If you were wondering when a decent Bluetooth application would come along, maybe the wait is over. Here comes the Bluetooth car. Mobile phone operator Orange is working with Smart car manufacturer Daimler Chrysler to produce the first car with built-in wireless systems.
The Smart City-Coupe will come ready to link an Orange Sony Ericsson T610 phone to a laptop PC, PDA - and the car itself. Just say a name in your address book and the call is made for you, and by simply pressing a button near the rear view mirror, you can take the call without taking your eyes off the road. The Orange Smart City-Coupe comes, as you might expect, with Orange themed trim and features.
Orange is using the Smart to promote voice recognition and hands-free phones in advance of the new mobile phone laws that come into force on 1 December 2003, introducing fines of up to £1,000 for holding a mobile phone while driving.