Palm Supports CA Hands Free Cell Phone Bill

Posted By: Ryan Friday, September 15, 2006 10:08:42 AM

Palm, Inc. today announced its enthusiastic support of State Senator Joe Simitian's (D-Palo Alto) SB-1613, which will require California drivers who choose to use a cell phone while driving to use a hands-free device. The bill is scheduled to be signed by Governor Schwarzenegger today and to go into effect on July 1, 2008.

California's largest producer of cell phones, Palm is the first and only cell-phone manufacturer to publicly support the bill.

Palm believes that SB-1613 responsibly addresses evidence that handheld cell-phone use increases the risk of accidents. Palm also believes that while this bill is not the first in the United States, its passage in California could be instrumental in leading other states to follow suit and improve driving safety.

"With the technology available today, there is no reason for a driver to be holding a cell phone while behind the wheel,” said Mary Doyle, senior vice president and general counsel at Palm. "Headset technology, both wired and wireless, is readily available, and call quality using a hands-free headset is generally excellent. With our Treo smartphones, Palm gives drivers numerous options for helping keep their eyes on the road and two hands on the wheel, focusing first and foremost on driving.”

Palm Treo smartphones fully support hands-free use. They are equipped with speaker phones and are compatible with a number of hands-free accessories, including headsets, earpieces and car kits offered by leading automobile manufacturers.

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Initiating a Call over Bluetooth

jonecool @ 9/15/2006 1:40:34 PM # Q
Does this mean that it's now possible to initiate phone calls with the Treo 650 over Bluetooth to the wireless headset? Last I heard, you must initiate the call from the device, directly. Have I missed something?



RE: Initiating a Call over Bluetooth
LiveFaith @ 9/15/2006 5:17:32 PM # Q
You must initiate with voice dial or you're in violation pal. Too bad the Treo 650 won't do it. Next it will be you can't use character recognition while driving, ... only a built in keyboard.

Pat Horne
RE: Initiating a Call over Bluetooth
jonecool @ 9/16/2006 4:35:42 PM # Q
That's exactly my point. I would think before Palm steps up and says "yea we support this" that they might want to consider shipping a product that includes Voice-activated dialing from the BT headset.

Kinda don't make too much sense unless they plan on a firmware update to bring the BT stack up a notch. Voice activated dialing needs to be built-in to the firmware and support using a BT headset to initiate the phone # lookup. Voice tags are just work-arounds.

Might be better to add this first before making such a claim...

RE: Initiating a Call over Bluetooth
tanyaa @ 9/11/2008 1:35:17 AM # Q
Bluetooth is a specification to standardize on a low-cost, low-power RF (Radio Frequency) solution for wireless transmission between a wide variety of devices such as PCs, keyboards, cordless telephones, cell phones, headsets, printers, monitors, LCD projectors, and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants).Initially developed by Ericsson, the specification was furthered by the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) consortium (April, 1998) of Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. At some point during this process, the code name Bluetooth was attached, after Harald Blaatand, the 10th century Danish king who unified Denmark and conquered Norway. (I'm betting that the Vikings at Ericsson had a good deal to do with the name selection.)
------
Tanyaa
http://www.legalx.net"REL="DoFollow">california dui

RE: Initiating a Call over Bluetooth
SeldomVisitor @ 9/11/2008 3:26:03 AM # Q
The spammers are getting better at it, huh?

Reply to this comment

Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers

Gekko @ 9/15/2006 1:50:54 PM # Q

Yes! These dumb housewives blindingly and obliviously backing out their obnoxiously gigantic SUV out of the supermarket parking lot with one hand on the wheel and not paying attention while yapping gossip on the phone are a menace to society. And so are all these filthy teenagers who don't pay attention and can't keep both hands on the wheel. This Law should be in all U.S. states and the fine should be steep.

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
LiveFaith @ 9/15/2006 5:19:46 PM # Q
Aaaaaant! Palm, keep your filthy hands outta civil government and stop helping the socialists control every facet of our lives. I know your looking for some filthy politician to kick back future legislation your way. But, did anybody ring your bell?

Instead of parading around employees helping the State put further controls on it's citizens, it is my express opinion that you should figure out how to put WiFi on your smartphones and at least get near the competition that is leaving you in the dust.

You guys are making it reeeeel easy to take my dollars elsewhere.

Pat Horne

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
freakout @ 9/15/2006 6:47:13 PM # Q
Oh c'mon Pat. Do you really think it's a bad thing to say people should focus on driving when they're, erm, driving?

We've had similar legislation here in Oz for quite some time. It doesn't stop everybody but most people now will pull over to take phone calls, rather than keeping on driving and risking a fine and demerit points. And that's a good thing!

I'm sure that nearly all of us here have had a scary experience on the road at some point, with some moron talking on their phone and not watching where they're driving. (Personally, a 4WD nearly ran me off the road last year while its completely oblivious driver yakked away.) Studies have shown people talking on mobile phones while driving are nearly as bad as drunk drivers. As Gekko says, they're a menace to society.

Ugh. I agreed with Gekko. How do I get this taste outta my mouth?

(and yes, Palm should be focussing on building better devices, but we all knew that, didn't we? ;) )

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
LiveFaith @ 9/16/2006 12:08:25 AM # Q
Tim,

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yet, Seventh Day Adventists claim a longer life span based on their lifestyle, diet and/or other factors. But I (nor they) don't think we or Palm should be calling for punishment if everyone doesn't line up. Just because it's "good" doesn't mean the State has to babysit its subjects into it.

Nevertheless, I digress back from the OT thread and agree with your last point ... Palm needs to wake up and build something exciting again.

Pat Horne

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
freakout @ 9/16/2006 6:53:54 AM # Q
"Just because it's "good" doesn't mean the State has to babysit its subjects into it."

Well, its your country. But I have a feeling those people who've been injured (or worse, killed) by irresponsible phone-wielding drivers would see things somewhat differently. Drink-driving is illegal; since talking on a phone affects your judgement in much the same way, isn't it just a no-brainer talking while driving should be illegal too?

The risk of collision while using a mobile phone is increased 4-fold, compared with a 2-fold increased risk when driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.06 per cent, the study authors wrote. A case–control study showed that the risk of a fatality is increased 9-fold when using a mobile phone.
^^ http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Article=4044

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
twrock @ 9/16/2006 6:57:58 AM # Q
During my two months back in the USA last summer, one of the first things I noticed that shocked me was that there wasn't a law against holding your cell phone while driving. It wasn't even slightly difficult to see the negative effect on driving safety when people were holding their phone and yacking away.

Please people, get your hands on the wheel and pay attention to what you are supposed to be doing when you're in control (or not) of a two ton battering ram. I don't want you on the road with me if you don't.

(On the other hand, I don't think I would want to put it as "diplomatically" as Gekko.)

I'm still waiting for the mythical color HandEra.

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
SeldomVisitor @ 9/16/2006 8:02:30 AM # Q
The studies (perhaps including the one cited just above) do not say :

== "Holding a phone and talking is worse than drunk driving"

They instead say:

== "Talking on a phone is worse than drunk driving"

Hands-free is politically nice but functionally a NOP.

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
twrock @ 9/16/2006 9:34:24 AM # Q
The studies ....

It'd be nice to see those alleged studies. What do they really say? Is "holding a phone and talking" the equivalent of "talking on a phone" because holding the phone is the way Americans talk on a phone while driving? How about some links to those studies being cited?

I'm still waiting for the mythical color HandEra.

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
Gekko @ 9/16/2006 10:12:28 AM # Q

Google is your friend.

Cell phones as dangerous as drunk driving
July 1, 2006 10:00 AM PDT

Is having a cell phone pressed to your ear while behind the wheel the equivalent of driving while intoxicated? According to a study by University of Utah psychologists, the answer is, unfortunately, yes.

"Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive," writes David Strayer, a psychology professor and the study's lead author. "The level of impairment is very similar."

http://news.com.com/2061-10801_3-6090342.html



RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
SeldomVisitor @ 9/16/2006 1:39:08 PM # Q
Google indeed is your friend but I'm not sure THAT study is the one I no-link referenced (I simply don't know nor care enough to check!).

However, Google is your friend - look for "cellphone alcohol study" and I'm sure you'll find (at least) the one that notes that it is the talking, not the hand-use, that is dangerous.

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
twrock @ 9/16/2006 8:53:08 PM # Q
...I'm sure you'll find (at least) the one that notes that it is the talking, not the hand-use, that is dangerous.

That would certainly be interesting to see. Begs the question about simply talking to the guy next to you in the passenger seat.

(I simply don't know nor care enough to check!)

I used to throw around a particular "statistic" to make a point. Years later, I went back and found that I was sorely mistaken about what I thought I knew. Additionally, I usually don't trust the conclusions of a study until I can see the methodology as well. It's just too easy to manipulate the process.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, da*ned lies, and statistics." Mark Twain (supposedly quoting Disraeli)

I'm still waiting for the mythical color HandEra.

RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
Gekko @ 9/16/2006 10:47:12 PM # Q

Google is your friend. Google is your friend.



RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
LiveFaith @ 9/17/2006 12:35:13 AM # Q
As they say (quite accurately), there are lies, d#$@ lies, and then there are statistics / studies.

Pat Horne
RE: Dumb Housewives and Filthy Teenagers
JarJar @ 9/18/2006 11:47:32 AM # Q
I am liberterian enough to believe that if somebody wants to drive in an unsafe manner and injure themselves they should be allowed to do so.

However, that same driver should not be allowed to put me at risk. That same driver should not be allowed to take money out of my pocket (by increasing my insurance rates and and taxes raising cost of highway maintenance and emergency services)

The evidence that mobile phone use while driving leads to a higher accident rate is solid. It's the issue of the unsafe driver taking money out of my pocket that is objectionable, not the desire for me to babysit or control another driver.

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What's the new features?

asiayeah @ 9/15/2006 8:55:34 PM # Q
So what's the new features that Palm is bring out to support the Bill?

Will you finally add voice dialing via bluetooth headsets for Treos? Aren't Nokia Smartphones in the same position to support the Bill?

Is there any technical advantage or it is simply about PR.

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

Reply to this comment

No mo Tweeos while a dri-van. Yay!

VampireLestat @ 9/16/2006 12:48:56 AM # Q
I am 100% in favor of putting a stop to all the yentas gossiping away on the cell while driving.

The roads are full of maniac drivers.

I agree with the lizard.

Reply to this comment

Suggestion for Palm: S T F U and start making better phones.

The_Voice_of_Reason @ 9/16/2006 1:59:59 AM # Q
It would be nice to see Palm spend its time + resource on designing + producing phones that are actually worth the stratospheric prices Palm is charging consumers.

I don't know about everyone else, but I would have appreciated seeing a bug-free, well-specced Treo 700p a he11 of a lot more than I appreciate hearing these dumba$$es yapping about laws + trying to sound like they actually give a damn about consumers. Isn't it ironic that Palm can't even figure out how to solidly pair its phones to Bluetooth headsets yet they're willing to sanctimoniously lecture others about the evils of using cellphones in vehicles? Nice publicity stunt, Mr. Colligan. Now how about you start actually making some products worth buying?


TVoR

RE: Suggestion for Palm: S T F U and start making better phones.
SeldomVisitor @ 9/16/2006 8:46:05 AM # Q
PALM has made much of their QWERTY very-hands-on TREO line (albeit maybe "one-hand-on"...). The cynic in me would suggest that PALM's overt public-mindedness could be a proactive move to reduce liability should the inevitable land-shark attack occur after someone is injured due to ... hands-on TREO use.

Land-sharks attack the biggest pockets, not necessarily the most liable pockets.

PALM could be preparing for that:

== "...But but but ... we were the FIRST to back laws AGAINST
== hands-on!..."

RE: Suggestion for Palm: S T F U and start making better phones.
joad @ 9/17/2006 11:18:34 PM # Q
I, for one, welcome our qwerty keyboard-dialing Palm overlords.

Tooling down the road at 65MPH trying to dial a Treo with the tiny buttons (or the miserable software screen method) is much more practical than including voice-dialing (at least for wired) on a $650.00 phone.

Maybe it's Palm, Inc. whose thinking is impaired for supporting this, even though I personally agree with it wholeheartedly.

Perhaps Palm figures nobody will look at the phones they produce and bring up the fact that they are one of the worst phones to dial WITHOUT holding it in your hand?

Reply to this comment

3 more weeks and then I am moving on.

VampireLestat @ 9/16/2006 5:04:27 PM # Q
I just watched a movie of an HTC device, thanks to PalmAddicts. http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/sshow/ss14.html

I am waiting a few more weeks to see if any rumours arise for a new LifeDrive or TX, if there are none, I am buying the HTC TyTN. I am tired of waiting on Palm.

TyTN has retractable keyb, jogwheel, menu/ESC buttons, camera 2mp, camcorder, mic, 320x240 WM, microSD, UMTS/EDGE/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS Unlocked, 128 + 64 MB. A true multimedia device. Cons: No oled, no vga, no feet on back to stand device when playing movies.

Those are the features I have been expecting Palm to put into a handheld. Not put some in, then take some out, always leaving the device incomplete. The Treo 700p is closest to the TyTn, but since Palm seems to be planning a switch to WM and abandoning Palm OS, I may as well just go out now and buy a larger 320x240 screen, more complete, higher end device than the Treo. Remember what I once said about Palm abandoning its niche market and the risks of competing with the big boys in the WM market? Looks like I may be an example of a consumer turning to a WM competitor, a decision based solely on features and price, and the absence of all loyalty to any given brand.

I need some serious news from Palm on the plans for Palm OS based on an in house developed Linux kernal, and their real plans for full screen handhelds/phones with a very strong multimedia features. OLED would be a retention factor.


RE: 3 more weeks and then I am moving on.
Gekko @ 9/16/2006 10:47:55 PM # Q

Why wait? Don't hold your breath.

RE: 3 more weeks and then I am moving on.
VampireLestat @ 9/16/2006 11:06:13 PM # Q
Gekko,
Because traditionally Palm releases a new handheld in November. If it exists, rumours and photos should start surfacing any time now. Hense my 3 week wait and watch period. And quite frankly, I want to continue with Palm OS products.

Right now the i-mate JasJar PPC has my attention. Just considering my options at this point.

btw, I was just reading up on the new HP iPAQ rx4000 <--- Appears to be another sick joke of a device from HP. They are hilarious. Anyways, I will wait to see the specs and screen technology before forming my opinion. I find it funny that of all the people discussing the rx4000 on the Web, no one so far has mentioned the need for OLED or similar screen technology. I refuse the idea that people simply dont need better screens. This is just one of those weird things that people will all of a sudden start talking about in the near future.

RE: 3 more weeks and then I am moving on.
Gekko @ 9/17/2006 7:24:52 AM # Q

OLED is overrated.

RE: 3 more weeks and then I am moving on.
SeldomVisitor @ 9/17/2006 8:42:04 AM # Q
> ...btw, I was just reading up on the new HP iPAQ
> rx4000 <--- Appears to be another sick joke of a
> device from HP...

Doesn't HTC design/manufacture all of HPs (among others...) handhelds?

-- http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=9131

RE: 3 more weeks and then I am moving on.
AdamaDBrown @ 9/17/2006 12:45:32 PM # Q
VL wrote:
Right now the i-mate JasJar PPC has my attention. Just considering my options at this point.

The JASJAR is neat, but unfortunately ill-designed if you're not in Europe. It doesn't support US UMTS or even EDGE networks, and it doesn't support the 850 MHz band either.

There are reports of a Universal (JASJAR) successor called the Omni, due out late this year or early next, which keeps the design and VGA screen but boosts the connectivity to HSDPA. At this point, it's unknown whether this model will include US frequency support, but I'd suspect it will.

SV wrote:
Doesn't HTC design/manufacture all of HPs (among others...) handhelds?

They used to, but HP wanted to bring their design in-house, which is what resulted in the 1700/2000/3700/4700 family of UghPaqs. I think that HTC still manufactures for them, but they no longer do the design. Pity. The best iPaqs were the ones HP never touched.

RE: 3 more weeks and then I am moving on.
joad @ 9/17/2006 11:26:20 PM # Q
I do my best never to touch an HP anymore, either.

Reply to this comment

Best BT Headset So Far?

Gekko @ 9/17/2006 8:30:27 AM # Q

Foo or HKK - I'd love to see your honest, no B.S. reviews of this puppy:

Samsung WEP200 Bluetooth Headset Kit

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000GAO9T2/ref=s9_asin_title_1/104-4890790-9932724



RE: Best BT Headset So Far?
cervezas @ 9/17/2006 2:58:54 PM # Q
Fine if you've got a Samsung phone with BT. Users who've tried it with some other phones say they couldn't get it to pair and Samsung's support only claims it will work with Samsung phones. It does sound like some BlackBerry and Motorola SLVR users have had success with it, though. As for the Treos, who knows?

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Best BT Headset So Far?
Gekko @ 9/17/2006 3:25:19 PM # Q

http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=121351

RE: Best BT Headset So Far?
hkklife @ 9/17/2006 9:53:19 PM # Q
Gekko;

I highly doubt I can talk Samsung into sending me one of these to review but I can give it a shot. It LOOKS great, that's for sure!

I am actually going to review Palm's new "ultra light" BT Headset and hopefully it'll be an improvement over the older Treo headset. It certainly cannot be any worse.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Best BT Headset So Far?
joad @ 9/17/2006 11:27:32 PM # Q
>It certainly cannot be any worse.

You're new here, eh? ;)

RE: Best BT Headset So Far?
freakout @ 9/18/2006 2:11:38 AM # Q
Hey, the older Treo headset isn't so bad. I got mine free so I'm certainly not complaining. ;)

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650
RE: Best BT Headset So Far?
joad @ 9/19/2006 1:19:49 PM # Q
...now if it would only stay paired with the Treo it would be worth more than you paid for it....

RE: Best BT Headset So Far?
freakout @ 9/23/2006 3:08:43 AM # Q
It doesn't stay paired? News to me... going on over a year now and I've only ever had to re-pair once after a hard reset.
Reply to this comment

OT: Motorola to buy Symbol Tech for $3.9B

Gekko @ 9/19/2006 7:51:18 AM # Q

Motorola to buy Symbol Tech for $3.9B
Cell phone maker agrees to cash deal for maker of bar code scanners, handheld computers, wireless networking equipment and radio frequency tags.
September 19 2006: 7:00 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Motorola has agreed to pay $3.9 billion in cash to acquire Symbol Technologies, the companies announced Tuesday.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/19/technology/motorola_symboltech/index.htm



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