By Jeff Zbar 
www.homeofficehighway.com

When it comes wireless phones and my choice of hearing devices, this home office worker tends toward the dysfunctional. I’m a fan of Bluetooth and the wireless functionality and freedom it delivers.

But I like the clarity and simple effectiveness of wired headsets. Hence my confusion (my wife would argue that it doesn’t end there, but that’s another story).

Headsets are important — and sometimes legal must-haves — accessories for wireless phones. As you’re tooling around town or exploring the Final Frontier in an RV with better things to focus on than answering your wireless phone, they free your hands for note-taking or driving (helping avoid costly traffic tickets in those markets where hands-free cellular phone use is the law - see list below).

Yet sound quality, especially when driving, was lacking. Enter new Bluetooth products designed to enhance the speaker’s voice and eliminate background sounds, like wind, lawn equipment and crowd noise. Products like Jabra, Plantronics, and the novel Jawbone (which offers a pretty creative marketing ploy: Redeem your cell phone moving violation for a discount on a new Jawbone purchase).  read more »

• by Jeff Zbar

By Jeff Zbar 
www.homeofficehighway.com

Which road tracking and map tech to use was always a toss up in our car.

We’d traveled for years with traditional GPS devices, that British lass barking out orders and seemingly venting frustration whenever we’d ignore her suggested turns. She was good and reliable. As the kids always warned, “Trust the technology.”

Then along came the Verizon Wireless and its VZ Navigator Version 4 application. Our “traditional” retail GPS would just tell us, “Make left in 2 miles.” No street name audibly announced (though it’s there in print on the screen). I have to admit, though, the British voice was something last summer when we took an impromptu detour onto the Blue Ridge Parkway — and she couldn’t convince us to “Make the next available turn…” Frustrated, she was.  read more »

By Jeff Zbar 
www.chiefhomeofficer.com

Headsets have long been important – and sometimes legally must-have – accessories for wireless phones. They free users’ hands for note-taking or driving (helping avoid costly traffic tickets in those markets where hands-free cellular phone use is the law). Yet sound quality, especially when driving, was lacking. Enter new Bluetooth products designed to enhance the speaker’s voice and eliminate background sounds, like wind, lawn equipment and crowd noise. Products like Jawbone and Plantronics Discovery, among others, use digital signal processing to adjust voice levels and improve sound at both ends of the call.  read more »

• by Jeff Zbar

Summertime is drive-time across the USA. Millions of vacation-happy Americans hit the road during summer, logging more driving miles on the pavement than any other time of year.

But with gas prices climbing toward $4 a gallon (or more!), folks are concerned about the costs of driving. Can families still afford to pile the kids into the car and ride to summer's favorite hot spots? Will a kids' chorus of "are we going?" replace the standard endless chants of "are we there yet?"

Savvy drivers say "no!" They're constantly seeking ways to increase fuel economy and to squeeze out more miles per tank. Instead of focusing purely on the fuel gauge, though, experts suggest paying more attention to tires, those black, rubbery objects that connect vehicles to the road. Yes, the right rubber on the road can save gas in the tank.  read more »