Is using your mobile phone inside your car still a no no?

[television]

I see that it was announced last week that new technology has found a way to enable mobile phones to be used on aircraft, heavens forbid

 

[MBManInKen]

I see that it was announced last week that new technology has found a way to enable mobile phones to be used on aircraft, heavens forbid

Yes, that's just what we need: sitting next to some t*** blabbering on their mobile phones. "Hello, I'm on the plaaane..."

 

[Mudster]

I see that it was announced last week that new technology has found a way to enable mobile phones to be used on aircraft, heavens forbid

Honestly, I think the ability has existed for some time at reasonable altitudes and within distance of cell masts (hence so many cell phone recordings from the hijacked planes on Sept 11 - which if we believed the hype, couldn't actually be made- make of that what you will). I think they've just tapped into satellite technology to extend the range- as far as I understand)

A lot of the mobile phone stuff on planes is a little similar to the hospital argument, it doesn't actually hold a lot of water when put under technological scrutiny.

 

[Diesel Benz]

Honestly, I think the ability has existed for some time at reasonable altitudes and within distance of cell masts (hence so many cell phone recordings from the hijacked planes on Sept 11 - which if we believed the hype, couldn't actually be made- make of that what you will). I think they've just tapped into satellite technology to extend the range- as far as I understand)

A lot of the mobile phone stuff on planes is a little similar to the hospital argument, it doesn't actually hold a lot of water when put under technological scrutiny.

We are now talking about legal use of ordinary (GSM) cell phones. This works with a small base station at the plane, plus some specific equipment that particularly block cell phone access to terrestrial networks (that would not be safe because phones would operate at high power).

I'm probably biased but to me it isn't different if my neighbour on the plane is talking loud with his/her colleague. Etiquette is the key always, you do not need to shout when on the phone and people accept normal talking on the planes anyway.

And satellite phones have existed years on planes, at least long haul. Nobody has really complained those, although not too frequently used either.

First companies are planning to support only SMS and data anyway, and initially at least.

 

[Mudster]

I was also referring to GSM phones (I was using the Americanism - cell phones) A very large number of calls were made from planes on Sept 11 from mobile phones.

The rest a agree with, it's etiquette and a little decency.

 

[Diesel Benz]

I was also referring to GSM phones (I was using the Americanism - cell phones) A very large number of calls were made from planes on Sept 11 from mobile phones.

The rest a agree with, it's etiquette and a little decency.

Sorry if I put my words in a way like I would not have agreed with your comment about cellular phone calls being possible from the plane directly to terrestrial base stations. You can often see this being possible when people have forgotten their phones on and they start getting welcome SMS messages from the new operator they find at the destination country.

What I tried to say is that this use, direct connections from planes to terrestrial networks is not legal. Instead there are plans to provide cell phone services on board, legally through an on board system.

So, I at least actually agree everything you mentioned in your previous post.

 

[amwebby]

This is all really interesting guys, and mirrors many of my own thoughts and conversations but, does anyone have a Mercedes-Benz Bluetooth device?

Does MB say anything in the manual or instructions about the use of mobile phones (and their aerials) inside the car, which the device obviously condones?

 

[Diesel Benz]

This is all really interesting guys, and mirrors many of my own thoughts and conversations but, does anyone have a Mercedes-Benz Bluetooth device?

Does MB say anything in the manual or instructions about the use of mobile phones (and their aerials) inside the car, which the device obviously condones?

amwebby, I own another apology to you, taking your thread topic off track, probably twice at least. Sorry about that.

I looked at my manual and I can find the same preamble text as you mentioned on an earlier post. My conclusion is that MB does not officially want to accept the use of cell phones in the cabin, working with their own antenna. This is probably why in Europe they planned working with BT SAP devices.

In the US however it is not sufficient to cover GSM cell phones, also CDMA phones are so popular that a solution was needed for those. And there is no BT SAP type of a solution for the CDMA standard. I believe later on they realised that BT SAP is also supported by a few phone brands, even less than initially assumed (some/several phone manufacturers are still to come with that support). This probably forced MB to release the BT HF profile puck for Europe too.

Perhaps we can then interpret that they take the liability for this arrangement, perhaps it is more that documents are lacking the development. Should have actually read the W204 manual, it is probably the first model built after MB released BT HF devices (and W204 itself has built in BT HF telephony support).

Obviously I'm just speculating. Will be waiting for comments with deeper insight. Hope the thread remains better on the topic now.

 

[amwebby]

No apologies necessary DB, I've seen threads drift far further off topic than this and I don't think the drift here was off topic as much as it was relevant to the topic. Like you I await feedback from somone with an MB released after the HFP pucks became availabe or anyone who has purchased one from MB. Maybe there is a disclaimer in the manual for those?

 

[Diesel Benz]

I took a copy from W204 the on-line manual. Seems like the text discussed previously is now in a lot softer format. The use of an external antenna is recommended but not claimed to be a must.

Of course one could still claim that W204 was built differently to take the BT HF profile use into account.