🚀 go-pugleaf

Ben Cantrick wrote:

> In article <sli2v1gujev164@corp.supernews.com>,
> Dan Duncan  <dand@babu.pcisys.net> wrote:
> >The NHTSA claims that dialing is as disctracting as operating the
> >stereo, and keep in mind that dialing is NOT an act limited to
> >handheld phones just as voice-operated dialing is not limited
> >to handsfree phones.
>
>   I'd say this depends heavily on the phone. Your radio has presets -
> push one button, you're done. Your attention is distracted from
> the road for about 2 seconds at max.
>
>   Now try and dial a 10 digit number on your cell phone. And it's
> an older model that you have to press the buttons really hard on,
> making it impossible to do with one hand...
>
>   I've been in this situation personally and it scared the living
> crap out of me. Your attention it taken away from the road for 5 to
> 10 seconds. Even if you get smart and hold the phone up on the steering
> wheel while you dial, you're still not concentrating on the road.
>
>   I'm not terribly against people talking on the cell phone in
> the car. But I'm dead-set against people dialing any non-preset
> number on their cell phone while driving. If you've ever done
> this yourself you know it's easily as bad as driving drunk.

I've brought this up numerous times - generally to a massive yawn Ben, but
one company did pioneer a useful solution 10 years ago.

That was back in the regime of Mr. Landau roof, fake wire wheel cover
I-a-cucco, but Chrysler had a hands free speech recognition visor mounted
cell phone in certain of their top end Imperial/LeBaron series models long
before we ever got into UHF spectrum.

Simple commands - "dial home" or "work" did the trick. The hardware was up
top where it wasn't a visual impediment. And the speaker and mike were
largely invisible.

Right now OnStar has a model that works - push one button and an *operator*
comes on.

Such a concept - back to the past, with GPS for the present.

Where's the future?

>
>
>           -Ben
> --
> Ben Cantrick (mackys@dim.com)        |     Yes, the BGC dubs still suck.
> BGC Nukem:     http://www.dim.com/~mackys/bgcnukem.html
> The Spamdogs:  http://www.dim.com/~mackys/spamdogs
> I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for 20 years.