Oh sure, we've seen handsets designed to spend more time riding shotgun than hyperventilating in your front pocket, but Motorola's Smart Rider may actually break out in hives if removed from the comfort of your car's cabin. All joshing aside, this unique "in-vehicle phone" plays on GSM bands and features built-in GPS navigation services, voice activation, Bluetooth and a microphone / speakerphone. You'll also get a 2.8-inch display, turn-by-turn guidance, real-time traffic information and automatic re-routing. Regrettably, Moto's all hush-hush on pricing, but it'll be available for those that want this June.

Yeah, we did a double take upon seeing the above image too, but believe it or not, that car phone is actually a new Bluetooth handsfree system. Developed by Cartel Mobile Solutions, this in-car setup can reportedly be installed into nearly any whip and will connect up with most every BT-enabled handset. From there, it mysteriously warps you back to the 1990s where you can dial on near-Chiclet sized buttons; once the haze clears, it ushers you back to modern day by enabling motorists to chat without holding anything up to their yapper. Users can opt to wire it to their vehicle's sound system or plug in an external speaker, and yes, that display you see does indeed handle Caller ID duties. Unfortunately, no price was readily apparent, but you can can bring that 1979 Buick of yours a few years closer to the 21st century by hitting Cartel up for purchasing details.

[Thanks, Mickel]

Our favorite French Bluetooth gurus are readying yet another in-car handsfree kit, but unlike the run-of-the-mill offerings already crowding store shelves, the Parrot MK6100 adds a bit of musical delight as well. Aside from giving users the opportunity to hear conversations through their stereo system, this two-piece system boasts a built-in microphone in the horizontal display (which just so happens to be a svelte OLED), and also plays on the emotions of audio lovers everywhere. The A2DP-enabled kit features a separate wireless remote that can be used to cycle through the tracks on your handset, play and pause the tunes, and easily fit into your glovebox when you exit the vehicle. Additionally, users will be graced with DPS, automatic phonebook synchronization, text-to-speech capabilities, and voice dialing, and while we're not quite sure of the pricing deets just yet, you can probably expect to find out for yourself in Q2 of this year.

For those of you with Bluetooth head units that play nice with your mobile, viewing your contacts, incoming calls, signal strength, and other pertinent data right on the in-car display might be a luxury you take for granted, but for those without such niceties, Nokia is hoping its CK-15W will fit the bill. The dash-mountable 2.2-inch touchscreen display resembles a small navigation system in form, but its functionality is limited to bringing your mobile's display from the pits of your lap (or floorboard) to a safer, more convenient location. Aside from allowing users to scroll through contacts and make / receive calls, it also boasts customizable backgrounds and themes, and while the press release insinuates it'll only operate with BT-enabled Nokia handsets, we'd wager other brands might hook up too. Still, Nokia apparently feels this somewhat stifled functionality is worth a premium, as it'll demand €180 ($236) when it lands later this quarter.

[Via Slashgear]

While it didn't bring it a massive posse or hundred foot banners, Germany's PEIKER did manage to deliver an "award-winning" in-car connection device during CES last week. The company's BluetouchMusic claims to be the "world's first" system to integrate handsfree calling and music into your car's stereo, but clearly it's missed quite a few other applications that have already graced American soil. Nevertheless, the device is meant to be "professionally installed" into your car's stereo system, and allows you to converse wirelessly on your Bluetooth-enabled phone, stream tunes from your A2DP-enabled device, listen to your iPod via an optional cable, or connect any music device via a 3.5-millimeter aux input. The diminutive device touts an intuitive-looking menu with oversized buttons to navigate from music to your address book and everywhere in between, but interestingly enough the "handsfree" aspect becomes somewhat laughable when many functions need a few button presses to get things in order. Regardless, PIEKER's first device to be sold and distributed here in America should start hitting "aftermarket channels" shortly for a currently undisclosed price.

[Via BlueTomorrow]

If you're interested in one of the bazillion new handsets getting some showtime here in Vegas, you just might be scouting out a new headset as well. foneGEAR is busting on the scene by releasing a Mini Blu II headset and MK20 in-car handsfree kit, both of which are Bluetooth enabled. The Mini Blu II weighs just nine grams, supports Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and offers up a reported four hours of talk time and 75 hours while in standby. For talking it up in your whip, the MK20 features a car charger / AC adaptor, built-in speaker and microphone, LCD display, phone book, "hotline" button to call your boss, SO, or any other programmed number, and offers eight hours of talk time and 200 hours in standby. Although pricing wasn't available for either, both Bluetooth gizmos will hit stores in the first quarter of this year.

[Via Slashphone]

With the popularity of handsfree systems on the rise (not to mention the "dangers" of driving with one hand), Motorola is jumping on the bandwagon with its T605 Automotive Music and Handsfree System. After a presumably tricky DIY install in your whip, the T605 automatically syncs with your Bluetooth 2.0-enabled cellphone and utilizes A2DP in order to channel both phone calls and audio from your mobile to your stereo. For cellphones without Bluetooth audio functionality, the T605 module boasts a standard 3.5-millimeter input jack, so tunes from your iPod or DAP-of-choice can stream through your car without the need for a questionably functional FM transmitter. Similar to OEM units, Motorola's device actually pauses the music when it detects an incoming call, and picks up where it left off when your conversation is complete. Although no pricing information is currently available, you'll be hearing more about the T605 system in "the first half of 2007."

[Via PhoneScoop]