Several companies, including Motorola, Nokia, Elsa and Parrot, are developing in-car kits for mobile phones with Bluetooth wireless connectivity which could make it safer and more convenient to use mobile phones while driving.

The kits generally consist of a box connected to the car radio, with a microphone placed to pick up what the driver says. The difference from conventional car kits is that the mobile handset communicates with the box using Bluetooth transmitters, rather than via a cable.

The mobile can stay in your pocket or briefcase, but would probably work better if clipped to a window. There are now several suitable Bluetooth handsets available, and more are appearing all the time.

Call not waiting

Wireless technology allows the car system to pick up a call already in progress as soon as the ignition is turned on. This should improve safety because it reduces the temptation for drivers to pull away with the phone clamped to their ear.

Another safety feature is voice control because, even if the mobile handset itself doesn't have voice control, the car kit can provide it.

As well as enabling the use of voice commands to control calls, the system can be set up to associate specific words with particular phone numbers.

It can also copy all the numbers stored in the handset into its own memory, providing a useful backup of contacts in addition to making the numbers available for voice dialling.

Caller display

Every user likes to look at the display when a call comes in to see who's ringing, but this can be highly dangerous when driving. Another safety feature of Bluetooth car systems is their ability to audibly announce the name of the caller if it's already in the phone book.

I haven't yet heard of a car kit able to support a Bluetooth headset operating simultaneously. This would be a great feature, providing that the headset's noise-cancelling microphone could be designed to be used alongside the loudspeakers that come with the car kit.

Such an arrangement would give better quality sound, and avoid the dangerous practice of stretching to get nearer to the fixed microphone while at the wheel. And, such is the flexibility of Bluetooth, this capability could be offered by either the phone or the car system.

Look, no hands

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, the body responsible for defining Bluetooth standards, has been working on a Hands-Free Profile for precisely this type of system. The specification has yet to be released but, when it is, a new generation of car kits should start to appear with the features I've mentioned.

As always, however, problems with backwards compatibility may surface, because it is not guaranteed that existing mobile handsets will be able to support these new features unless the manufacturers claim compliance with the new profile.

Many corporate users have been sensible enough to standardise on Bluetooth handsets because they offer convenient data support. This now looks like an even better decision because of the extra flexibility these handsets allow in cars.

Some industry figures estimate that 70 per cent of mobile calls are actually made within vehicles, so anything that improves safety in that environment is to be welcomed. It is nice to see that Bluetooth is making a strong contribution in this area.