Let's face it: using a cell phone while driving is distracting at the very least but, more importantly, it can be downright dangerous. Hands-free, in-car phones are certainly less distracting, but they have the huge disadvantage of not being portable. However, Bluetooth changes all of that by providing the safety and convenience of a hands-free, in-car phone while still keeping the flexibility a cell phone provides. So by now, you're probably wondering how to get Bluetooth in your car. If your car is a high-end 2004 model or newer, contact your dealer; your vehicle may already be Bluetooth capable. If this is the case, you simply need a Bluetooth cell phone. The only catch is that your cell phone must be able to communicate with the Bluetooth device in your car, and not all models do. (For more on the compatibility issues, read "The many faces of Bluetooth.") Your best bet is to check with the parts department at your local dealership, which should have a list of compatible phones.

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If your car is not Bluetooth equipped, don't fret. Numerous cellular phone and aftermarket companies make adapter kits, starting at about $200. Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson all make auto kits that work with their Bluetooth phones. Parrot, a leading aftermarket company, offers several different systems that can either be plugged into a cigarette lighter or installed by a professional who embeds the system into your vehicle. The plug-and-go systems are handy for people who want to be up and running quickly or for those who switch vehicles often. The best part about most of the aftermarket systems is that they work with almost all Bluetooth-equipped cell phones.

If you're handy and feel comfortable taking apart your dashboard and miscellaneous covers that hide your car's electronics, you can install these systems on your own. Be aware, some of the kit manufacturers void their products' warranty if they're not installed by a professional.

Whether you hire a professional to install the kit or do it yourself, keep a couple of things in mind. To get the best results, mount the microphone no more than 16 inches from your mouth, either adjacent to your rearview mirror, on your headliner, or on the overhead console. Be sure the path between the microphone and your mouth is not blocked by anything, such as the sun visor or rearview mirror, and isn't in line with direct airflow from your air vents.

While it's obvious that none of the components should interfere with the seats, the shifter, or the mirrors, be especially careful that nothing is in the path of the air bag, or serious injury could result. It's not always obvious where air bags deploy, so consult your owner's manual or call your dealer if you are unsure about installing the system yourself.

If you're the type who travels to new and unfamiliar lands for work or play, adding a GPS-based navigation system to your car makes sense. Many of today's nav systems give you both audio and visual turn-by-turn directions to almost any address, as well as find points of interest, including gas stations, restaurants, and ATMs. There are three types of nav systems: built-in, portable, and handheld. Built-in systems usually have the largest screens and can often be combined with other systems to play DVD movies or video games when the nav system is not in use. These systems are permanent and usually require a professional to cut or enlarge an opening in your dashboard for installation. Portable and handheld systems can be moved from vehicle to vehicle, but both generally have smaller screens than built-in systems, which can make programming destinations a challenge. Most new GPS designs offer turn-by-turn audible driving directions.

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People into outdoors activities will appreciate handheld units, such as the Garmin iQue 3600, because they go right from the dashboard and into a pocket, offering guidance for hikers, bikers, and boaters. However, driving with a handheld is difficult because the unit will either slide all over the dashboard or get propped up in a cup holder. And it's best to have a passenger along to operate it because the small interface is difficult to use while driving. A 12-volt adapter is useful for keeping the batteries from draining during long drives.

Portable units, such as our Editors' Choice TomTom GO, attach to the dashboard via Velcro or other means. They have good form factors for driving, including easily viewable displays and accessible interfaces. For power, portables include plugs for 12-volt outlets or cigarette lighters. Although portables are convenient in that you can move them from one car to another, they don't exactly blend with the car's interior. A portable GPS unit will make an unsightly bump in the clean lines of a well-designed dashboard.

When installing a portable, choose a place that is roughly level with your instrument panel or slightly higher for the easiest viewing. Angle the screen toward the driver so that it doesn't catch the sun's glare. Make sure it is out of the way of the air bag, should it deploy.

Most built-in systems need to be professionally installed. They usually fit in the same slot as a car stereo, and they include radio tuners and CD players, so you won't have to do without music. The navigation screens on built-in units typically pop up or slide out, which makes for an interesting conversation piece when friends get in the car, but such units can cover other dashboard controls or air vents.

If there simply isn't a case large enough to store all the CDs you want to take with you in the car, you might want to add an MP3 player. To play MP3 tunes in your car, you can get a new head unit that plays MP3 CDs, install a hard drive player, or hook up a portable to your current stereo head unit. The most straightforward route is to install a new head unit that plays MP3 and regular CDs. Most major aftermarket car stereo manufacturers offer MP3-compatible head units, such as Kenwood's EZ500 or Sony's Xplod CDX F5710. You can fit a lot of MP3-formatted songs on a CD, but this solution still entails carrying around CDs. You will also most likely need to have the unit professionally installed. When looking for an MP3-compatible head unit, make sure that it easily helps you navigate file and folders on your discs.

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For a more esoteric and convenient solution, a few companies make hard drive systems for your car. For example, the PhatNoise PhatBox Digital Music Player uses portable cartridges that hold 40GB, 60GB, or 80GB of MP3s. With these systems, you install a unit in your car's trunk and transfer music from your computer to the unit's removable storage device. Music can be searched by artist, genre, or playlist via the control buttons on your radio. The major drawback of these types of systems is that you need to keep your MP3s synced up with your computer hard drive and the portable disc.

If you want the ability to carry your tunes with you anywhere, a portable MP3 player hooked up to your car stereo is the logical choice. Because of its popularity, there are many solutions customized for the iPod. Some cars come with iPod compatibility, and aftermarket solutions also exist. Read our Weekend Project on how to iPod your car for specific solutions.

If you have a different brand of MP3 player, the cheapest solution uses an adapter that plugs into your car stereo's cassette player. But most new car stereos eschew cassettes in favor of CDs, so a cassette adapter may not be an option. Another method is to get an adapter cable that plugs directly into your head unit. To go this route, your car stereo needs a spare input, such as an unused CD changer port. If you're not sure if you have an input available, you can check the owner's manual for your vehicle or stereo or look up your stereo or vehicle information online. To install an adapter cable, you will need to plug it into the back of the stereo by either removing the head unit or reaching under and behind the dashboard. Some head units come with an 1/8-inch auxiliary input mounted in their face. With any of these solutions, you will need to control your music selection from the MP3 player, as only the volume will be controllable from the car stereo itself.

Once you're connected, you'll probably want a bracket or a cradle to hold your MP3 player so that you can see the screen. A wide variety are available, for about $20, that mount to your windshield, your dashboard, and even your air vents. Choose a mounting method that makes the screen easy to view while you are driving but doesn't block the air bag or any of your dashboard functions.