Best car tech of 2011
We look back at some of the best car tech we’ve reviewed in the past 12 months
Best built-in bluetooth: Parrot MKi9200 hard-wired hands-free kit
Price: £234.99
Contact: 0161 868 0868, www.parrot.com/uk
One of the most comprehensive products we have ever tried, and worth every penny of its £234.99 asking price. The MKi9200 (tested in October) is a hands-free kit which redirects the audio from calls through your car speakers. It consists of a double microphone, a 2.4-inch display and a small remote with scroll wheel. It can play music either wirelessly via Bluetooth, or you can connect up an Apple device, charge and control it using the remote. It will transmit audio from apps, too, and also works with Android smartphones.
Best iPad map apps: UK Map atlas app for iPad
Price: £7.99
Contact: itunes.apple.com
We've kept this on our tablet ever since we tried it, while others have come and gone. UK Map is pricey at £7.99, and that was why it didn’t win our group test. But drivers with Wi-Fi-only iPads will love it, as not only do you get detailed info of the entire UK, but you can view maps when away from the Internet. When online you download tiles of specific areas, then view them in greater detail when offline. You can even zoom in to 35 yards/inch.
Best DAB head unit: Philips CEM-3000B DAB head unit
Price: £159.99
Contact: www.philips.co.uk
Digital Audio Broadcasting is coming, and if you enjoy its high-quality transmissions and wide choice of stations at home and want the same thing in your car, you’ll love the Philips CEM-3000B head unit. We tested 10 digital radio solutions in July, and this single-height stereo came out on top. It received a good signal using the supplied roof antenna and has a CD slot and iPod input. The display is quite plain, yet it has simple and logical menus. Plus, the current offer price of £127.99 makes this head unit even better value.
Best sat-nav app: Garmin StreetPilot app
Price: £49.99
Contact: 023 8052 4000, www.garmin.co.uk
It was a long time coming, but finally you can get Garmin sat-nav on a smartphone. We tested StreetPilot in September and it’s still available only for the iPhone. PhotoReal junction views are top of the list of brilliant features – these bridge the gap between 3D mapping and Google-style photos. There are also free safety camera alerts (TomTom’s identically priced app doesn’t offer these), and they work even when you’re not following a route. Traffic alerts are extra (£2.99 a month), but these can be viewed off-route. A user-friendly addition to smartphone sat-nav options.
Best handsfree kit: Jabra Freeway hands-free speakerphone
Price: £99.99
Contact: www.jabra.com
The Freeway was launched at the start of 2011, and we tried it in April. There’s a firm sunvisor clip and the device can turn itself on and off. Sound quality is the best of any unit we’ve tested, thanks to three speakers hidden beneath the panel. Voice activation lets you answer and reject calls touch-free. Great for making calls on the move.
