DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group might have found a way to give a cell-phone-craving nation what it wants most -- the chance to talk hands-free on their own cell phones without attaching wires to their heads or installing ugly gizmos in their vehicles, according to the Detroit Free Press. Today the automaker rolls out the UConnect system, which wirelessly links a motorist's cell phone with a microphone installed in the vehicle. It works with any cell phone that uses a special wireless system called Bluetooth, according to the Free Press. Initially, the system will come factory installed only on the 2004 Pacifica, but it can be purchased at Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships and loaded on almost all DaimlerChrysler vehicles dating to 1994, the Free Press said. Chrysler Group, which has already spent millions researching and refining UConnect over the past two years, is throwing the dice in the risky telematics business, according to the Free Press. Telematics is two-way data and voice communication between vehicles and external sources.
Chrysler to Debut a Hands-Free Cell Phone Device
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