Product Description
This is advertised as a safe alternative to talking on your cell phone while driving. From the http://www.tvproducts4less.com/ website…FoneFree is truly universal, transforming your cell phone into a speakerphone everywhere. Dual band! Use either FM stations 88.7 or 106.5. Easy to set-up. No Wires! No Plug-Ins! Elegant, sleek design that is portable and easy to transport from one car to another, in your home, office or wherever there is a radio. Can also be used as a conferencing system. Great sound quality. FoneFree takes advantage of your car speaker system.
What it costs $17.95 (you get two for this price) + $7.95 shipping and handling (on the http://www.asseenontv.com/ website). Now normally I would give the price of the website where I get the product description but that cost was $19.95. Why pay more for the same product?
Ease of assembly 3 1/2 Stars
You need to program one of your preset radio stations on your car radio to either 88.7 FM or 106.5 FM. To be truly hands free you need to put a dash mount onto your dashboard. Basically a rectangle magnet (thin and black) that is affixed with double stick tape. Finally you need to mount a thin black piece of metal with double stick tape to your phone so that it can stick to your dash mount.
Ease of use 2 Stars
Now I have a flip phone so to use this I first must flip open my phone, then attached the FoneFree transmitter to the phone. It clips on easily enough with a small clip on the back of it. Then I need to press my radio preset to select the correct FM frequency. Now if I have not yet crashed doing all this (or the person calling has gone to voicemail), I can answer the phone and stick the phone onto my dashboard mount.
Actual performance 1 Star
I have a few problems with FoneFree. First off this is a speaker phone so quality is not the best. I also need to speak louder then normally since the phone is mounted onto my dashboard. People can hear me but also say that I am either distant sounding or there is an echo. The next problem I have is the weight of the metal plate FoneFree wants me to stick to my phone. It is not much but is noticeable. This is not so much a problem when using FoneFree but when I want to just hold my phone. It is annoying.
Final thoughts on practicality
If you do not have a speaker phone (are there phones now days that are not speaker phones???) this product may help you. Also most states now have laws prohibiting driving while talking on a held cell phone). However I do not recommend trying to connect everything while driving. Set it up before you start your trip and if your phone rings, you will be able to answer it easier then the way I described above. Unfortunately my phone always seems to ring when I don’t have it hooked up.
And to the http://www.asseenontv.com/ people... How do you get off charging $7.95 for shipping and handling? This product weighs almost nothing.
A good idea who’s time may have passed. There are many other options out there from speaker phones to other headsets that provide a higher quality.
Final Score
2 stars out of 5
