10 Hot Hands-Free Devices For Cell Phone Law Compliance

California and Washington are the latest states to pass legislation barring the use of cell phones while driving without a hands free device. As of July 1, California motorists spotted with their cell phones to their ears will face fines starting at $20 and going up to $50 with subsequent offenses. The same day, drivers in Washington state caught gabbing with phone in hand will be slapped with a $124 ticket, though in Washington, motorists can only receive a hand-held cell phone ticket as a secondary violation, meaning they must be caught for another offense, like speeding. In California's case, however, drivers can be pulled over simply for holding a cell phone to their ear.

The two states join an ever-growing list -- including Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Utah and others -- that have put the kibosh on talking and driving, enforcing hands free laws and policies. This year alone, lawmakers in 33 states have introduced 127 bills related to driver distraction, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Despite where you live, the message is clear: Using a cell phone while driving is distracting. The laws will also surely spark a boom in the Bluetooth and hands free car kit markets, as motorists scramble to be in compliance when their mobile phone rings while they're on the road.

In light of the new laws, ChannelWeb has rounded up the 10 hottest hands free devices that will keep your eyes and ears on the road, and hopefully help you pay better attention behind the wheel.

Plantronics Voyager 520

One of the hottest selling hands-free devices on the market today, the Plantronics Voyager 520 offers business quality audio and features a noise-cancelling microphone that filters background noise so it doesn't intrude on your conversation. The Voyager can also minimize wind noise with a built-in wind screen. The device features one-touch call controls and, if you use two Bluetooth enabled phones, multipoint technology lets you switch between them with the same headset.

The Voyager 520 offers eight hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby when fully charged. The Plantronics Voyager 520 runs around $40.

Known for its butt-kicking headphones, Sennheiser is also in the hands-free game with the VMX100. This earpiece features new improvements in speech clarity and noise reduction and features a 3D ball joint to personalize wearing comfort regardless of ear or head size and shape. It works with all Bluetooth mobile telephones and comes in titanium and black finishes.

The VMX100 offers VoiceMax dual microphone technology; automatic power off and on when closed or opened; Bluetooth 2.0 compatibility; up to 5 hours of talk time; and up to 100 hours of standby time.

A smart shopper can track down the Sennheiser VMX100 for around $80, but most retailers offer it for around $100.

Jabra has been a headset stalwart. The JX10 Series II offers up to 6 hours of talk time, 200 hours of standby time and weighs in at a mere 0.35 ounces. Billed as one of the smallest Bluetooth headsets ever made, the Jabra JX10 Series II features digital sound enhancement with DSP technology and supports Bluetooth 1.2 headset and hands-free profiles. Designed by Danish designer Jacob Jensen, the device comes complete with a Jensen-designed desktop charging cradle and carry pouch.

The Jabra JX10 Series II earpiece retails for roughly $75.

Even auto makers are getting in on the hands-free craze, hoping to woo drivers who need to talk and drive. Ford, for example, is making several of its automobile models available with Ford SYNC, a fully-integrated, voice activated in-car communication and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital music players. Sync lets drivers talk to their iPods and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones with voice commands in English, French or Spanish. Most Bluetooth-based phones work with Sync, which was developed with Microsoft and available only in certain models of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.

While it remains to be seen if frustrated motorists will buy a new car to comply with hands-free laws, Ford is banking on SYNC driving sales into the summer. Ford isn't alone, a host of other car-makers, like BMW, Mercedes and more, also includes hands free Bluetooth in some of their vehicles.

Aliph goes for the height of style and function with the Jawbone headset. The Jawbone also offers background noise cancelation and volume adjustment of incoming audio. Not much more needs to be said of Aliph's new Jawbone design -- the picture speaks for itself: A mixture of fashion and function for a price tag of just under $100.

Hands-free device manufacturer Parrot is truly trying to capitalize on California's new hands-free law. The company is circulating a petition in an effort to make the parrot California's state bird. That's one heck of a marketing campaign, considering the same bird is the company's own mascot.

Even without the state-stamped endorsement, Parrot is making waves with its line of hands-free gear. The centerpiece of its portfolio is the Parrot Minikit, a hands free car kit that attaches to the car's sun visor and uses user-defined voiceprints for calling functions. Parrot promises to help users avoid the need to handle their cell phones in the car.

The Parrot Minikit is a Bluetooth hands-free kit featuring DSP-2 signal processing algorithms and a high-definition 2W speaker for crystal clear conversations. It features a 3-button user interface; an omnidirectional microphone; pairing for up to five phones; a recharge time of three hours; 10 hours of talk time; and more than 275 hours of standby time.

The Parrot Minikit retails for anywhere from $50 to $85.

Portable GPS and navigation manufacturers are all about making life more convenient for motorists, helping them get where they need to go with audible directions and fluid maps. Magellan is taking it one step further with the Maestro 3140. The device, which retails around $350, offers not only graphical navigation, but features Bluetooth hands free calling compatibility, making it a navigation and hands-free device in one. The Maestro 3140 also features built-in AAA travel information, SayWhere text-to-speech support and 4.5 million points of interest within North America.

This Motorola car kit is designed to offer both music and calling hands free. The T605 lets motorists access their music and phone calls directly through their car's stereo sound system, pausing the music when a call comes in and resuming the tunes once the call is terminated. The T605 uses Bluetooth 2.0 and offers echo and noise cancellation; automatic volume adjustment; and a 3.5 mm stereo port to support a digital music player.

The Motorola T605 costs about $150 depending on the dealer.

With vendors all trying to one-up each other to be the hands-free device du jour, Anycom is playing on the environmentally conscious by offering a solar powered hands-free car kit, aptly named the Anycom Solar Car-Kit SCK-1.

This devices charges via the sun when affixed near a car's window. According to Anycom, three hours of sun adds up to 30 minutes more talk time. The device features echo cancelation and noise reduction; a 95 decibel speaker; up to 15 hours of talk time and up to 25 days of standby time without the hours added from the solar panel.

It also comes equipped with advanced call management functions like voice dial, last number re-dial, hold, mute and three-way calling. The Solar Car-Kit retails for roughly $80.

This sun visor-mounted, hands free speakerphone uses technology from Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) and integrated Clear Voice Capture (CVC) and Digital Signal Processor (DSP) technology to boost sound quality.

The BlueAnt Supertooth Light uses real-time audio to process echo or background noise to improve the user's voice whether the car is traveling at a high speed or stuck at a dead stop in gridlock traffic. It can also adjust sound levels to compensate for loud engine noise or external noise created when the windows are down.

According to BlueAnt, the Supertooth Light can be paired with up to five devices, supports voice dial activation, redial and call reject. It also has a retractable sliding microphone. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery offers up to 15 hours of talk time or 800 hours (33 days) of standby time.

The BlueAnt Supertooth Light retails for about $90.