National Press Release

BELLEVUE, Wash., June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Drivers in California and Washington need to beware come July 1. That's when enforcement begins for new laws banning the use of handheld communication devices while driving. In short, you can no longer drive and hold a phone to your ear unless you want a ticket in your hand. With the new laws about to go into effect, more drivers will look to Bluetooth hands-free devices to keep them connected -- and legal -- while on the go.

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Under both laws (SB 5037 in WA and SB 1613 in CA), it is illegal to hold a cell phone to the head while driving, making it mandatory to use a hands-free device when talking on the phone. Drivers violating the laws will receive a ticket and fined between $20 to $175 in California and a flat $124 fee in Washington. As hands-free legislation spreads across the nation, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is working to educate the public on how Bluetooth technology can be used in the car for hands-free compliance. To learn more about hands-free legislation and options for using Bluetooth technology to obey the laws, the Bluetooth SIG is providing educational resources at http://www.bluetooth.com/btmicro/onthego_demo.html

"With more and more states and individual cities passing hands-free laws, it's getting difficult for drivers to know where the laws are in effect," says Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. "The simplest way to comply is to go wireless with Bluetooth technology. Many new vehicles come with Bluetooth technology built in. It's easy and cost effective to buy a headset that connects to your mobile phone, install an aftermarket Bluetooth car kit, or simply clip a Bluetooth speakerphone to the vehicle's visor."

California and Washington join Connecticut , New Jersey, New York, Washington D.C. and dozens of municipalities that have enacted hands-free laws. The July 1 hands-free laws will impact 23 million licensed drivers in California and 4.6 million drivers in Washington. In addition, visitors driving in the areas with hands-free laws will also be required to comply with handheld bans. The trend only promises to grow as every state in the U.S. has considered some form of hands-free prohibition.

"Lawmakers at the state, federal and local levels are examining a wide variety of issues related to driver focus," according to Matt Sundeen, transportation expert for the National Council of State Legislatures. "However, the most common concern is the potential distraction caused by communication devices in the car."

According to the National Council of State Legislatures, 73 percent of drivers use their cell phone in the car. Bluetooth technology provides the best solution to meet the needs of all drivers for adhering to these new laws. Examples of Bluetooth hands-free devices include:

    -- AFTERMARKET HANDS-FREE CAR KIT - Parrot 3200 LS COLOR: A professionally
       installed hands-free Bluetooth car kit with color LCD, and voice
       recognition and noise cancellation features. Contacts are stored in the
       memory of the Parrot 3200 LS-COLOR. The voice recognition feature
       enables numbers to be dialed automatically by stating the contact's
       name: "Call John."
    -- HEADSET - Plantronics Discovery(R) 925* Bluetooth(R) Earpiece: The
       Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece blends an elegantly simple
       VFrame(TM) design with crisp sound quality for the ultimate in couture
       technology. Effortless set-up, AudioIQ(R) noise control technology and
       a stylish carrying case with rechargeable battery keep consumers in
       touch and in style.
    -- IN-VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - Ford SYNC Powered by Microsoft: A fully
       integrated, voice activated in car communication and entertainment
       system for mobile phones and digital music players. SYNC technology
       enables drivers to operate Bluetooth mobile phones with simple voice
       commands.
    -- SPEAKERPHONE - Motorola MOTOROKR T505: Take calls hands-free and enjoy
       music via the T505's speaker or through the car speakers. The T505
       connects Bluetooth enabled phones to the car stereo without wires or
       installation. With the touch of a button, StationFinder(TM) finds and
       announces where to tune the FM radio to hear calls through the car
       stereo. Simply Clip, Tune & Go!

Bluetooth technology also lets consumers stream music between a music player or mobile phone directly to the car stereo and integrates other mobile phone features like reading aloud text messages. The forthcoming Bluetooth high speed wireless technology will enable streaming video between portable media players and automotive rear seat entertainment systems. And expect to see Bluetooth technology continue its innovation in automotive diagnostic, telematics and navigation applications.

About Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology

Bluetooth wireless technology is the global short-range wireless standard for personal connectivity of a broad range of electronic devices. The technology is now available in its fourth version of the core specification and continues to develop, building on its inherent strengths -- small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities. More than five new Bluetooth enabled products are qualified every working day and 13 million Bluetooth units are shipping per week. The installed base of Bluetooth devices is one and a half nearly two billion and climbing, making it the only proven wireless technology choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide.

About the Bluetooth SIG

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, consumer electronics, automotive and network industries, is driving development of Bluetooth wireless technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes Promoter group companies Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, along with over 10,000 Associate and Adopter member companies. The Bluetooth SIG, Inc. headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. For more information please visit www.bluetooth.com

    The Bluetooth word mark and logo are registered trademarks and are owned
by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

    AMERICAS                             CHINA
    Starr Million                        Andrew Wu
    INK Public Relations                 Hill & Knowlton
    for the Bluetooth SIG                for the Bluetooth SIG
    +1 (512) 382-8981                    (86 10) 5861 7596
    starr@ink-pr.com                     andrew.wu@hillandknowlton.com.cn

    EMEA                                 JAPAN
    Danny Devriendt                      Mike Litwin
    Porter Novelli                       Inoue Public Relations
    for the Bluetooth SIG                for the Bluetooth SIG
    +32 475353465                        +81-3-5269-2301
    danny.devriendt@porternovelli.be     m-litwin@inoue-pr.com

    TAIWAN                               KOREA
    Jojo Chang                           Harry Yoon
    Apex Communications                  Strategic Marketing and
    Consultants Co., Ltd.,               Communications, Inc.
    for the Bluetooth SIG                for the Bluetooth SIG
    886-2-7718-7777 ext. 535             +82-2-3445-3232
    jojo@apexpr.com.tw                   harry@oksmc.co.kr

SOURCE Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG)