In a SlashPhone exclusive at Digital Life, Edward Valdez, President of Bluetooth-accessory experts Parrot, briefed our own Vincent Nguyen on the company's latest in-car hands-free kit. Unlike traditional cellphone kits that at most leverage voice-dialling, Parrot are the first to have added Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP wireless audio streaming technology so that music on your cellphone or Bluetooth-enabled DAP can be enjoyed through your car stereo.

A twin-microphone array, coupled with Parrot's unique signal processing, means that the MK6000 can effectively cut out background noise - whether during a call or while using the innovative "Text To Speech" option that, when synchronised with your phonebook, can read out your contacts' names for you to choose from.

The compact dashboard unit has easy-to-use dial and end-call keys, as well as straightforward audio transport controls including a scroll wheel. You can pair it with up to five different phones, or use a plug-in Bluetooth 2.0 dongle for DAPs like the current iPod range that don't include the wireless technology as standard. Other car-kit manufacturers are really going to have to step up their game!

Specifications

• Playback of music files from a Bluetooth stereo A2DP source: mobile phone, MP3 player, and so on “TTS” voice synthesis of the names in the kit’s phonebook
• New signal processing algorithms with “Parrot Beamforming® ”, noisereduction and echo cancellation
• Built-in voice recognition software
• Automatic phonebook synchronization (if TTS)
• 6-button user interface (including one scroll knob)
• Multidirectional and positionable twin microphone
• Pairing: up to five phones
• Number of contacts:
  - 8 000 max. with TTS
  - 150 per phone paired, without TTS
• Number of voicetags:
  - 150 max. with TTS
  - 150 per phone paired, without TTS

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