14 DAY TRIAL // Riding a motorcycle can give you the greatest feeling in the world, but, at the same time, it does have certain disadvantages, especially related to some of the communication and entertainment functions generally available to car drivers. And this is exactly the reason why the people over at Parrot have just announced the SK4000, a Bluetooth hands-free motorcycle kit that features FM RDS radio and wireless mobile remote control. According to the company's statement, the Parrot SK4000 stands out with a clear-cut noise reduction and echo canceling and the widest range of features available in this market.
Motorcyclists will thus be able to switch between their favourite songs - whatever the format - and answer calls through the easy clip-on wireless remote fixed to the bike's left handlebar. The Parrot SK4000 offers the motorcyclist the choice to listen to music via Bluetooth wireless technology (using the A2DP profile), on the FM radio (RDS inside) or from analogue sources via the line-in.
For calling, thanks to Parrot's multi-speaker voice recognition software, there is no need to record voice tags anymore: the kit automatically recognizes the contact's name spoken by whoever is using the kit and makes the call automatically. Also, the Text To Speech feature (voice synthesis) on the Parrot SK4000 reads contact names from the user's phonebook through the earpiece and is also able to name radio stations to help the driver identify the correct station.
Furthermore, the kit is suitable for motorbike and scooter helmets. It allows two-wheeled vehicles to enjoy the same convenient technological opportunities as car drivers and in order to better achieve this goal, it has been fitted with a wireless remote control to select the sound source, handle calls and choose music, an automatic volume setting which adjusts to the surroundings and automatic phone book synchronisation to allow for voice activated dialing.
"In a couple of simple steps, the Parrot SK4000 upgrades a standard helmet to a multifunctional wireless hands-free kit", says Henri Seydoux, CEO and founder of Parrot. "It's easy to use the remote control as an addition to the handlebar, while the headset itself also has volume and call switches. The motorcyclist on the road will benefit from safe and solid communication and at the same time enjoy the comfort of the music or radio station of his choice."
The new SK4000 will hit the shelves by the year's end for around 280 US dollars, which is quite an OK price to pay for such a system, taking into consideration what it can actually do for all the motorcycle fans out there.
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