> All countries in Europe have same laws…
I guess you think we should all be taxed at a 50% rate too, huh? The problem is we have too many laws… not that we have too few laws! We have no system for verifying the effectivity of the laws we already have! “Got a problem… make a new law. Didn’t work? Not a problem… make a new law!” Politicians want to prove they are ‘doing their job’ so they can get re-elected. The easiest way to do that is spending our money and creating laws! I would not be surprised if the Handsfree Headset Lobby Group of America is behind these laws.

I for one am waiting anxiously for the day automated driving vehicles become available and take the driving out of everyone’s hands!

…

Maybe it was my negative initial frame of mind, or maybe it was because the bluetooth headset sucked. Either way…it sucked. The crackling sound, the constant babysitting of the battery life, and that oh so attractive, always blinking, infamous blue light.
The minimalist LED interface was surprisingly useful and supported by audio feedback. Nonetheless, the pairing sometimes went array. If the headset was off, it often times took too long to turn on and the phone to find it to be able to answer a call in time.

I still have the Treo headset. It sits on a cemetery drawer next to other classics like the Treo 180, the 1988 Sharp Wizard, and the shameless 1983 Seiko Data 2000 Computer Watch.

It’s finally time for the 2006 Senate Bill 1613 to go into effect. I like to think of it as Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) cell phone version of Bush’s policy for Aids prevention.
The billn actually borrowed from Bush’s language to describe the number one deterrent strategy: Abstinence - don’t use your cell phone while driving.
You know you need to worry when a Democratic bill borrows from Bush’s language.

But I digress. It is the law of the land and I thought of getting a head start by looking for a solution this past month.
Without regard for my own history, I though of going back to the manufacturer of my phone and try their bluetooth headset.
I figure the technology must have been perfected further and I have an iPhone. Apple would not let me down.

Well, Apple did. The form factor was not designed for my earthling ears. The crackling sound is also still there. The iPhone/Apple bluetooth headset combo is in fact worst than my previous Palm experience. I can’t put the phone in my pocket without feeling like I’m Neil Armstrong broadcasting back to earth.
To be fair, in the car, the audio quality while holding the phone in my hand is just fine. The funny thing is that the 1613 Bill allows me to hold the phone in my hand, which at that point, it’s no different than using the phone without the headset.

The part that troubles me most about this misguided bill is the higher potential for accidents it may create.

Let’s be honest, the 1990’s promise of what Bluetooth was going to be never really materialized. I remember the first article I read about it. The article described the must have use case of pressing the chosen soda button of a soda machine and having your cell phone handled the $1 transaction via bluetooth without you even touching the phone.
All of the standards implementation issues that delayed deployment are the least of the bluetooth’s problems.
The battery life consequences, for example, are still unrealistic for mass adoption.
I would go as far as saying that king Harald Bluetooth did a better job at uniting the Scandinavian tribes than my iPhone does at working with Apple’s headset.
I now look down at the phone while driving, squinting my eyes to see if the tiny king Harald icon is in fact blue already and safe for me to press the button on the headset to answer the phone.
Sometimes, I miss the call. The pairing stopped working, or the headset simply did not turn on in time.
While driving, I go into troubleshooting mode to get the headset to work.

The alternative is to have a wired headset, but I’m not capable of judging which is more dangerous while driving: trying to get the bluetooth to work or untangling the wire of the wired headset.
Either problem can only be reached after you dig the device out from its storing location in your car.

A speakerphone solution does not merit much consideration. It would work as often as a conference call is appropriate.

Of course I could simply ignore the call and practice abstinence, but I’m less concerned about what I’ll do.
I’m much more concerned about how many people will put up with the bluetooth corks, or try to untangle wires, or go grabbing for either solution at 65 down the freeway.

I hope I’m wrong. It would not be the first or last time.
I take comfort that even King Harold was wrong when he decided to have a son. Harold died fighting his rebellious son, which makes me think abstinence may not be so bad after all. Maybe Sen. Simitian knows something we don’t…