TWO innovative products, the Seecode Wheel and the Seecode Vossor Phonebook, make it a little easier for you to drive and talk at the same time, without running afoul of the law.

Both are essentially Bluetooth speakers-cum-microphone devices for your mobile phone. You can choose either the Vossor Phonebook, which attaches to your rear-view mirror, or the Wheel, which attaches to, where else, but your steering wheel.

These also store your phonebook details, so the name of the person calling you shows up on the devices' LCD screens. What's more, you can search for your contacts and make calls directly from the devices too.

Both are D.I.Y products and run on rechargeable batteries. Car cigarette chargers are included.

Seecode Wheel
-$319
-Both products are available at various stores including Technobay at Tangs Orchard

IT LOOKS like a bent tennis racket grip and sticks to the inside of your steering wheel. And you can access its controls without taking your hands off the steering wheel.

It took me less than a minute to clamp it into place using a special screwdriver included in the package.

Pairing it with my Nokia mobile phone with Bluetooth was simple too. The only tricky part involved using the recommended methods (AT command or Objects Push Profile) to access my contacts through the device.

In the end, I figured that I could simply send my contacts to the device by using the "Send Business Card" function with Bluetooth and this worked perfectly.

While I liked this device, incoming voice quality was inconsistent - acceptable levels with some calls but badly distorted with others, including calls to a landline. Callers, however, could hear me perfectly.

Another downer: The device got in the way when I had to make big turns with my steering wheel while tackling corners or parking.

Seecode Vossor Phonebook
-$269

THIS product looks exactly like a rear-view mirror except for the five buttons at the bottom of it. And it was even easier to install - I just had to use the spring-loaded catch to hook it to my car's rear-view mirror. It has an LCD in the middle of the mirror that disappears when not in use, which is incredibly cool.

The downside - you have to reach up to press its buttons.

Like the Wheel, I went through the same process of pairing the device with my mobile phone.

The Vossor Phonebook did much better in voice quality though. Incoming calls were clear and friends had no problems hearing me. But I found the LCD a little distracting whenever it lit up.

Another bugbear: To make calls, you have to search for the first letter of the name of your contact and then scroll up or down to find it. This may take a while, especially if your contact list has a lot of common family names like Tan or Lee.

FINAL SAY

If you must talk on the phone while on the road, these may be your best solutions to do so legally. But even though you are not breaking any traffic rules technically, you could still be easily distracted while making calls on the road. So keep your calls to a minimum.

By Melvin Seah, who works in the IT industry

This article was first published in The Straits Times on May 20, 2008.