car, which includes, among its features, Bluetooth.
Why, exactly? What’s the advantage? Routing my cell-phone speakerphone audio through the car stereo? Transmitting MP3s wirelessly from a player to the stereo? Keeping my datebook and addresses on some sort of in-car computer? I understand why I want my cell phone, pda, and computer to talk via bluetooth … but why my car?
Hands Free Protocol, of course.
It’s also useful to have your phone’s user interface moved to the dashboard/steering wheel/Voice Recognition. If your phone rings, it’s safer to glance down at the dashboard for the caller ID than to dig around for your phone’s display, and you can typically answer or dial with a button on the wheel or some similar place, so you don’t lose as much control/attention.
I have it in my new Mark II Ford Focus, it’s pretty neat.
It allows me to voice control GPS, climate and Radio/CD/MP3. I can also make and receive phonecalls handsfree.
Best of all it doesn’t require a cradle, so I’m not tied to one brand of phone and the phone can stay in my pocket the entire time.
Why do you need Bluetooth for for voice control of GPS, climate, and stereo? They’re integrated into the vehicle with the Bluetooth! Nifty about the phones, though. Unfortunately here in the States everyone expects “free” cell phones and that causes all but the most high-end cell phones not to have Bluetooth.
I’m kind of jealous that your humble, little focus has all of those Lincoln-style frills, but to be fair, in Europe the Focus is considered a good-sized, normal, every day car. Here in the States it’s what parents by their kids as their first car when they get their drivers license. When I was given a Mondeo in Mexico, one of the U.K. reviews raved about its cavernous space and poor fuel economy (27mpg) – and it’s only slightly larger than a Focus!!!