Earlier this month, new road rules in Victoria came into effect that may result in hefty fines for people who use their mobile phones / GPS devices while driving (press release below). In a nutshell, you cannot handle your device while driving – you can only touch your device to make, receive a call or to activate audio settings. If you don’t comply, you’re in for a whopping $234 fine plus penalization of 3 demerit points (you only have 12 in Victoria).
To help you with your telephone calls in your car, we recommend the Motorola T505 MOTOROKR Bluetooth Speaker Handsfree. This bluetooth handsfree has received many good reviews all over the web.
Its functionality helps you meet all the conditions of the new Victorian Road Rule changes and on top of that has some excellent calling and audio attributes. One feature that sets it apart from the rest is its inbuilt FM transmitter which allows you to stream calls and music (via Bluetooth) to your FM radio. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of FM transmitters due to the noise/fuzz a lot are susceptible to however reviews have shown that the Motorola T505 only has minimum fuzz.
Features of the Motorola T505 MOTOROCKR Bluetooth Handsfree
- Volume, Volume, Volume. It’s your choice – use the powerful internal speaker or get as much volume as you can handle by routing calls & music to your car stereo via the built-in Digital FM transmitter.
- Take your music everywhere. Wirelessly link your music to your car stereo from a compatible Bluetooth stereo enabled phone or music device.
- Clip-tune-and-go. Hooks to the visor and can be taken from car to car. No installation.
- StationFinder™. Breakthrough technology does the work for you – finds and announces the best FM station for a clear FM connection and minimal static.
- Audio CallerID.** Hear the number of the person calling
- Easy Pairing. Exclusive technology simplifies connecting to your Bluetooth devices
- Works with compatible Bluetooth enabled music phones, iPods® and other MP3 players
- Car charger included
- Long battery life
Motorola T505 MOTOROKR Giveaway Details
Motorola has been kind enough to give us one unit to give away. To win this, all you need to do is leave a comment below on what you like best about the Motorola T505 MOTOROKR Bluetooth Handsfree and how this will help you avoid fines! Please submit your entry by Friday 20th, November 2009. The best entry will be named on the Monday 23rd November, 2009. Be in it to win it!
Victorian Road Rules Change – Press Release
All Victorian drivers will need to be aware of a raft of new road rules which come into effect on Monday 9 November 2009.
Changes include how drivers can use mobile telephones and visual display units and where they can make u-turns.
The changes also mean that children under the age of seven must be in an appropriate child restraint. D rivers can also be fined if they have p assengers not wearing a seatbelt.
The new road safety rules were first announced earlier this year. VicRoads Manager Road User Behaviour, Antonietta Cavallo, said it was important all drivers familiarised themselves with the new rules before Monday.
“From Monday 9 November, the changes to Victoria’s new road safety rules will apply and VicRoads is asking drivers across Victoria to take the time to understand the new rules if they haven’t already done so,” said Ms Cavallo.
She said drivers who fail to obey the new rules could be issued with an on-the-spot fine of up to $300 and three demerit points for some offences. Cases which go to court or involve drink driving could incur more severe penalties.
“It is the responsibility of all road users in Victoria to ensure they are familiar with the new rules before they take to the road on November 9,” Ms Cavallo said.
“One of the key changes drivers will need to be familiar with is the way mobile phones and navigation devices can be used while driving. Under the new mobile phone rule, you cannot use a mobile phone while driving except to make or receive a call or use the audio function, and the phone is fixed in a cradle or can be operated remotely by the driver. To use a mobile phone as a GPS device it must be in a cradle.
“We know that talking on a hand-held mobile while driving is reckless and increases the risk of a crash fourfold. Texting is extremely dangerous and banned. The advice is simple – ‘hands on the wheel, eyes on the road’,” she said.
“A driver found to be handling a mobile telephone or otherwise using it inappropriately will face a fine of $234 and three demerit points,” said Ms Cavallo.
“It is now illegal to perform a u-turn over a single continuous dividing line. Drivers will still be permitted to perform a u-turn over broken dividing lines. In the five year period 2004 to 2008, there were more than 1500 u-turn crashes in Victoria, resulting in 19 deaths and more than 600 serious injuries. Drivers who perform an illegal u-turn or do not comply with changed line marking rules will face a fine of $234 and three demerit points,” said Ms Cavallo.
“In another change that will improve safety, passengers over the age of 16 – as well as their drivers – will face fines for failing to wear a seatbelt. This means if a passenger is not wearing a seatbelt, both the passenger and driver could incur a fine of $234,” said Ms Cavallo. “This rule already applies to carrying children under 16 years.”
Other new road safety rules being introduced include not allowing passengers under eight years of age to be carried as passengers on motorcycles, and when sharing the road with trams, a driver must not pass the rear of a stopped tram with its doors open. Once the doors are closed and pedestrians have left the road, a driver may drive past the tram at no more than 10km/h.
The new road rules are being introduced to improve road safety and provide greater consistency with road rules in other Australian States and Territories.
The changes start Monday, 9 November 2009.
For more information on the new road rules, visit www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/roadrules and for information about penalties relating to traffic offences go to www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/penalties.
I love it when technology not only works but looks great. Here’s one excellent example – the Jawbone Prime. I have tested countless bluetooth headsets over the years from manufacturers such as Blueant, Plantronics, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and many others. Although many were good, none have been able to properly deal with the two biggest gremlins that plague bluetooth headsets: background noise and echo. To date, it is only Jawbone who have done this effectively.
The good folk at Uniden were generous enough to give me their new Uniden BTSC1500 Bluetooth Speakerphone to review this week and I must say that the overall experience was quite impressive.
If you have an HTC smartphone running Windows Mobile 6 or Windows Mobile 6.1, you may want to think twice before connecting to an untrusted device using Bluetooth. Vulnerability in an HTC driver installed on these phones can allow an attacker to access any file on the phone or upload malicious code using Bluetooth. HTC handsets running Windows Mobile 5 are not affected.
Be more productive with the easy to use LX290. This Bluetooth capable stylish slider provides dedicated hot keys and quick access to features you use most. With the LX290 life is a piece of cake!
The new 
